ft gradhandbook v1

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Department of OncologyHandbook for Full-time Graduate

Students

Produced by Dr. Hayley Woffendin and Dr. Ann Kaminski.


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Contents

Page

Introduction ............................................................. 3

The Clinical School .................................................... 4

The Graduate School of Life Sciences ......................... 4

The Degree Committee of Medical ......................... 4& Veterinary SciencesDepartmental Graduate Education Committee ................ 5

Where to get help & advice ........................................... 7

Graduate Societies .................................................... 8

Plagiarism ............................................................. 9

Supervisors ............................................................. 10

PhD course ............................................................. 11

- Course description ........................................... 11

- Talks, seminars and conferences ............................ 12

- Transferable Skills ........................................... 13

- Course Timetable ........................................... 17

Year 1 .................................................... 17

Year 2 .................................................... 23

Year 3 .................................................... 26

Year 4 .................................................... 31

- Frequently asked questions .................................. 33

MPhil course ............................................................. 36

- Course description ........................................... 36

- Talks, seminars and conferences ......................... 37

- Transferable Skills ........................................... 38

- Course Timetable ........................................... 39

- Frequently asked questions .................................. 47


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Introduction

Welcome to the Cambridge University Department of Oncology for your post-graduate training. The training program for your further degree is outlined in

this booklet.

Most students begin their post-graduate studies at the beginning of October(Michaelmas term) and the dates for various deadlines given in this handbookmake that assumption. However, if you start at the beginning of the Lent orEaster terms, your deadlines will have to be adjusted accordingly, which is arelatively simple process, however, if you are in doubt contact Hayley Woffendinfor guidance.

The Department is split between several buildings on or close to theAddenbrookes site, which is located on the south side of Cambridge. The

Department has a multi-national character with staff and students from all overthe world.

Being a Research Student is very different from being an undergraduate studentor a student on a taught graduate course; probably the greatest difference isthat it will be largely up to you to decide what you are going to do on a day-to-day basis. You will carry out your research under the guidance of a personalSupervisor, but you will also have the support of a Second Supervisor with whomyou will meet from time to time to discuss aspects of your work and yourprogress.

Please do make use of all the support and help that is available to you.

We hope that studying with us will be a positive, informative andenjoyable experience and that you will achieve your goals.

Professor Sir Bruce PonderHead of Department

Dr Anna PhilpottDirector of Graduate EducationDept. of [email protected]

Departmental websitewww.oncology.cam.ac.uk
http://www.oncology.cam.ac.uk/http://www.oncology.cam.ac.uk/http://www.oncology.cam.ac.uk/http://www.oncology.cam.ac.uk/


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The Clinical School and Graduate Students

As well as being a member of the Department of Oncology, you are amember of a wider body of students based at the Clinical School. TheClinical School Graduate Education Committee organises at least 3 events

a year for the Clinical School graduate community and you are stronglyencouraged to attend. As well as counting towards your transferable skillstraining (TST), care is taken to organise relevant events that will be ofinterest, and it is an invaluable opportunity to meet with other studentson the site, to help you gain an idea of the breadth of knowledge andexpertise you can draw upon. These events are usually well publicised bye-mail. In particular, the Clinical School usually organises a SummerSymposium, where students present posters and talks amongstthemselves. As well as being an excellent experience, Oncology has agood record in winning cash prizes at this event, so you are stronglyencouraged to contribute.

University of CambridgeGraduate School of Life Sciences

The Graduate School of Life Sciences includes both UniversityDepartments and affiliated Institutes. As all of our Graduate Students areregistered for their PhDs with the University of Cambridge, they areautomatically members of the School.

The aims of the Graduate School are to provide a resource for all

Graduate Students. It aims to enhance the experience of all students byoffering the finest environment for personal and academic development,for which it co-ordinates a broad portfolio of transferable and professionaldevelopment courses.

The Graduate School covers life sciences students at the Hospital, as wellas the central Departments and other outlying Institutes. The GraduateSchool also organises events from time to time, including a compulsoryinduction course in early October. In particular, a nice welcome partyfollows on from this in town, which you may well want to attend; it willhelp you gain a better idea of what is going on across Cambridge

University Life Sciences as a whole.

The Degree Committee of Medical and Veterinary Sciences

This is a Committee consisting of academics who perform important taskssuch as: appointment of PhD examiners, deciding on deferment ofsubmission and, most importantly, assessing viva reports to decide if adegree can be awarded. You are likely to come in contact with the DegreeCommittee only via submission of various forms, e.g. in the unlikely event

that you overrun your 4 years, when you want to have your Dissertationabstract approved etc. Your Supervisor should be able to guide you


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through these processes, although all forms are available online from viayour CamSIS Self Service account. Administrative questions can also bedirected to Anna Philpott (Oncology Director of Graduate Education),Hayley Woffendin (Oncology Scientific Administrator & Graduate StudentAdministrator), Christine Fox and Ireena Dutta (MRC Cancer Cell Unit

Graduate Student Administrators) and Ann Kaminski (Cambridge ResearchInstitute Graduate Student Administrator).

Department of Oncology Graduate Education Committee

This Committee advises on all matters pertaining to Graduate Students inthe Department of Oncology and ensures liaison between thoseresponsible for graduate education in the various buildings that comprisethe Department.

