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Transfer of Status Guidance

All DPhil and MSc by Research (MRes) students must complete a Transfer of Status process in order to transfer from “Probationary Research Student” status to DPhil/MSc by Research status. This must be completed by the end of the 4th term after admission (8th term if you are part time).

Purpose

The purpose of the transfer process is 1) to ensure that you have a convincing research proposal; 2) to ensure that you are making satisfactory progress and that your plans are feasible within the time available; 3) to satisfy the assessors that the work is potentially of DPhil/MRes quality.

 

Procedure 

  1. Student and supervisor discuss potential assessors. Supervisor contacts potential assessors to ask if they would be willing to act as assessor and, if so, to arrange a date and time. Two assessors are required, neither of whom should have acted in a supervisory capacity (formal or informal) to the student. Both assessors should be internal to Oxford (but can be from outside of the Department) and at least one assessor should have supervised a student in Oxford to completion. It is a good idea to do this well in advance of the transfer (i.e. over the summer months) so that the assessors have plenty of notice.
  2. Student completes University’s online Research Integrity training course (this is required before applying for Transfer of Status).
  3. Student completes GS02 form (with Training Needs Assessment). This is an online form, which can be accessed via the My Student Record tab in Student Self Service. Once submitted online, this form will then be sent to supervisors to add comments, names of assessors and signatures and then to the Director of Graduate Studies and college for signature. This should be completed at least 3 weeks before the viva.
  4. Student uploads transfer report (see below) directly to GSO.2 application on self service at least 2 weeks before the viva.
  5. Once the viva date has been arranged, the supervisor/student should email graduatestudies@psych.ox.ac.uk to inform them of the date and assessors, so that the relevant forms and information can be sent to the assessors. Graduate Studies Administrator grants assessors access to documents on the system and sends assessment sheet and assessor instructions to the assessors in advance of the assessment. It is important to do this well in advance of the viva so that assessors are given access to the documents in good time.
  6. After the viva, the assessors upload the assessment sheet and any comments to the system to go to Medical Sciences Division for final approval. The Division send out confirmation of the result to the student, supervisors, college and department.

The deadline for this entire process to be complete is the end of your 4th term (8th term for part time students).

 

Transfer Report

DPhil

For DPhil students, the transfer report should be a maximum of 5,000 words (excluding tables, figure legends and references). We recommend that the main report should be a maximum of 3,000 with up to 2,000 words of appendix (if needed).


The assessors will need to see the following points assessed in your transfer report:

  • That there is a clear and defined project, with stated aims and objectives
  • That an investigative strategy has been devised
  • That some progress has been made in terms of method development and acquisition of results
  • That there is a clear, timetabled, feasible path towards completion of the thesis

Although the specific format of the report will differ according to project, a suggested format is: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and future plans including a proposed timetable for completion (i.e. Gantt chart).

 

MSc by Research


For MSc by Research, students are required to submit an outline of their project of no more than 500 words and a timetable for completion.

 

Transfer viva


It is recommended that the oral assessment takes place no later than mid-December, if your transfer is due at the end of Michaelmas term. Your supervisor must not be present at the oral assessment. Most assessors will ask the student to prepare a short (5-10 minute) presentation summarising the transfer report, to be presented at the start of the viva. The student/supervisor should check with the assessors in advance of the viva whether this is required. Typically, the viva lasts around one hour, and must be no longer than two hours. Following the viva, the assessors will send a written report and a recommendation to the Medical Sciences Graduate Studies Office.


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