2018-19
Degree of Doctor of Practical Theology
RESOLUTION
The Degree of Doctor of Practical Theology is governed by Resolution No. 634 of the University Court which came into effect on 1 September 2010 with provision that:
1. The Degree of Doctor of Practical Theology (DPT) may be awarded by the Senate of the University of Glasgow in the College of Arts (the College).
2. The Senate may make Regulations governing the award of the degree, which are subject to the approval of the University Court. These shall be stated under 'Regulations'.
3. The early exit award of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) (Practical Theology) is also included in the Regulations.
REGULATIONS
A candidate admitted to the Programme leading to the award of the Degree of Doctor of Practical Theology must follow the instructions issued by the relevant School and be aware of the content of the Programme Specification and the Programme Document which will contain further details on the Programme including further requirements associated with the award.
1. Admission
Before being considered for admission to study for the Degree of Doctor of Practical Theology, a candidate must normally have obtained a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours Degree or other qualification or experience deemed by the College of Arts Higher Degrees Committee to provide equivalent evidence of suitability for study.
2. Duration of Study
2.1 The minimum period of study for the award of the Degree is three years of full-time study or five years of part-time study.
2.2 The maximum period within which the Programme must normally be completed is six years from the date of initial registration. Where the College has approved suspension of study for a period of time, the maximum period of study permitted shall be equivalent to six years plus the approved period of suspension.
2.3 A candidate who has not completed the Programme, and the duration of whose period of study has reached the limit prescribed in §2.2, may apply to the College Higher Degrees Committee (or equivalent) for permission to extend their period of study by a maximum of one year. Such application must be accompanied by evidence of the candidate’s progress and an explanation for the delay in completion, and must be supported by the candidate’s supervisor and the Programme Director. Where the candidate has fulfilled the minimum period of part-time study or full-time study required by the regulations, and has not submitted the thesis for examination, the candidate shall be registered with a ‘thesis pending’ status for the final session. If further supervision is required, the College may require the candidate to register as a full-time or part-time student.
3. Recognition of Prior Learning
Credit may be awarded towards the completion of the Programme for courses or examinations satisfactorily completed while following another programme at the University of Glasgow or at another institution. Such award will be made in accordance with procedures approved by the College Higher Degrees Committee and set out in the Programme Handbook.
4. Structure of Programme
The programme will consist of four courses delivered by directed learning, each carrying a value of 40 credits, and a research project leading to the submission of a dissertation or equivalent research portfolio. In other respects the courses and research project will conform to the descriptions set out in the Programme Handbook.
5. Minimum Requirement for the Award of Credits
Credits for courses shall be awarded subject to the fulfilment of required conditions. The minimum requirements for the award of credits are set out in the Code of Assessment at §16.40 – §16.44 in the ‘University Fees and General Information for Students’ section of the University Calendar.
6. Progress
A candidate must achieve a grade C3 or better in all course components in each year in order to progress to a further year of study or research.
7. Dissertation or Research Portfolio
The dissertation or research portfolio must be written in English and must consist normally of not fewer than 50,000, and not more than 65,000 words. It must be the candidate’s own account of their research and must be accompanied by a declaration to this effect signed by the candidate.
A candidate must submit two copies of the dissertation which must include a summary of 250–1,000 words. The summary must be an adequate and informative abstract of the work, suitable for publication by the University. The submitted copies of the dissertation may be soft-bound but otherwise should generally conform to the British Standard Institution’s Recommendations for the presentation of theses (BS4821:1990) which is available for consultation in the University Library or from the College Graduate School.
In signing a submission form, the supervisor is confirming that the work was undertaken by the candidate. The wording of the form makes it clear that the supervisor's signature does not endorse that the work has been completed, nor does it indicate that the dissertation has achieved the required standard for the award of the degree. A candidate may submit a dissertation against the advice of the supervisor but in such cases the supervisor may state the position in a report submitted to the Convener of the Committee of Examiners.
If approved for the degree, one hard-bound copy of the dissertation and one electronic copy shall be deposited with the University Library. The bound copy should normally be produced to the standard defined in BS4821:1990, and the electronic copy must conform to University Library specifications published at https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/formattingyourthesis/. It is the University's normal practice to make the bound copy available for consultation in the Library, and to permit computer download of the electronic copy through its repository service, Enlighten. Such access may, however, be restricted under provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
8. Assessment
8.1 Each candidate will be assessed on all courses on the Programme and on the dissertation or research portfolio.
8.2 For each academic session, assessment and reassessment are, in so far as not modified by these regulations, governed by the Code of Assessment which is contained in the ‘University Fees and General Information for Students’ section of the University Calendar published for that session.
8.3 An oral examination of the candidate must be held in the presence of all of the examiners of the dissertation or research portfolio. In undertaking an oral or other examination the candidate must follow any requirements for the assessment as stated by the Graduate School.
9. Examiners
The thesis shall be examined by one or more examiners appointed by the Senate from among the experienced academic staff of the University, and by one or more External Examiners appointed by the University Court on the recommendation of the Senate. No person who has been involved in the direct supervision of the research student may be appointed as an examiner. The internal examiner shall not undertake any duties which have been allocated to the Convener andshall act as an examiner in the normal way. In the case of a submission by a member of staff or a former member of staff two of the examiners must be external. A thesis may be examined by two external examiners without the appointment of an Internal Examiner, with the approval of the Dean of Graduate School
10. Award of the Degree and Recommendation of the Examiners of the Candidate’s Dissertation or Research Portfolio
10.1 In order to qualify for the award of the degree, the candidate must achieve grade C3 or better in each of the four courses delivered by directed learning as described at §4, and be recommended for the award following examination of the dissertation or research portfolio in accordance with the provisions of §10.2.
10.2 The examiners of the candidate’s dissertation or research portfolio will recommend to the Higher Degrees Committee one of the following outcomes:
a) the Degree be awarded unconditionally.
b) the Degree be awarded subject to certain minor corrections of detail or of presentation specified by the examiners. These shall not involve changes of substance to the dissertation or research portfolio. The corrections shall normally be carried out within one month of receipt of the specifications to the satisfaction of the internal examiner.
c) the Degree be awarded subject to certain changes of substance in a specific element or elements of the dissertation or research portfolio specified by the examiners. These shall not involve a revision of the whole dissertation or research portfolio or of a major proportion of it. They may, however, include a requirement to carry out a further period of research in order to strengthen the dissertation or research portfolio. The revisions shall be carried out within a timescale determined by the examiners and shall be confirmed by all of the examiners.
d) the dissertation or research portfolio as a whole is unacceptable. The candidate is invited to resubmit the dissertation or research portfolio taking account of the comments of the examiners. The resubmitted dissertation or research portfolio will be examined on one occasion only. It will be resubmitted within a timescale to be determined by the examiners but normally no later than 12 months after the date of the joint report notifying the candidate of the requirements for revision. A resubmission fee will be charged to cover the examining costs.
e) the dissertation or research portfolio as a whole is unacceptable for the award of a Doctoral degree and the Degree of Master of Philosophy (Practical Theology) is awarded.
11. Requirements for the Award of Master of Philosophy (Practical Theology)
A candidate will be eligible for the award of the Degree of MPhil Practical Theology on obtaining grade C3 or better in each of the four courses of the Programme delivered by directed learning as specified in §4. In the event of a candidate applying successfully for the award of this Degree, they must withdraw from the Programme.