Current members of the Committee are:

Ireena Dutta (MRC Cancer Cell Unit) Christine Fox (MRC Cancer Cell Unit) Phil Jones - (MRC Cancer Cell Unit) Ann Kaminski (Cambridge Research Institute) Gillian Murphy (University) Anna Philpott Chair (University) Vicki Sparkes (University)

Hayley Woffendin Secretary (University)

Contact details for committee members:

Ireena DuttaScientific Communications Manager & Graduate StudentAdministratorMRC Cancer Cell UnitHutchison/MRC Research Centre

Tel: 01223 763289Email:[email protected]

Christine FoxGroup Leaders Secretary & Graduate Student AdministratorMRC Cancer Cell UnitHutchison/MRC Research CentreTel: 01223 763292Email:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Phil JonesDirector of Graduate EducationMRC Cancer Cell UnitHutchison/MRC Research CentreTel: 01223 763379

Email:[email protected]

Ann KaminskiScientific Administrator & Graduate Student AdministratorCRUK Cambridge Research InstituteLi Ka Shing CRUK Cambridge Research InstituteTel: 01223 404206Email:[email protected]

Gillian MurphyDeputy Head of Department of OncologyLi Ka Shing CRUK Cambridge Research InstituteTel: 01223 404470Email:[email protected]

Anna PhilpottDirector of Graduate EducationDepartment of OncologyHutchison/MRC Research Centre

Tel: 01223 762675Email:[email protected]

Vicki SparkesBusiness & Operations ManagerDepartment of OncologyHutchison/MRC Research CentreTel: 01223 763262Email:[email protected]

Hayley WoffendinScientific Administrator & Graduate Student AdministratorDepartment of OncologyHutchison/MRC Research CentreTel: 01223 768673Email:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Where to get advice

Being a student can be a stressful time. You may have worries aboutyour studies, financial concerns, or problems with relationships with yourSupervisor or other members of your lab. In addition, there are always

the difficulties associated with living far away from home and family andfriends. Most students face at least some of these difficulties during theirstudy period.

In these circumstances, it is best to speak to your Principal Supervisor,your Second Supervisor or College Tutor. However, if that is not desirable(and you just want a friendly shoulder to cry on) then please come andspeak to Ireena Dutta or Christine Fox (MRC CCU), Ann Kaminski (CRI),Anna Philpott or Hayley Woffendin (all Oncology students). They areindependent, non-judgmental and willing to offer a sympathetic ear.

If you feel your concerns are so serious that you wish to make acomplaint, then please consult the Universitys Student Handbook foradvice and information about the Universitys complaints procedure:http://www.cam.ac.uk/staffstudents/studenthandbook/complaints.html

For further information, help & advice

The Student Registry website provides useful information about:

Information for new and current graduate students;

Information for International students, including visa applications; CamSIS and how to manage your student profile; University Policy & Guidance and code of practice; Resources, support and training; Submitting your Dissertation and examination procedures; Graduate course costs; and Student complaints & appeals procedures.

Website address:https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/about/

The Graduate School of Life Sciences website also provides informationabout:

University regulations and guidance forDegreesand programmes; Funding; Departments within the School; Research Themes database; Skills development; Contact information for key personnel within the School; and Answers to frequently asked questions.

Website address: http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/index.html
http://www.cam.ac.uk/staffstudents/studenthandbook/complaints.htmlhttp://www.cam.ac.uk/staffstudents/studenthandbook/complaints.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/current/new/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/current/submitting/https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/about/https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/about/http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/current/courseshttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/current/courseshttps://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/about/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/current/submitting/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/current/new/http://www.cam.ac.uk/staffstudents/studenthandbook/complaints.html


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Graduate Societies

The Hutchison/MRC Research Centre and the CRUK Cambridge ResearchInstitute (CRI) each have Graduate Societies coordinated by a group ofPhD students who organise both academic and social events. If you are

based in another building but would like to take part in these events,please contact the Graduate Society reps from each institute, or AnnaPhilpott. And do get involved involvement in organising the graduateSociety and its events counts towards your transferable skills credits.


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Plagiarism The University of Cambridge Guidelines

Statement for graduate students

In general, plagiarism can be defined as:the unacknowledged use of the work of others as if this were your ownoriginal work.

Such use of unfair means will not be tolerated by the University; ifdetected, the penalty may be severe and may lead to failure to obtainyour degree.

T h e G o l d e n R u l e :

The examiners must be in no doubt as to which parts of your Dissertationare your own original work and which are the rightful property of someone

else.

Universitys plagiarism policy

For further information, please consult the Universitys plagiarism policy,which is now available online at:http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/

These web pages provide guidance about how to conform to the academic

conventions used at the University and to raise awareness of plagiarismand how to avoid it. They also set out the policies and procedures to befollowed if plagiarism or collusion is suspected in work submitted forexamination.

Topics covered for students include:

the University-wide statement on plagiarism; guidance from faculties and departments about local conventions; your responsibilities, why plagiarism matters, using commercial

organisations and essay banks, how the University detects anddisciplines plagiarism;

information about referencing and study skills; FAQs; resources and sources of support.
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/statement.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/depts.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#whyhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#commercialhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#commercialhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#detectinghttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#detectinghttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/referencing/index.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/faqs.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/resources.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/resources.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/faqs.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/referencing/index.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#detectinghttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#detectinghttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#commercialhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#commercialhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.html#whyhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/index.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/depts.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/statement.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/


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Principal Supervisor and Second Supervisor

At the beginning of your studies, you should all know who your PrincipalSupervisor is! He/she is in charge of overseeing your research on a day-to-day basis. Occasionally (i.e. during very busy periods) your Principal

Supervisor may need to delegate experimental supervision to a seniormember of the research team, who is unlikely to be your SecondSupervisor. This is fine as long as you liaise regularly with your PrincipalSupervisor and that they have a firm grasp of exactly what is going on.For those Principal Supervisors who do not monitor you on a daily basis,we would expect that you to meet semi-formally at least once a month. Ifyou feel that your Principal Supervisor is too elusive, you should seekadvice from your Second Supervisor, in the first instance.

Your Second Supervisor, generally assigned by your Principal Supervisorbefore you arrive, is another Group Leader or equivalent who is

independent from your day-to-day research and research group, who canoffer impartial advice. Some students only see their Second Supervisorsat the infrequent formal meetings detailed below, although others makemuch more use of this invaluable resource. Second Supervisors arealways available and are a useful first port of call if you are havingproblems that you would rather not discuss with your Principal Supervisoror, indeed, problems with your Principal Supervisor!


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PhD course of study

On commencement of your studies, you will be engaged in solving aresearch problem lasting 3-4 years that will ultimately earn you a PhDdegree. To successfully achieve this goal, you will need to be highly

motivated, learn to balance experimental work at the bench with analysisof results, literature surveys and planning the next step. You will alsoneed to balance a focus on your own project with informing yourself aboutthe larger world of science through reading the scientific journals andattending seminars and conferences. The whole process will teach younot only how to perform techniques, but will also provide you with theinvaluable skill of logical thinking that should serve you well in the future.

