Timing of transfer to DPhil status

All research students are admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS) in the first instance. At an appropriate time before the end of the 4th term from admission, as advised by your supervisors, it will be necessary to apply for transfer to either MSc by Research status or to DPhil status. It is possible to transfer to MSc by Research status initially and thereafter to DPhil status, if appropriate.

Your status with the University will lapse if you fail to transfer before the end of your 4th term. Exceptions to the 4 term limit can be found in the below table.

Programme	Maximum time to transfer
All DPhil programmes other than the below	4 terms
All MSc by Research programmes	4 terms
Infection, Immunology & Translational Medicine	6 terms
Structural Biology	6 terms
Chromosome & Developmental Biology	6 terms
Genomic Medicine & Statistics	6 terms
OXION	6 terms
4 Year British Heart Foundation Programme	6 terms
5 Year Biochemistry/TSRI Programme	6 terms

Deferral of transfer of status

In exceptional circumstances, students with a maximum of four terms to transfer can apply for an extension of one or two terms to their Probationer Research Student status via a GSO.2b form (this form is filled in via the My Student Record section of Student Self-Service), while students with a maximum of six terms to transfer can apply for an extension of one term to their Probationer Research Student status.

The transfer report

When you decide to attempt transfer to DPhil status, you will be required to apply to the Medical Sciences Divisional Board providing the following information:

A completed GSO.2 MSD form
Two copies of a report on progress to date on the research work and future plans. The word limit for the transfer report depends on when you started your course:
- Word limit for students who started prior to 1 October 2019: 3,000 words*. This includes an abstract, introduction, results, discussion, a detailed timetable leading to submission and a methods section. You may add appendices of up to 2,000 words including figure legends, references and – if you have not included it within the main report – a methods section. (The methods section can be included either within the body of the main report or within the appendices.)
- Word limit for students who started on or after 1 October 2019: 5,000 words*. This includes an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, any appendices, and future plans including a proposed timetable for completion, but excludes tables and references.

Candidates will not be penalised for submitting reports of shorter length, so long as they include sufficient material to merit admission.

The assessors will need to see the following points addressed in your transfer report, within the word limit:

That there is a clear and defined project
That an investigative strategy has been devised
That some initial progress has been made in terms of method development and acquisition of results.
That there is a clear and timetabled path towards completion of the project.

*Students who started on the DPhil in Experimental Psychology prior to 1 October 2019 have a word limit of 6,000 words, and may add appendices of up to a further 2,000 words including methods, figure legends, and references. Students who started on the DPhil in Experimental Psychology on or after 1 October 2019 have a word limit of 7,000 words, which should include an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, any appendices, and future plans including a proposed timetable for completion. This reflects the longer thesis length for this course.

**These are strict limits set by the Divisional Graduate School Committee and must be adhered to. Assessors must not under any circumstances request that a student write more than this. If a student exceeds these limits, the assessors may return the report and appendices to the student and ask that they amend them to within the word limits. Once the report/appendices have been amended and resubmitted, the assessors may proceed with arranging the transfer viva.

Procedure for transfer to DPhil status

GSO form. Obtain a GSO.2 MSD form (please ensure that you download the GSO.2 MSD form and not the standard GSO.2 form). The GSO.2 MSD form includes a Training Needs Analysis form.
Assessor selection. Your supervisor is expected to nominate two assessors and to ensure that they are willing to act. Note that the supervisor is not permitted to be an assessor.
Signatures. Ensure that the GSO form is completed and signed by all parties to include yourself, your supervisor, your college and your department's Director of Graduate Studies and then forward it to your departmental Graduate Studies contact. An assessors’ report form and a copy of the Guidelines for Transfer of Status Assessors in the Medical Sciences will be sent to both assessors.
Transfer report submission. No less than two weeks before the date of the oral assessment, submit a copy of your report on progress to date directly to each assessor or send two copies of the report with your GSO.2 MSD form to your departmental Graduate Studies contact to send on to each assessor.
Oral assessment. It is recommended that your oral assessment by your two assessors takes place no later than mid-December if your transfer is due by the end of Michaelmas Term. Your supervisors must not be present at the oral assessment. 'Supervisors' in this context means anyone in the supervisory team, i.e. including secondary supervisors. The assessors will complete a report on the oral assessment.
Approval by the Medical Sciences Board. The completed report indicating the assessors' recommendation will be returned to your departmental graduate studies administrator following your oral assessment and will then be forwarded to the divisional Graduate School Assistants along with the completed GSO.2 MSD form. Then, all of the documentation will be sent to a representative of the Medical Sciences Board for approval. The transfer procedure is not complete until this approval has been gained; you will be notified directly in writing once the procedure is complete.
In the event that a second attempt is required. A student whose first application for transfer to DPhil status is not approved shall be permitted to make one further application, following the procedures laid down above, and shall be granted an extension of time for one term if this is necessary for the purposes of making the second application.

Resources

Assessors' report form for transfer to DPhil status

Guidelines for transfer of status assessors in the Medical Sciences