Annual Progression Reviews
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Monitoring your progress
Supervisors are responsible for monitoring your progress and reporting annually to the Graduate School Office and the College Postgraduate Office. This progress is monitored via the Annual Progression Review.
The annual review system for PhD students is an online form within your student record (accessible via MyEd).
You can find more information available on this system here:
More detailed information on the annual review process is available in the Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students, section 3.2 (PDF).
Annual reviews take place in person unless the student is on approved Leave of Absence for study-related purposes, for example, on fieldwork.
End of First Year Review Board
While a review has to be held and progress has to be confirmed in each year of study, the first year review differs slightly in that you need to undertake a End of First Year Review Board to confirm registration for the PhD (the first year is probationary).
Reviews in subsequent years may not necessarily be as formal as the first-year review, however, this is at the discretion of your supervisory team and the School. The review will be conducted by a panel which includes all the supervisory team and may include one or more people appointed by the School.
You and your supervisor(s) must also complete the annual review form.
More information
Specific information on the End of First Year Review Board is available here:
Annual Review outcomes and recommendations
The outcomes of annual reviews are outlined in the Postgraduate Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees and the Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students (PDF).
What is the outcome?
The outcome is the recommendation that the supervisors make after each annual review (not just the first year review).
This recommendation is confirmed by the Postgraduate Advisor or Graduate School Deputy Director and passed to the College Postgraduate Office.
The College are formally responsible for making the progression decision.
Postgraduate Assessment Regulations
Below is an extract from the Postgraduate Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees document.
Postgraduate Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees
Regulation 14 | Annual progression review recommendation
(a) confirmation of registration, for example for PhD, MPhil
(b) a repeat progression review must be undertaken within three months before confirmation of progression
(c) for part-time students only for the first progression review: deferment of the confirmation decision to the second annual review
(d) registration for a different research degree such as MPhil or MSc by Research
(e) registration for a postgraduate taught degree (for example MSc) or diploma can be recommended if the student has undertaken the coursework for that qualification
(f) exclusion from study
Recommendation 14(b)
If the outcome of the annual review is 14(b) then the three month period starts from the date of issue of your progression decision.
The outcomes of a repeat are the same as for the initial review, with the exception of 14(b) - only one repeat review may be undertaken.
Recommendations 14(d), (e) and (f)
If there are doubts about your ability to complete a PhD successfully then your supervisor must consider option (d).
If there are serious doubts as to your research capability, then your supervisor must consider options (e) or (f).
Contact us
Any queries regarding your Annual Review recommendations and outcomes should be directed to your On-programme Postgraduate Advisor in the first instance, copying the or the PG Research Support Team (pgresearch.sps@ed.ac.uk).