The ideal programme of study for a PhD will:

- Comprise a period of sustained in-depth study of a specific topic.

- Require the student to critically examine the background literaturerelevant to their specific research area.

- Provide the student with an environment that encourages originalityand creativity in their research.

- Give the student an opportunity to develop skills in making andtesting hypotheses, in developing new theories, and in planning andconducting experiments.

- Provide the opportunity to enlarge the students view of theirbroader research area, its theoretical foundations and the specifictechniques used to study it.

- Provide, through constructive feedback of written work and oralpresentations, an opportunity for the student to develop skills inwritten work, oral presentation and in publishing the results of theirresearch in high-profile scientific journals.

- Discover something new!


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Talks, seminars and conferences

Attendance of the Lectures in Cancer Biology seminar series iscompulsory for all first year graduate students and clinical fellows in theDepartment of Oncology. The lectures are given by senior members of the

Department of Oncology, Cambridge Research Institute (CRI) and theHutchison/MRC Research Centre,the aim being to provide all researcherswith a solid background in cancer biology, covering basic biology throughto translational applications.

Chalk talks are held in the Hutchison/MRC Building and provide a forumfor graduate students and postdocs to present their work to the rest ofthe building. Graduate students based outside the Hutchison/MRCBuilding are also encouraged to attend. It is important you attend, bothto learn what others are doing and also to lend your support to fellowstudents. Attendance at 80% of chalk talks will also earn you transferable

skills training credits.

If your PhD is in an area you are not familiar with, your Supervisor maysuggest that you attend undergraduate lectures in that field. As amember of the University, you are entitled to attend any lectures you oryour Supervisor consider appropriate (although if the class size is small,as it is for some final year lectures, it is polite to introduce yourself to thelecturer at the beginning).
http://www.cambridgecancer.org.uk/http://www.hutchison-mrc.cam.ac.uk/http://www.hutchison-mrc.cam.ac.uk/http://www.cambridgecancer.org.uk/


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Transferable Skills Training

All PhD students are required to undertake transferable skills training.This can vary from compulsory safety courses, voluntary courses in e.g.bioinformatics, to personal development courses. In addition, a host of

other activities such as making and presenting a poster, giving a talk,attending seminars and giving journal clubs can all be counted towardsyour TST tally.

You are required to collect 20 credits per year, each being nominallyequivalent to about half a day. On arrival, you will be asked to attend acompulsory induction session organised by the Graduate School of LifeSciences, where centrally organised TST opportunities will be explained.You should also discuss with your Supervisor, both at the beginning of thecourse and throughout the year, which TSTs would be most useful. Pleasenote that you are expected to get 20 TST credits EVERYyear, not just

your first!

You must keep a TST log to record attendance/training opportunities thatmust be countersigned by your Supervisor. A copy must be bound in theback of your First, Second and Third year reports. Please note, theDepartment does audit these and we are required to make a return to thecentral University.

Credit Allocations for Transferable Skills Training Activities

Tables detailing how TST credits are allocated are given on pages 14 -16of this handbook. In addition, further information about the range ofcourses organised by or for the Graduate School, as well as links to someonline and external resources can be found on the Graduate Schoolwebsite: http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.html. If you arein doubt as to whether something counts as a TST (or how many credits),please ask your Supervisor or Anna Philpott.

Students should consult the tables on pages 14 -16 of this handbook todetermine how many credits they should receive for participation in aparticular training activity. The majority of taught courses are credited

pro-rata, with one credit equivalent to approximately half a days training(e.g. attending the one-day Teaching Undergraduates course will earn youtwo credits); Graduate Education Committee morning or afternooncourses lasting two hours or more will usually be allotted one credit. Otheractivities in which the transferable skills element is only a part, such aswriting your First Year Report, have fixed credits allotted to them. You canfind these listed in the table.

If you have taken part in an activity for which you cannot find the creditrating, you should ask your Departmental Graduate Education CommitteeChair, if it is a departmentally-based activity, or email the GraduateSchool office.
http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.html


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Activity Year Transferable Skills Developed Credits

Induction eventsSafety courses,

introductory sessionson libraries, ethics,literature searching,IP, datamanagement,presentation skillsetc.

1 Various Pro-rata- ormay be

assignedbydepartment

First Year Reportand Assessment

1 Scientific report writing. Computerskills (Word, Excel).

6

DepartmentalSeminar

Presentation

Any Communication and presentationskills. I.T. skills.

4

Poster Presentation Any Communication, oral, written andillustrative presentation skills,research skills, I.T. skills.

4

Web-pagedevelopment

Any Writing and uploading of webmaterial, understanding platformcompatibility, web communicationskills.

4

Costed PhDResearch Proposal(Wellcome 4-Yr

students)

1 Project management skills,processes for funding andevaluation of research, scientific

writing and communication, careermanagement.

6

Presenting at aJournal Club(seminars withfellow researchstudents)

Any Communication, critical analysis ofpublished data, team working.

2

Planning researchprojecte.g. via use of Ganntcharts in

Biotechnology

1 Project management skills,personal effectiveness.

4

Write Scientificpaper forsubmission

Any Communication, scientific writingskills, professional development.

Up to 6 Supervisorto allocateaccordingto input

Attending externalSymposium/Conference

Any Networking, professionaldevelopment and careermanagement.

2

Presentation atexternal

Symposium/Conference

Any Communication, scientific writingand presentation skills,

professional development andcareer management.

4


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Activity Year Transferable Skills Developed Credits

Science onSaturday(or other schools or

general publictargeted activity)

Any Communication with generalpublic, public understanding ofscience, presentation skills

3

Serving onDepartmental orSchool committee

Any Understanding organization ofresearch/teaching institution.Teamwork. Personal effectiveness.

2

Attendance ofCancer in Biologyseminar series

Any Compulsory (attendance of 75%talks/year)

1

Graduate School CoursesNumerous Transferable Skills Training courses are available through theGraduate School, of which a small number of examples are given below. AllGraduate School courses are creditedpro rata. You should consult the individualcourse booking page for confirmation of the number of credits allotted to aparticular course.

