PGR overview
Registration and fees
The research programme includes a normal period of registration where full tuition fees are payable. The project you devise should be broad enough to be explored at some length but sufficiently restricted to be capable of completion and submission within your registration period. This means that you should be aiming, from the outset, to submit your thesis by the end of your registration period.
You should not plan to extend into your 'submission pending period' previously known as 'writing up period' but this period is available if it becomes necessary for you have a little more time. Additional submission pending fees are payable for use of the submission pending period. Students are required to pay the submission pending fee, in full, at the beginning of the submission pending period and will be refunded any overpayment, on a pro rata basis, if they submit before the end of their time limit.
PhD full-time
WroCAH funded students (from Oct 2019)
3 year registration period (plus min 4 months WRoCAH training engagement)
1 year submission pending period (minus WRoCAH training engagement)
Students funded by WRoCAH will receive a maintenance stipend for 36 months in the first instance with an additional 4 months funding available depending on your engagement with the WRoCAH training programme including the Research Employability Project (1-3 months) and Knowledge Exchange Project (c. 1 month). A period of leave will be added to your record to cover this engagement which will extend your registration period and so the date you aiming to submit your thesis by. It will not extend your final time limit.
PhD full-time
Sheffield funded students (from Oct 2018) and self-funding students (from Oct 2021)
3.5 year registration period
6 month submission pending period
PhD full-time
WRoCAH funded students (before Oct 2019), Sheffield funded students (before Oct 2018) and self-funding (before Oct 2021)
3 year registration period
1 year submission pending period
PhD part-time
6 or 7 years registration
2 or 1 year writing up period
In line with full-time periods above
Remote location
Registration and writing up periods follow the standard full-time or part-time format as appropriate.
MPhil full-time
Two years registration
One year submission pending period
MPhil part-time
Four years registration
Two years submission pending period
Remote location
Registration and writing up periods follow the standard full-time or part-time format as appropriate.
Supervision and progress
All students have a supervisory team, usually made up of a primary and a secondary supervisor. You will already know who your primary supervisor is and are likely to have had at least some contact with them before you arrive. You will be given information about your secondary supervisor when you begin your studies. When you arrive you and your supervisors should agree a schedule of work. During the course of your research, you will have regular meetings with your supervisor(s) to discuss your progress with your research and development. In addition to these meetings, all students will have annual and bi-annual reviews. Over the course of May and June in your first year (second year for part-time students) you will also undertake a Confirmation Review process to have your status as a PhD student confirmed.
Supervision meetings
At the beginning of the academic year, you and your primary supervisor should agree a schedule of work, and arrangements for meetings to discuss your work. The frequency of meetings will vary according to circumstances, but both parties are responsible for ensuring that regular contact is maintained and a meeting is held at least every 6 weeks for full-time students and 8 weeks for part-time students.
Meetings should continue to take place up until your degree is awarded.
Supervisors and students are required to keep formal records of these supervision meetings using the supervision report form. You should agree who will take responsibility for this task when you begin.
Supervision report forms should be submitted as soon as possible after each meeting and not be done in batches.
For an ongoing record, you can use PATS (accessed via MUSE) to view the notes from your supervisory meetings. PATS (the Personal and Academic Tutoring System) is the system used to record meetings between staff and students and a copy of each report will be logged here.
Full-time students
(PhD and MPhil)
Supervision meetings
Every 4-6 weeks
Annual and bi-annual reviews
Take place every year
Confirmation review (PhD only)
Takes place in May-June in the first year
Majority-off-campus / Remote location
Supervision meetings
Follow the full-time or part-time format
Meetings can be via video call or phone
Annual and bi-annual reviews
Take place every year
Meetings can be via video call
Confirmation review (PhD only)
Follow the full-time or part-time format
Confirmation review will normally be held in Sheffield with attendance in person
Part-time students
(PhD and MPhil)
Supervision meetings
Every 8-10 weeks
Annual and bi-annual reviews
Take place every year
Confirmation review (PhD only)
Takes place in May-June in the second year
Visiting students
Supervision meetings
Follow the full-time or part-time format
Annual and bi-annual reviews
Not required
Confirmation review (PhD only)
Not required
Doctoral Development Programme
The Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) is a training plan for all doctoral researchers that you can tailor to your individual needs. DDP engagement is required for all PhD and MPhil students including part-time and remote location students.