Notice of intention to submit your thesis

Your thesis should be submitted after you complete the minimum period of study and before the end of the maximum period of study for your qualification. 

For full details on minimum and maximum periods of study, please see University Regulation 6.2.3.

You are advised to discuss when you intend to submit with your supervisor, but please remember that their advice and/or opinion are advisory only. The decision when submit to thesis is yours and the advice from your supervisor should not be taken as an indication that the final thesis will necessarily meet the requirements of the degree. 

Exceptionally you may be granted permission to submit your thesis before the end of your minimum period of study. For further details see to the Early submission webpage.

As it takes some time to organise the examination of your thesis, we ask that you notify us at least three months in advance of the date that you intend to submit your thesis. 

The receipt of the completed form by Research Student Administration (RSA) triggers the formal nomination of examiners for your thesis. For a variety of reasons, it can take some time to identify suitable examiners, make contact with them and obtain their agreement to act in this capacity. You may find that if you give insufficient notice of a submission there will be a delay in sending your thesis for examination.

You should complete a Notice of Intention to Submit/ Resubmit a Research Degree Thesis form and forward this to your supervisor.

• Notice of intention to submit (Word - 40KB)

Your supervisor will sign to acknowledge your intended submission date and forward the form to the RSA team.

You will be required to deposit an electronic copy of your thesis in the Library’s eTheses repository. This copy will normally be openly available for anyone to read.

If you believe your thesis contains material that is not appropriate to share online for a period of time, you will need to discuss this with your supervisor and complete the appropriate restricted access request form. Depending on the reason for the restriction, the form may need to be authorised by your supervisor and/or your PGR Lead. The form must be deposited to eTheses at the same time you deposit your thesis.

Further information and forms for applying for restricted access are available on the Library’s Restricting access to your thesis web pages.

If you have already submitted your Notice of Intention to Submit/Resubmit form but something has changed you should email us as soon as possible at by submitting an online enquiry.

RSA run a Thesis Submission Event twice a year which is aimed at PGRs who are due to submit their thesis in the following few months. The event will provide information on the submission process and staff from various sections of the University who are involved with the submission process will be on hand to answer any questions.

The Getting Your Thesis Ready workshop is run by the Research Skills and RSA teams and provides guidance on thesis presentation, the submission process and copyright considerations.

If you would like help with job hunting or career options after your research degree, please visit the Careers Network for postgraduate researchers web page for information on the support available.