UK-Grad residentialcourse or GradSchool equivalent

2/3 Various: personal effectiveness,team work 4,6,10

Other GraduateSchool courses e.g.

Any Various Pro-rata

- TeachingUndergraduates

Teaching and assessing students

- How to write yourdissertation

Scientific writing and dissertationplanning, career development

- Identifying andCommercializing

Intellectual Property

Recognizing, protecting andexploiting research results of

commercial value- Communicating withthe Public

Communication with generalpublic, working with the media,public understanding of science,presentation skills

Bioinformaticscourse

Any Bioinformatics Pro-rata

CRUISE statisticscourse

Any Statistical techniques Pro-rata


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Other Courses

Computer courses Any I.T. skills Pro-rata

Home Office licence

course

Any 1 credit

permodule

Language courses Any Language skills Pro-rata

Other University-provided courses,including statisticsand courses run byStaff Development

Any Various Pro-rata

Other appropriatesubject-specificscience lecture

courses(undergraduate orpost-graduatelevel)

Any Various (Credited for transferableskills training element only)

1 creditper 6hours

Self-taught courses Any Various, e.g. language, computing Pro-rata

College Activities

Undergraduate

supervisionteaching

Any Small group teaching 1 credit

per classhour,maximum4 per year

Presentations tomixednon-specialistaudience

Any Public understanding of science.Presentation & communicationskills

1 creditpersession,maximum4 per year

Serving on Collegecommittee

Any Understanding organization ofresearch/teaching institution.

Teamwork. Personal effectiveness.

2

In addition to the above TSTs, all first year students are required toattend a compulsory induction course provided by the Graduate School ofLife Sciences and both University and departmental safety courses.


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Department of Oncology PhD Student Programme

YEAR 1

Date Supervisor PhD Student Page

Oct Inform Hayley Woffendin(and also Ann Kaminskifor CRI students) ofstudents arrival.

Choose Second

Supervisor. Inform about Student

Log.

Start of programme. Safety Course

Graduate School Induction courseand information pack, includesStudent Log book.

Allocation of student Mentor byGraduate Students Society.

University Safety Course. Formal meeting with Supervisor Meeting with Second Supervisor.

Nov Meeting with student. Send a one-page report

of PreliminaryDissertation Plan toHayley Woffendin.

Log report in CGSRS.

First week of Nov Non-CRIstudents produce a written

Preliminary Dissertation Plan(please give copy to HayleyWoffendin);CRI students give presentation

instead. Formal meeting with supervisor.

18

19

Apr Review number of creditsobtained (plan accordingly).

Jun Write First year report (due on

second Friday in July).

20

Jul Choose two examiners.

Arrange 1st

year viva.

Arrange date for 1styear viva.

Copy of First year report,Supervisors Summary andStudent Log to:Hayley Woffendin (non-CRIstudents) or Ann Kaminski (CRIstudents only),1stand 2ndSupervisors and the twoexaminers.

Jul-Sept

Arrange for copy ofExaminers Report to besent to Hayley Woffendin.

Highlight potential

problems to HayleyWoffendin(and also Ann

Kaminski for CRIstudents).

Submit registration reportin CGSRS; include

statement aboutsuitability of the studentto continue for a PhD.

Formal meeting with theStudent (mattersarising/strategy 2ndyear)

1styear Viva. Highlight potential problems to

Hayley Woffendin (and also Ann

Kaminski for CRI students).

Formal meeting with theSupervisor (matters

arising/strategy 2ndyear).

21

22

Al l

Year

Regular meetings withstudent.

Submit termly supervisionreport in CGSRS.

Regular meetings with Supervisor Attend Lectures in Cancer Biology

seminar series. Attend other relevant seminars,

lectures and talks.


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Late October/Early November Year 1(Lent Term starter - February; Easter Term starter - May).

Preliminary Dissertation Plan

By the end of the first month, each student must produce a short (1-2pages) document outlining the aims of their dissertation project and theapproaches that will be initially employed to address those aims. Thereport should be the students own work and should highlight any issueswith equipment/reagent availability etc. (i.e. is everything in place at thestart of the work that will allow smooth progress?). Any foreseeable orpotential problems should be highlighted and discussed at the initialmeeting with Supervisor and Second Supervisor. Details of this meetingshould be recorded on the form on page 19 of this handbook.

For non-CRI students, a copy of the report and record of your formalmeeting with your supervisors should be sent to Hayley Woffendin [email protected].

Please note, CRI based students are asked to give an oral presentation oftheir preliminary Dissertation plan rather than producing a written report.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Record of Formal Meeting with Supervisors- to discusspreliminary dissertation plan

Meeting 1: November/December, Year 1(Lent Term starter- February; Easter Term starter - May).

Date of Meeting:..

Notes or comments, made by Student or Supervisor:

Signature of Student:.

Signature of Supervisors:..


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First Year Report

The first year report is due on second Friday in July (October for LentTerm starters; January for Easter Term starters).

On joining the University of Cambridge, all Graduate Students and ClinicalFellows are required to successfully complete an initial probationary periodbefore they are allowed to formally continue on to a PhD. The purpose ofyour first year report is to provide evidence of your suitability forregistration for a PhD. It should take approximately 1-2 weeks to writeand will probably contribute to the Introduction, Methods and first Resultschapters of your PhD Dissertation.

Format of First Year Report

Your report should be 20-40 pages of A4 (including figures). Your report

should be written in standard scientific format, using double spacing andin font size 12 and should include relevant Figures and Tables. It shouldcontain the following sections:

Title page: Title of project, Department, Principal Supervisors name andyour name.

Contents: Page list of section headings, figures and tables.

Abstract:One page summary of your 1stYear report.

Introduction: This should describe the background and rationale of yourproject.

Methods: This should describe in detail the experimental methods thatyou have used during your first year of research.

Results: This should describe the results that you have obtained so far.Please be assured that many PhD projects do not produce many resultsduring this period and the lack of results does not preclude writing anexcellent 1styear report!

Discussion: This should discuss your results in a critical and balancedway, comparing and contrasting your findings with relevant results in theliterature. You should also state how you envisage your work developingin future.

Once written, please print out 4 copies of your report and bind each with acopy of your Student Log (at the back).

