Thesis submission and examination FAQs

All postgraduate researchers in thesis awaited status are required to register online. If you have not submitted your thesis in a previous academic year, you will be required to pay a continuation fee for the new academic year. The annual continuation fee for the 2022/23 academic session is £264.

Further information can be found on the thesis awaited webpage.

If you have further questions about the continuation fee that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

You should advise the Research Student Administration team via Student Help.

You cannot submit your thesis until after the end of the minimum period of registration and must submit your thesis before the end of your maximum period of registration.

Your supervisor is required to sign the intention to submit a research degree thesis form to acknowledge your proposed submission date. It is your decision when to submit your thesis. However, you are advised to consider the feedback from your supervision when making this decision.

If you have further questions that are not answered by this FAQ, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

Receipt of the Notice of Intention to Submit a Research Degree Thesis form by the Research Student Administration Team triggers the nomination of examiners process. 

It is recommended that to avoid delays to the examination of your thesis that you submit your Intention to Submit a Research Degree Thesis three months before your proposed submission date to allow time for the examiners to be approached and their nomination confirmed.

Full details of the intention to submit process can be found on the intention to submit webpages.

If you have further questions regarding the notice of intention to submit form that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

You are not required to submit printed copies of your thesis as the examination will be conducted using an electronic copy of your thesis obtained from the copy you submit for the plagiarism check via Canvas.

On submission of your thesis for the plagiarism check, please send an email to pgrstudentrecords@contacts.bham.ac.uk with “ELECTRONIC THESIS SUBMISSION” and your ID number in the subject field.  In the email you should confirm the date that you submitted your thesis for the plagiarism check (attaching a receipt if you have one) and attach the documents detailed in the 'Forms for submission' section below'.

Full details of the submission process can be found on the submitting your thesis webpages.

If you have questions about submitting your thesis for the plagiarism check via Canvas, please contact the PGR administrator in your School.

If you have further questions regarding submitting your thesis that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

The end of the minimum period of registration is the earliest date on which you can submit your thesis for examination.

The end of your maximum period of registration is the latest date for submission of your thesis.

You can check your registration dates via the Student Gateway.

If you have further questions about your registration dates that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

It is expected that you will submit your theses within your maximum period of registration or by the deadline for submitting your revised or corrected thesis. In exceptional circumstances you can apply for an extension to these deadlines. 

It is important that you make your request approximately 2 months before the end of the maximum registration period or as soon as possible for a revised or corrected thesis using the extension request form.

The extension request form is available from the extensions webpages. 

Evidence to support the request must be attached to the request form.

• Part A - to be completed by the Postgraduate Researcher
• Part B - to be completed by supervisor and passed to the Head of School (or nominee)
• Part C - to be completed by the Head of School (or nominee) and sent to Research Student Administration

If you have further questions regarding extensions that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

Thesis world limits are set out in University Regulation 7.4.2 (d):

The maximum number of words in the thesis or report is shown in the table below. The calculation of the word length excludes: abstract, acknowledgements, contents pages, appendices, tables, diagrams and figures (including associated legends), the list of references, bibliography, footnotes and endnotes and any bound published material.

Thesis word limits

College	MRes	MA/MSc by Res	MPhil	Professional Doctorate	PhD	PhD with Integrated Study	EngD/DDS/MD
Arts and Law; Social Sciences	20,000	40,000	60,000	50,000	80,000	80,000	N/A
Medical and Dental Sciences; Life and Environmental Sciences; Engineering and Physical Sciences	15,000	30,000	40,000	40,000	50,000	50,000	50,000

A thesis that exceeds the maximum number of words will not be accepted for examination unless permission to exceed the stated word count has been granted by the Research Progress & Awards Sub Panel. Permission to exceed the stated word count is only granted in exceptional circumstances. If you believe that you will not be able to meet the permitted word limit, you are advised to discuss this with your supervisor at an early stage. 

Applications to exceed the stated word count should be made in writing to your supervisor and should include how many additional words you require and the academic reasons to support your request. Your supervisor is required to comment on your application and indicate whether or not they support your request and then submit the request to Research Student Administration at pgrstudentrecords@contacts.bham.ac.uk.   

Research Student Administration will notify you of the outcome of your request once the decision has been made by the Research Progress and Awards Sub Panel.

If you have further questions regarding word limits that are not answered by this FAQ, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

• A signed declaration form (PDF - 280KB)
• A degree congregation choice form (PDF - 199KB)
• A third party editor form (Word - 27KB) (if applicable)

Forms should be submitted to pgrstudentrecords@contacts.bham.ac.uk as per the 'How do I submit my thesis for examination' FAQ above.

If you have further questions regarding submission forms that are not answered by this FAQ, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help

A thesis cannot be sent to the examiners until Research Student Administration are in receipt of:

• completed nomination of examiners form and the examiners approved for appointment;
• confirmation from your School that the plagiarism check has been completed and Research Student Administration have been advised that the thesis is cleared for examination (this can take up to two weeks from the date of your submission). 

Normal word limits as set out in Regulation 7.4.2(d) apply for alternative format theses.  

Further details on alternative format theses can be found in the 'Previously published or submitted work' section of the presenting your thesis webpage.

If you have further questions regarding alternative format theses that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

It is the responsibility of the internal examiner or the chairperson of the viva (if no internal examiner and two external examiners are appointed) to make all the arrangements for the oral examination. 

