Submit your thesis

You are welcome to submit your thesis before your required submission date. However, if you wish to submit your thesis before your earliest submission date, you must request approval through RECS. Go to ‘My project’, then ‘Candidature maintenance’, then ‘Start a new request’, select ‘Early submission’ and follow the prompts.

If you are concerned you will not be able to submit your thesis by your required submission date, discuss your options with your lead supervisor as early as possible.

Depending on your circumstances, these may include changing from full-time to part-time study or temporarily suspending your studies.

Extensions of candidature are only granted under exceptional circumstances. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and must include a detailed plan of how the additional time requested will be used.

If you are an international student you must also upload a completed Student Declaration, which must include your reason for requesting an extension, as well as your details and signature.

In RECS, go to ‘My project’, then ‘Candidature maintenance’, then ‘Start a new request’, select ‘Extension’ and follow the prompts.

While your request is being processed, do not assume it will be approved. Continue to work towards your required submission date until you receive the outcome of your request.

If you are granted an extension and given a new thesis submission date, if you subsequently apply to change from full-time to part-time study, your required submission date will not be moved for a second time.

If your required submission date has passed and you have not submitted your thesis, you must submit a request for an extension as soon as possible.

If you do not, your faculty or school may require you to ‘show good cause’ for your failure to submit a thesis. You will not be able to submit your thesis after your required submission date unless your extension request is approved.

This mode of examination allows you to discuss your thesis directly with your examiners, who are experts in your field and have carefully read your thesis.

Your written thesis is first sent to your two external examiners. They are given four weeks to review it and provide an interim report. When they are received, you and your supervisor are notified through RECS.

You do not receive a copy of the interim reports at this point, but your supervisor is prompted to arrange a meeting with you to discuss their contents and help you prepare for your oral examination. This meeting should occur at least two days before your scheduled oral examination.

Some faculties require you to deliver a public presentation before your oral examination; your supervisor will advise whether this applies to you.

Your oral examination will be a private session that involves only you, your two examiners, and the Chair of Examination as convenor. During this session, your examiners may ask you to clarify specific points in your thesis or discuss your research more broadly.

At the end of the session, you will leave the room, and your examiners and the Chair of Examination will discuss the outcome. If they reach a consensus, you may be invited back into the room and informed of the outcome immediately. If not, they will be given further time to consider the outcome, and you will be informed later.

This mode of examination applies to students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or the Conservatorium of Music whose thesis includes a creative work, unless you request an oral examination.

In this mode, your written thesis is sent to your two external examiners, who are given six weeks to review it and provide an extensive report. When these are received, your lead supervisor and the Chair of Examination review them before informing you of the outcome. You will receive a copy of the reports once an outcome has been reached.

This mode is available only to students in the School of Art, Communication and English within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

In this mode, your written thesis component (your ‘exegesis’) is first sent to your two external examiners, who are given four weeks to review it and provide an interim report. When these are received, you will be prompted through RECS to arrange a meeting with your lead supervisor to discuss their contents (you will not receive a copy of the reports at this stage) and prepare for your exhibition and oral examination.

While your examiners are reviewing your exegesis, you will work with the Chair of Examination and relevant support staff to arrange a date and the logistics of your exhibition. On the day of the exhibition, you can walk your examiners and the Chair of Examination through your work.

Your oral examination will be a private session that involves only you, your two examiners, and the Chair of Examination as convenor. During this session, your examiners may ask you to clarify specific points presented within your exegesis and creative work or engage in broader discussion about your research.

At the end of the session, you will leave the room, and your examiners and the Chair of Examination will discuss the outcome. If they reach a consensus, you may be invited back into the room and informed of the outcome immediately. If not, they will be given further time to submit more detailed reports, and you will be informed through RECS of the outcome in the weeks following your exhibition (this process can take more than a month).