Please give 3 bound copies to your Supervisor, 2 of which will be sent toyour examiners. In addition, please send a copy of your report andTraining Log to Hayley Woffendin (non-CRI students) or Ann Kaminski(CRI students). If you dont do this on time, your report will be markedas late.


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Viva

Your Supervisor will have selected two suitable examiners for you, neitherof whom will be your Supervisor or Second Supervisor. One examiner willbe from within the University Department of Oncology, whilst the other

should ideally be from outside the Department, either employed by theUniversity or an associated Non-University Institution (NUI), such as theMRC CCU, CRUK CRI or NHS. Both examiners should have had no directinvolvement in your project or the work to be examined. They should alsobe recognized by the academic community as having the academicstanding to judge the work submitted for your first year assessment andalso your PhD project in general.

You and your Supervisor are responsible for arranging your viva at amutually convenient time; your examiners are then required to write a

joint one-page report on your suitability for PhD registration. This report

should be written on headed notepaper and contain the followinginformation:

Date and venue of viva, statement of recommendation for registration or non-registration, details of any issues and recommendations raised in the viva and the signature of both examiners (alongside printed names).

You should ask your examiners to send a copy of their report to yourPrincipal Supervisor and Hayley Woffendin at [email protected] (CRI

students should also ask for a copy to be sent to Ann Kaminski [email protected]); if you fail to do this you will not beregistered for your PhD.

Your Supervisor must then submit a Student Registration Report in theCambridge Graduate Student Reporting System (CGSRS) stating whetherthey recommend that you be registered for the PhD degree. TheDepartment, the Higher Degrees Committee and the Board of GraduateStudies will then sign off their recommendation in CGSRS, after which youwill receive formal confirmation of registration from the Board. This willstate the date from which you will be registered, i.e. from the date youbegan your course.

After this process has been completed, a formal meeting should bearranged between you and your Supervisor and Second Supervisor todiscuss matters that have arisen from your report and your viva,and alsoto discuss your work plans for the coming year. Details of this meetingshould be recorded on the form on page 22 of this handbook and a copysent to Hayley Woffendin at [email protected](CRI students should alsosend a copy to Ann Kaminski [email protected]).
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Record of First Year Report Meeting with SupervisorsMeeting held in September, Year 1(Lent starter - December; Easter starter - March).

Date of Meeting:..

Any notes or comments, made by Student or Supervisor:


Signature of Supervisor:..


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YEAR 2

Date Supervisor PhD Student PageApril Review number of credits

obtained (plan accordingly).

June Write Second year report (due on

2ndFriday in July).

24

Jul-Sept

Formal meeting with PhDstudent to discuss SecondYear report (mattersarising/strategy final year).

Send a one-page

assessment of the meetingto Hayley Woffendin (and

also Ann Kaminski for CRIstudents).

Copy of Second year report,Summary and Student Log to:

- Hayley Woffendin (and also AnnKaminski for CRI students), and- 1stand 2ndSupervisors (no

examiners). Formal meeting with

Supervisor/Second Supervisor(matters arising/strategy finalyear).

25

AllYear

Regular meetings withstudent.

Submit termly supervisionreports in CGSRS.

Regular meetings withSupervisor.

Attend CRI Lunchtime seminars. Attend other lectures/seminars

appropriate to research project.

Give Chalk Talk if appropriate.


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Second Year report

The second year report is due on second Friday in July (October for LentTerm starters; January for Easter Term starters).

This report is shorter than the first year report and is required forappraising your progress at this significant stage in your PhD programme.This report is much less formal than the first year assessment and doesnot require a viva with examiners external to your research group. It willbe used by your supervisor (and second supervisor if you wish) to assessthe progress of your project and to make recommendations regarding, forexample, the focus of the work to ensure completion in a timely manner.You should also take this opportunity to discuss future career plans.

Details of your second year report meeting should be recorded on theform on page 25 of this handbook and a copy sent to Hayley Woffendin at

[email protected] (CRI students should also send a copy to AnnKaminski [email protected]) .

Format of Second Year Report

Your report should be 10-15 A4 pages and should be written in standardscientific format, using double spacing and font size 12 and organised in asimilar way as the first year report.

There is no need to repeat information that was in your first year report,

unless necessary for understanding of the Second year report. However,you should include a copy of your student log for the period of yoursecond year.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Record of Second Year Report Meeting with SupervisorsMeeting held in September, Year 2(Lent starter - December; Easter starter - March).

Date of Meeting:..





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YEAR 3

Date Supervisor PhD Student PageApril Formal meeting with PhD

student to discuss timeframe for completion andstructure of theDissertation.

Review number of credits

obtained (plan accordingly). Dissertation Plan - a 5-page

third year report stating whatwill be included in the

Dissertation and what stillremains to be done.

Send a copy to:Hayley Woffendin (and also Ann

Kaminski for CRI students),Supervisor and Second

Supervisor. Formal meeting with

Supervisor/Second Supervisor todiscuss time frame forcompletion and structure of the

Dissertation.

27

28

May-Sept

On receipt of theAppointment of Examiners

Student Application Form,the Higher Degrees Officewill ask you to complete aNomination of Examiners

Form. This should besigned by Gill Murphy, whowill return it to the Higher

Degrees Office. This shouldbe done asap, as theprocess of appointingexaminers may be subjectedto unexpected delays.

Send Appointment of ExaminersStudent Application Form to

Degree Office 2 months beforedue to submit.

Remind Supervisor to appoint

examiners and obtain their

agreement to examine you. Final Submission of the

Dissertation; when submit

inform Hayley Woffendin (CRIstudents also inform AnnKaminski). If submission will bedelayed beyond your submissiondeadline, inform HayleyWoffendin (CRI students alsoinform Ann Kaminski). Note,

you do not need to apply to theDegree Committee for a formal

extension of registration unlesssubmission will be after 30th

September of your 4thyear.

AllYear

Regular meetings withstudent


Regular meetings withSupervisor

Attend Lunchtime seminars Give Chalk Talk if appropriate.


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Third Year Report

In April of your third year (July for Lent Term starters; October for EasterTerm starters).