You will normally be given at least two weeks notice of the date, time, venue and the names of those attending. You should make the internal examiner aware of any dates on which it would be particularly difficult for you to be available for the oral examination - any dates you indicate as problematic will be taken into consideration, but the day chosen will depend on the examiners’ other commitments. 

If you have any questions about arrangements for the viva, please speak to your internal examiner, via your supervisor.

Yes, you can take your thesis into the viva.

The viva cannot be recorded or broadcast in any format.

Your supervisor cannot be present at the viva but should be available on the day and may be present at the end of the viva when the examiners advise their provisional recommendation.

Please contact Research Student Administration at pgrstudentrecords@contacts.bham.ac.uk to inform us that you have a RAP in place. We will then liaise with your examiners to ensure that these adjustments are in place for your viva.

Further information about Reasonable Adjustment Plans can be found on the Student Disability Service webpages.

Once the examiners’ reports have been received by the Research Student Administration team, you will be sent a letter confirming the outcome together with a copy of their reports and providing a new deadline for the completion of any revisions or corrections required.

Further information on the examiners' recommendations can be found on the examination outcome webpages.

If you have further questions regarding examination outcomes that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

The examiners may recommend that:

• The degree is awarded
• The degree is awarded subject to completion or minor or major corrections
• You should revise and resubmit your thesis for the same or lower qualification
• Award a lower degree with/without minor/major corrections
• The thesis is rejected and no award made

Further information on the examiners' recommendations can be found on the examination outcome webpages.

If you have further questions regarding examination outcomes that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

The normal timeframe for completion of minor corrections is one month but examiners may give a longer period. The date for submission of your corrected thesis will be given to you in the examination outcome letter sent to you by Research Student Administration. 

Further information can be found on the corrections webpage.

If you have further questions regarding corrections deadlines that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

The normal timeframe for completion of major corrections is six months but examiners may give a longer period. The date for submission of your corrected thesis will be given to you in the examination outcome letter sent to you by Research Student Administration. 

Further information can be found on the corrections webpage.

If you have further questions regarding corrections deadlines that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

You will receive copies of the examiners' reports when Research Student Administration officially confirm the outcome of the examination. If the examiners have recommended corrections, the corrections required should be detailed in the examiners' reports. However if you have questions about specific corrections and what is required then your supervisor can contact your examiners on your behalf. You should not contact the examiners yourself. 

For minor/major corrections, you only need to include a signed authorised declaration in the front of the thesis.

Further information can be found on the corrections webpage.

If you have further questions regarding submission of corrections that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

There is no fee for submission of a corrected thesis following minor or major corrections.

The normal timeframe for resubmission is 12 months but examiners may give a longer period. The date for resubmission of your corrected thesis will be given to you in the examination outcome letter sent to you by Research Student Administration. You are required to pay a resubmission fee and a full and further examination will take place.

Further information can be found on the revise and resubmit webpage.

If you have further questions regarding revise and resubmit deadlines that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

The date on the title page of your thesis should be the month and year of your initial submission for examination. If you are required to make corrections to your thesis, this date should not be changed.

Further information can be found on the revise and resubmit webpage.

If you have further questions regarding revise and resubmit submissions that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

For minor/major corrections, you do not need to submit your thesis again to Turnitin.  If the examiners recommend revise and resubmit, you will need to submit your revised thesis to Turnitin via Canvas.

If you have questions about submitting your thesis for the plagiarism check via Canvas, please contact the PGR administrator in your School.

If the examiners recommend that you revise and resubmit your thesis, you are required to pay a resubmission fee when you submit your revised thesis.  This is currently £180 and you should pay this in advance of your resubmission via the Online Shop. 

When submitting your resubmission forms (as per 'What forms do I need to submit with my resubmitted thesis' FAQ below), you should attach a copy of the confirmation of payment of the resubmission fee.

Further information can be found on the revise and resubmit webpage.

If you have further questions regarding the revise and resubmit fee that are not answered by this FAQ or the above webpage, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.

A revised and resubmitted thesis is subject to a full examination and you must submit the following forms:

• A signed declaration form (PDF - 280KB)
• A degree congregation choice form (PDF - 199KB)
• A third party editor form (Word - 27KB) (if applicable)

Forms should be submitted to pgrstudentrecords@contacts.bham.ac.uk as per the 'How do I submit my thesis for examination' FAQ above. You should also attach confirmation of payment of the resubmission fee (see 'When and where do I pay the resubmission fee' FAQ above).

If you have further questions regarding submission forms that are not answered by this FAQ, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help

A viva examination is compulsory for all resubmitted doctoral theses. For a resubmitted masters thesis, you may be required to attend an oral examination and the internal examiner will advise you if this is the case.

As per the Requirements for Award webpage, you must deposit an electronic copy of your completed final thesis, after corrections (if applicable), in the Library’s eTheses repository.

More information is available from the Library’s Depositing your thesis web pages.

As of January 2024, you are no longer required to submit a hardbound copy of your thesis to the Library. You must still deposit an electronic copy.

If you would like a hardbound copy to keep for yourself, the University has for many years successfully outsourced binding to Blissetts, who you can contract with directly. 

If you have further questions regarding hardbound thesis binding that are not answered by this FAQ, please contact Research Student Administration via Student Help.