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Thesis submission

In This Section

Having transferred to MSc by Research or DPhil status within your first 4 terms and, if appropriate, having confirmed your DPhil status before or in your 9th term, you are permitted to submit a thesis for examination and in a position to apply for appointment of examiners via the ‘GSO.3’ form. Due to standard processing times, you are strongly advised to apply for the appointment of examiners at least 6 weeks before you submit your thesis.

EXAMINERS

A thesis is examined by two examiners, normally appointed by the Medical Sciences Board on recommendation of the supervisor(s). Supervisor(s) are asked to name two internal and two external examiners, indicating their first-choice examiners and the reserve examiners should their first-choice examiners be unable to act. The supervisor normally consults with the student to find out if there are any reasonable objections to any of the proposed examiners. The supervisor(s) will not act as examiners.

Examiners will be approved by the Medical Science Board after submission of the GSO.3 form and subsequently be formally invited by Examinations School.

‘GSO.3’ FORM

The application for Appointment of Examiners should be submitted via Student Self-Service, which you can access through the Graduate Forms page. The GSO.3 form should indicate the date when the student intends to submit their thesis to the Examination Schools. It is recommended to submit the application at least 6 weeks prior to the thesis submission, and it must be completed and signed off by the student, the supervisor, the College and the DGS.

VIVA VOCE

After a student has submitted their thesis electronically to the Examinations School, it will be sent to the examiners. A viva voce exam will be arranged by the internal examiner normally within one month of receiving the thesis. The viva is a formal examination, where academic dress (subfusc and gown) must be worn. Students are also advised to bring a copy of their thesis to the viva. After the viva, the examiners will make a recommendation regarding the outcome. This will be communicated to the candidate by the Medical Science Graduate School Office.

LEAVE TO SUPPLICATE

The student will be sent a formal letter following the approval of their leave to supplicate, the Degree Conferrals Office will also send an invitation to book a degree ceremony. Students are required to submit an electronic copy of their final thesis for the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA). The digital copy must be submitted to ORA a minimum of 5 days prior to the graduation ceremony that the student intends to attend.

Further information of the appointment of examiners can be found on Canvas.