Postgraduate research module enrolment policy
The Graduate Board has no objections to research students undertaking taught modules in addition to their research, if they are useful and helpful for the research training and are approved by the supervisor.
Schools are asked to bear in mind that the commitment to these modules needs to be within justified limits bearing in mind that the student has a first commitment to the research project.
The expectation of the Graduate Board is that any taught modules taken would normally be during the first year of full-time study or the first and second year of part-time study.
Where a postgraduate researcher (PGR) wishes to undertake a large number of taught modules or wishes to undertake any taught modules outside the above time limits, the Director of PGR Studies will need to email a case in support of this to Doctoral College Operations at pgrprogress@leeds.ac.uk for consideration by the Chair of the Programmes and Quality Group.
Where a PGR will be attending a module and undertaking the assessment
Where a PGR is to undertake a taught module, the postgraduate researchers module enrolment form (Word doc) should be completed and returned to Doctoral College Operations. The form should be authorised by both the parent school and the teaching school offering the module
Where taught modules are formally assessed, the PGR is required to register for the module via Doctoral College Operations.
It is customary for a fee to be charged where modules are formally assessed, although the school has the right to waive the registration fee for any modules taught within their own school. The parent school is responsible for arranging a transfer of fee to the School where the module is taught.
Where the PGR will be attending a module but not undertaking the assessment
Schools may wish a PGR to attend lectures/seminars which form part of a taught module, which were useful for background knowledge, but may not require the PGR to undertake the coursework or examination towards assessment of the module.
In such cases where the PGR will not be undertaking the assessment, there is no requirement for the school to return a module enrolment form to this office.
It is at the discretion of the school concerned to make whatever arrangements they felt appropriate for the student to sit-in on any lectures and seminars which may be of benefit to their research degree study (please bear in mind that if the PGR is only auditing the module, and won't be enrolled on the module in Banner, they won't appear on any class lists from student services and so separate arrangements will need to be made).
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First published: January 2021.