LJMU PgR: Viva Voce
PROGRAMME LENGTH, VIVA VOCE & GRADUATION
PHD HANDBOOK
PROGRAMME LENGTH
The Practice PhD is a three-year program. If needed, you can take an additional 4th year (write-up or completion year). The eDoc system reflects the traditional UK 4th ('write-up') year - the maximum possible length of the program without extensions. This does not include any time spent withdrawn from the program. Transart students should base their Gantt charts/timelines on a 3-year project and not the 4-year project that is shown in eDoc.
To view the appropriate program length in eDoc:
Navigate to the Timeline page and click on “Show earliest submission dates” at the bottom of the list. It will show the minimum possible submission timeline (which is a few months shorter than the typical three-year project). Example shown for illustration purposes. Actual dates will vary depending on individual enrollment dates.
To help you keep in mind the milestones needed to finalise your PhD, please refer here and to this guide to your research journey.
VIVA VOCE (VIVA) EXAMINATION
A Viva Voce is the formal examination which will conclude your PhD Journey. During the examination, you will have to answer questions regarding your thesis and research area. This is to ensure that you have a wide and deep knowledge on the subject.
Viva Voce examinations are mandatory for research degrees candidates presenting for the first time. The purpose of this Viva is to:
Enable the examiners to assure themselves that the thesis and the research it reports are the candidate’s own work.
Give the candidate an opportunity to defend the thesis, clarify any matters that the examiners have identified, and discuss the subjects of the thesis in its disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary context.
Give the examiners an opportunity to assess the candidate’s broader knowledge of the field or discipline in which the thesis falls.
TT students will have Online Viva Voce examinations. Read the LJMU Online Viva Voce Exam Guide here. (Note the option to invite an Independent Chair.) In addition, refer to LJMU’s Guidance on Examiners and Guidance for External Examining.
GRADUATION
Once your degree has been awarded, your student record will be updated to show that your curriculum has been successfully completed. The LJMU Events Team will contact you in due course to arrange for the formal conferment of the degree. The Events Team will issue an invitation to the next available degree ceremony, which will normally be held in the November or July following the award. Further information can be found here.
Students graduating in person will receive their degree certificates at the Degree Ceremony. Students who choose to graduate in absentia may request their certificates by post from the Events Team.
The different Schools within LJMU Faculty host their own receptions on graduation day to which you will be invited by your LJMU Lead or Chair Advisor and/or administrative colleagues from your School.
Please address any queries re:LJMU processes to your LJMU Lead Supervisor in the first instance. In the event that your advisor is not able to answer or resolve your query they will forward it to Colin Fallows at LJMU