This report constitutes a short dissertation plan and will provide theoverall skeleton of your dissertation.

It should outline the structure and content of the Introduction and alsodescribe the contents of each chapter including figures and brief figurelegends.

Students are also asked to detail the work that remains to be done toallow them to complete their PhD.

As soon as your report is complete, you should arrange to discuss it with

your Supervisor and Second Supervisor to talk about your progress andthe time period required to complete your PhD.

Details of your third year report meeting should be recorded on the formon page 28 of this handbook. Please send a copy of your report andrecord of your meeting with your Supervisor and Second Supervisor toHayley Woffendin at [email protected](CRI students should also send acopy to Ann Kaminski [email protected]) .
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Third Year Report Meeting with SupervisorMeeting held in April, Year 3(July - Lent Term starters; October - EasterTerm starters).

Date of Meeting:..





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Submission of Dissertation

The minimum time to submission is no earlier than the first day of the 9thterm. The final deadline for submission of the dissertation for all

full-time PhD students is the last day of your 12th

term of study.

If, the end of your 12thterm is approaching and you know you are notgoing to be able to submit in time, you should discuss this with yourSupervisor and then apply to the Degree Committee in good time for anextension to your deadline. I f y o u d o n o t t a k e a ct i o n b y t h e e n d o fy o u r 1 2

t ht e r m , t o e i t h e r s u bm i t o r a p p ly f o r a n e x t e n s i o n , t h e

D e g r e e Com m i t t e e m a y t a k e y o u o f f t h e r e g i s t e r a t t h i s p o i n t .

Information about how to submit your thesis, how to arrange forappointment of your examiners and how to apply for a deferral of

submission can be found on the Student Registry websitehttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.html.

When you submit your Dissertation please inform Hayley Woffendin (andAnn Kaminski if you are a CRI student).

Procedure for appointment of Examiners

Information about submitting a dissertation can be found:

on your CamSIS self service account, on the Student Registry website:

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/and

on the Graduate School of Life Sciences website:http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.html.

Please note, you are required to comply with the Graduate School of LifeSciences procedure for appointment of examiners, which is as follows:

1. About 8 weeks before submission, you are required to complete anAppointment of examiners student Application form, which can bedownloaded from the Graduate School of Life Sciences website:http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.html.

Once completed, you should send the form, together with 2 copiesof your abstract, to the Degree Committee for Clinical Medicine &Veterinary Medicine at: Higher Degrees Office, School of ClinicalMedicine, Box 111, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, CambridgeCB2 0SP, or email to:[email protected] .
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.html


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2. This triggers the Clinical Medicine & Veterinary Medicine HigherDegrees Office to send a formal letter to our Departmental Head ofGraduate Student Affairs, along with a Nomination of examinersform. The Higher Degrees Office also sends an email to yoursupervisor alerting that they need to send the names and full

contact details of two examiners to our Departmental Head ofGraduate Student Affairs (at no point should this form go to thestudent).

3. Our Departmental Head of Graduate Student Affairs completes andsigns the Nomination of examiners form and returns it to theHigher Degrees Office for Degree Committee approval.

4. The names of the two examiners and the dissertation title (obtainedfrom the abstract sent by you) are then listed on a document(Reported Action document) for consideration by the Degree

Committee for Clinical Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

5. The Higher Degrees Office will then arrange the viva.

Examiners eligibility criteria

PhD dissertations are examined by oral examination (viva) by twoexaminers, one internal and one external:

Internal examiner:

Must be employed by the University or one of our approvedNon-University Institutions (e.g. MRC CCU, NHS, CRUK).

Must have had no direct involvement with the student or thework being examined.

If they meet the above 2 requirements, the examiner can befrom the Department of Oncology, but not from the studentsresearch group.

External examiner:

Must be from outside the University and its approved NUIs. Must have no recent close connection with the University. Must not have any collaboration with the student.

Both examiners must be recognised by the academic community ashaving the academic standing to judge the work submitted for a PhDdegree. If you are unsure, check whether they have examined aCambridge PhD before, or have good experience of examining PhDs withinthe UK system generally.

Your supervisor must be able to justify the nomination of both examinerson the basis of:

the examiners academic reputations,


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the examiners familiarity with the subject matter, and the examiners experience of examining PhDs.

YEAR 4 (as required)

Continued meetings with Supervisor and submit your Dissertation as soon

as possible!

NB: Your PhD dissertation MUST be submitted within 4 years ofyour start date and this includes writing-up time!

If, by the time the end of the fourth year is approaching you know you arenot going to be able to submit on time, you should discuss this with yourSupervisor and then apply to the Degree Committee in good time for anextension to your registration deadline. If you do not take action bythe end of your fourth year, to either submit or apply for an

extension, the Degree Committee will take you off the register atthis point. Note that, unless your studentship comes with 4 years offunding, there is no guarantee that a stipend will be available beyond theend of the third year. Also, please be aware that you will need to considerthe potential implications of applying for a deferral of submission of yourthesis if you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK. You will also need tocheck the financial consequences of deferring with your sponsor, who youshould consult about putting your award into abeyance.

When you submit your dissertation please inform Hayley Woffendin (andAnn Kaminski if you are a CRI student).

Why you need to try to finish by the end of the fourth year

If you cant finish within four years and have no good reason for anextension you will be taken off the register until your dissertation iscompleted. Coming off the register means that you lose student status,i.e.:

you no longer retain the right to use University or College

facilities, you become liable to pay certain sorts of tax and repay student

loans and your student visa lapses.

So it is very much in your interest to try to finish by the end of the fourthyear.

Grounds for an extension into the fifth year

If you are overrunning for reasons beyond your control (e.g. you havebeen delayed in your research or have suffered illness or other severedifficulties), or are very close to submission (within a few weeks) you may


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be granted an extension.

You need to apply in the usual way, through your CamSIS self-serviceaccount, AHEAD of your deadline. Remember that if you are ill for aprolonged period, or suffer bereavement or other trauma such that you

cannot work for some weeks, you should consider intermitting for a term this time does NOT count towards your four years. Apply at the timeyou are ill/hindered do not wait till you need an extension. You will needa doctors letter or equivalent to support your claim.

