Research student examinations

Should a student suffer from a disability that may affect their thesis, this needs to be considered at the time that the student is writing their thesis. There are a number of measures that can be put in place to support disabled students whilst writing their thesis that can be discussed with DAS and department / college disability advisors. These could include extensions of time for milestones, assistive technology, use of proof reader etc.

By the time the student submits their thesis no further consideration of the disability for the written work is appropriate, as the student will have been given sufficient support so that that their thesis can be examined under the same academic criteria as those theses submitted by students without a disability.

However, if a student wishes to make the examiners aware of any illness, disability, or personal circumstance which may affect their performance in the viva, they can make an application for Adjustments to Assessment Arrangements using form GSO.19 (the form and related guidance can be found on the Graduate Forms webpage).

It is the responsibility of the internal examiner to arrange the viva date with their co-examiner and the student before advertising the viva and confirming the date to the Submissions and Research Degrees Team.

The internal examiners are sent a GSO.9 form (viva notice form), minor corrections notice, and a report form with the hard copy of the thesis. Depending on the stage of the examination, both examiners are also sent a GSO.10 form (claim form). Duplicate copies of these forms can be requested from the Submissions and Research Degrees Team, and under no circumstances should forms issued for another student be used or modified.

Report forms should be returned to the relevant Graduate Studies Assistant (GSA), details of which are on the last page of the document.

Once the relevant Board has ratified the result, their GSA will notify the Submissions and Research Degrees Team of the outcome, who will in turn formally notify the candidate and log the result on the Student System.

For more information, please visit: Research student examinations FAQ page

Please visit the Graduation and leaving Oxford section of the Oxford Students website for more information regarding obtaining proof of a degree and graduation ceremonies.

Please visit the Graduation and leaving Oxford section of the Oxford Students website for more information regarding obtaining proof of a degree and graduation ceremonies.