Other outcomes—Recommendation 2

If this recommendation is the outcome of the viva/oral examination, the Dean FGR may determine any one of the following:

  • that you be awarded the PhD subject to meeting the conditions set out in the examination report (equivalent to Recommendation 1)
  • that you be declined a PhD, but invited to revise and resubmit the thesis for a second examination
  • that you be declined a PhD, but offered a Master’s degree, subject to meeting any conditions in the examination report (or in an amended version of the report)
  • that you be declined a degree, with no further option or conditions.

Revise and resubmit for a second examination

If the changes to your thesis are substantial and likely to require more than six months full-time work to complete, your examination committee will probably recommend that you revise your thesis and resubmit it for a second examination.

  • You will be required to re-register for a minimum of six months with a maximum of 12 months (or 18 months part-time).
  • You will receive further academic supervision.
  • There may be changes to your supervision team. This will be decided and confirmed by your Head of School.
  • You will receive written advice explaining which parts of the thesis require revision and for what reasons.

Once you have re-submitted by the due date, your thesis will be re-examined usually by the same examiners. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Dean FGR consent to a change of examiners. You will normally be required to have a second viva/oral examination.

Re-registration

Within two weeks of agreeing to your examination outcome with the Dean FGR, you are expected to re-register and pay tuition fees and student levies for the required period. To re-register please contact your FGR Student Advisor via FGR-Postgrads@vuw.ac.nz  . Your registration period will be from the 1st of the month. If your period of resubmission extends into the following year you will need to register again from 1 January.

International students

If you are an international student you will need to ensure that your visa status enables you to remain in New Zealand for the additional registration period as you are strongly advised to work closely with your supervisor to maximise your chances of a successful outcome. If you are unable to remain in New Zealand, you will no longer qualify for domestic fees and will be charged international fees. You will also require permission from the Dean FGR to work away from the University.

Deferring your registration start date

In exceptional circumstances you may apply to defer your start date. To do this you will need to write to the Dean FGR outlining your reasons for requesting a deferral and attaching supporting evidence. You will also require the support of your primary supervisor and of your Head of School. You may not defer your registration for more than three months from the date on which you were advised of the examination outcome.

Progress reporting

During a period of revise and resubmit you will not be required to complete the standard Candidate Development Plan (usually completed in May and November). Instead your Supervisor will be asked to complete a brief progress report every three months. The Supervisor will be contacted directly by FGR staff.

Suspending your study

In exceptional circumstances you may apply to suspend your study during your revise and resubmit. Please note that you will require approval for a suspension from the Dean FGR.

Financial assistance

The Wellington Doctoral Hardship Scholarship grants are discretionary and aim to assist students experiencing unexpected financial hardship.

Resubmission

On resubmission of your thesis, the examination process begins again. Please consult with your supervisor when you are about to resubmit. You will also need to complete another Application for Examination and all the necessary forms. It is usual that the same examiners will re-examine your thesis, subject to their availability. You can expect to have another viva/oral examination and you may still be required to do revisions to your thesis afterwards, but the examiners do not have the option of giving you another outcome of revise and resubmit.

What will examiners be considering in the second examination?

You will have been provided with the three examiners’ reports, and the Examination Outcome Report (if you had a viva/oral). You will be expected to pay close attention to their comments, both in the individual written reports and in the examination outcome report. Examiners will obviously want to see that their reports have been taken seriously, and that you have addressed and resolved the issues that they have raised. However, the examiners are advised that they should not look only at your revisions. They will examine the thesis again, as a whole. They will look again at the basic criteria governing the award of a doctorate—that it make an original and significant contribution to knowledge or understanding in its field; that it demonstrate a sound knowledge of the literature relevant to the field; that it demonstrate appropriate critical analysis; and that it be presented to a standard that meets international expectations of scholarship. Examiners may consider that you have attended to the corrections and revision they signalled, but still find it does not meet the criteria, or that it exhibits other weaknesses in its revised form.