The Degree Committee will consider each application for an extension onits own merits and inform the Board of Graduate Studies of the outcome.However, if you are taken off the register for overrunning, this is not theend so far as your dissertation is concerned you can continue to writeup while off the register and apply to be reinstated when the dissertationis ready to submit for examination.


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Frequently asked questions about the submission of PhDDissertation?

1. When do I need to submit?For all PhD students there is a standard registration period of up to 12terms (4 years), or up to the completion of the examination, whichever issooner. This means that those who reach the end of their fourth year ofthe PhD and have neither intermitted not secured permission to extendtheir studies will be taken off the register automatically.

2 . How do I count my terms?Include all terms from the date of starting on the PhD course. All coursesstart on one of these dates: 1 October, 4 January, 10 April, and there areTHREE terms per year. Discount any terms for which you have actuallybeen granted permission to intermit or come off the register.

3. Does the 4 year submission deadline mean the PhD iseffectively a 4-year course?No. The minimum requirement for the PhD is three years (full-time)study. The 4 year deadline is the MAXIMUM time limit for submitting

your dissertation.

4. I have a 4-year PhD studentship do I still have to submit bythe end of the fourth year?Yes! Even if you have four years of funding, the deadline is still the end ofthe fourth year.

5. Am I allowed to continue to do experiments in my fourth yearand if I do, will I have to pay bench fees?

If you are on a three-year PhD programme, you are supposed to havefinished all your experiments before the end of the three years. The


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University gets no more fees to support your fourth year. If you have afour-year studentship, however, then you could continue experiments fora bit longer, subject to the agreement of your department, but you stillhave to finish writing up within the fourth year. If you continue withexperiments beyond the end of the fee-paying period, then charges would

be at the discretion of the Head of Department.

6 . How long will I be liable to pay fees?

All students will pay University Composition Fees (UCF) for a minimum ofthree full years (9 terms) unless:

(i) they complete the thesis and submit it before the end of the third yearand have permission to submit early,

(ii) they are part of a formal bilateral scholarship program (eg NIH) for

which a different fee agreement has been approved by The Board ofGraduate Studies,

(iii) they are registered on a four-year programme for which four years offees have been allocated by the sponsor,

(iv) they are students at a Non-University Institutions who havepermission to work away from Cambridge (e.g. to carry out a term ofstudy in another lab) are not expected to pay a fee for such a term.

After your 9th term (3 years) you will normally be automatically exempt

from payment of the UCF because you should have finished most or all ofyour experiments. After this time you enter a 12 month 'writing up'period and. The Board of Graduate Studies will notify you by e-mail whenyou are made exempt. Your College Accounts office is also informed ofyour fee liability each term by the Board of Graduate Studies. However,your faculty may request the continued payment of fees beyond theminimum period if you are making substantial use of University facilities,beyond the minimum period.

7 . Will I get a warning before the deadline?Yes, two!1) The Board of Graduate Studies (BGS) will email you as you enter yourfourth yearof study to advise you that your deadline is 12 months away.2) At the end of your 11th term, BGS will email you again with afurther warning of the deadline and remind you how to apply for anextension beyond four years, if needed.

8 . How will the department help me to meet my deadline?BGS will notify your department, supervisor, College and DegreeCommittee when you enter your final year. The department will monitoryour progress and will also get the final warning and will want to knowhow you plan to complete in time.


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9. What if I will not be able to submit on time?If you overrun even by one day, you will be taken off the student register.Late submission also counts as a black mark against the departments 4-

year submission record and will affect the Departments future funding.If you know you cannot submit on time, you must contact the DegreeCommittee and your student administrator at least one month beforethe last day of your 4th year for their advice on how you should proceed.

The Degree Committee will view sympathetically any application to defersubmission if there is evidence of a good reason for the overrun and thethesis is nearly ready to submit. An extension of up to a term may begranted at any one time. The Degree Committee may also allow you tointermit (for medical or non-medical reasons) if you are ill, bereaved orotherwise unable to work for a period of months. Intermission is granted

for a minimum period of one term, with a maximum of three periods (i.e.3 terms) of intermission allowed during your PhD course. It is vital thatyou explore the possibility of intermission immediately and not when youhave run out of time, as it is difficult to grant students a period ofintermission in retrospect.

10. What happens if I am taken off the register?Students taken off the register will l o se t h e i r s t u d e n t s t a t u s , i.e.

will no longer retain the right to use University or College facilities,

will become liable to pay certain taxes and repay student loans and their student visa will no longer be valid.

You will need to apply to be reinstated when your thesis is ready tosubmit and you will normally be given a month after reinstatement todeliver the thesis to The Board of Graduate Studies.


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Master of Philosophy (MPhil) course of study

The MPhil programme offered by the Department of Oncology is a

laboratory based supervised course lasting for 12 months. During thistime, you must complete a research project, which is then submitted as awritten Dissertation of less than 20,000 words in length, on a subjectapproved by the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicineand Veterinary Medicine. You will then undergo an oral examination basedon both your Dissertation and a broader knowledge of your chosen area ofresearch.

To successfully achieve your goal of obtaining an MPhil degree, you willneed to be highly motivated, learn to balance experimental work at thebench with analysis of results, literature surveys and planning the next

step. You will also need to balance a focus on your own project withinforming yourself about the larger world of science through reading thescientific journals and attending seminars and conferences. The wholeprocess will teach you not only how to perform techniques, but will alsoprovide you with the invaluable skill of logical thinking that should serveyou well in the future.

The ideal programme of study for a Masters degree will:

- Comprise a period of sustained in-depth study of a specific topic.

- Require the student to critically examine the background literaturerelevant to their specific research area.

- Provide the student with an environment that encourages originalityand creativity in their research.

- Give the student an opportunity to develop skills in making andtesting hypotheses, in developing new theories, and in planning andconducting experiments.

- Provide the opportunity to enlarge the students view of their

broader research area, its theoretical foundations and the specifictechniques used to study it.

- Provide, through constructive feedback of written work and oralpresentations, an opportunity for the student to develop skills inwritten work, oral presentation and in publishing the results of theirresearch in high-profile scientific journals.


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Talks, seminars and conferences

Attendance of the Lectures in Cancer Biology seminar series iscompulsory for all first year graduate students and clinical fellows in theDepartment of Oncology. The lectures are given by senior members of the

Department of Oncology, Cambridge Research Institute (CRI) and theHutchison/MRC Research Centre,the aim being to provide all researcherswith a solid background in cancer biology, covering basic biology throughto translational applications.

Chalk talks are held in the Hutchison/MRC Building and provide a forumfor graduate students and postdocs to present their work to the rest ofthe building. Graduate students based outside the Hutchison/MRCBuilding are also encouraged to attend. It is important you attend, bothto learn what others are doing and also to lend your support to fellowstudents. Attendance at 80% of chalk talks will also earn you transferable

skills training credits.

If your MPhil is in an area you are not familiar with, your Supervisor maysuggest that you attend undergraduate lectures in that field. As amember of the University, you are entitled to attend any lectures you oryour Supervisor consider appropriate (although if the class size is small,as it is for some final year lectures, it is polite to introduce yourself to thelecturer at the beginning).
http://www.cambridgecancer.org.uk/http://www.hutchison-mrc.cam.ac.uk/http://www.hutchison-mrc.cam.ac.uk/http://www.cambridgecancer.org.uk/


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Transferable Skills Training

Transferable skills training is optional for MPhil students, but we stronglyencourage them to collect 20 credits during their course, each credit beingnominally equivalent to about half a day of training. Credits can vary from

compulsory safety courses, voluntary courses in e.g. bioinformatics, topersonal development courses. In addition, a host of other activities suchas making and presenting a poster, giving a talk, attending seminars andgiving journal clubs can all be counted towards your TST tally.

On arrival, you will be asked to attend a compulsory induction sessionorganised by the Graduate School of Life Sciences, where centrallyorganised TST opportunities will be explained. You should also discusswith your Supervisor, both at the beginning of the course and throughoutthe year, which TSTs would be most useful.

You must keep a TST log to record attendance/training opportunities thatmust be countersigned by your Supervisor. Please note, the Departmentdoes audit these and we are required to make a return to the centralUniversity.

Credit Allocations for Transferable Skills Training Activities

Tables detailing how TST credits are allocated are given on pages 14 -16of this handbook. In addition, further information about the range ofcourses organised by or for the Graduate School, as well as links to some

online and external resources can be found on the following web pagehttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.html .

Students should consult the tables on pages 14-16 of this handbook todetermine how many credits they should receive for participation in aparticular training activity. The majority of taught courses are credited

pro-rata, with one credit equivalent to approximately half a days training(e.g. attending the one-day Teaching Undergraduates course will earn youtwo credits); Graduate Education Committee morning or afternooncourses lasting two hours or more will usually be allotted one credit. Otheractivities in which the transferable skills element is only a part have fixed

credits allotted to them. You can find these listed in the table.

If you have taken part in an activity for which you cannot find the creditrating, you should ask your Departmental Graduate Education CommitteeChair, if it is a departmentally-based activity, or email the GraduateSchool office.
http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/skills.html


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Department of Oncology MPhil Student ProgrammeYEAR 1

Date Supervisor MPhil Student Page

Oct Inform Hayley Woffendin

and Ann Kaminski (CRIstudents only) of studentsarrival.

Choose Second Supervisor.

Inform about Student Log.

Start of programme.

Allocation of student Mentor byGraduate Students Society.

University Safety Course. Formal meeting with Supervisor Meeting with Second Supervisor.

Nov Meeting with student. Send a one-page report of

Preliminary DissertationPlan to Hayley WoffendinandAnn Kaminski (CRI

students only). Log report in CGSRS.

First week of Nov Non-CRI studentsproduce a written Preliminary

Dissertation Plan (please give copyto Hayley Woffendin);CRI students give presentation

instead. Formal meeting with supervisor.

40

41

April Formal meeting with MPhil

student to discuss timeframe for completion andstructure of theDissertation.

Dissertation Plan - a 5-page report

giving structure and content ofDissertation, stating what will beincluded and what still remains tobe done.

Send a copy to:Hayley Woffendin and AnnKaminski (CRI students only),Supervisor and Second Supervisor

Formal meeting withSupervisor/Second Supervisor todiscuss time frame for completionand structure of the Dissertation.

42

43

May-Sept

On receipt of theAppointment of ExaminersStudent Application Form,the Higher Degrees Office

will ask you to complete aNomination of ExaminersForm. This should be

signed by Gill Murphy, whowill return it to the HigherDegrees Office. Thisshould be done asap, as

the process of appointingexaminers may besubjected to unexpecteddelays.

Send Appointment of ExaminersStudent Application Form to DegreeOffice 2 months before due tosubmit.

Remind Supervisor to appointexaminers and obtain theiragreement to examine you.

On submission of the Dissertationinform Hayley Woffendin and AnnKaminski (CRI students only). Ifsubmission will be delayed beyond

your submission deadline, informHayley Woffendin and AnnKaminski (CRI students only).

44

AllYear

Regular meetings withstudent


Regular meetings with Supervisor Attend Lectures in Cancer Biology

seminar series. Attend other relevant seminars,

lectures and talks.


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Preliminary Dissertation Plan

By the end of the first month, each student must produce a short (1-2pages) document outlining the aims of their dissertation project and theapproaches that will be initially employed to address those aims. The

report should be the students own work and should highlight any issueswith equipment/reagent availability etc. (i.e. is everything in place at thestart of the work that will allow smooth progress?). Any foreseeable orpotential problems should be highlighted and discussed at the initialmeeting with Supervisor and Second Supervisor. Details of this meetingshould be recorded on the form on page 41 of this handbook.

For non-CRI students, a copy of the report and record of your formalmeeting with your supervisors should be sent to Hayley Woffendin [email protected].

Please note, CRI based students are asked to give an oral presentation oftheir preliminary Dissertation plan rather than producing a written report.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Record of Formal Meeting with Supervisors- to discusspreliminary dissertation plan

Meeting 1: November/December, Year 1(February - Lent starters; May - Easter starters).

Date of Meeting:..

Notes or comments, made by Student or Supervisor:


Signature of Supervisors:..


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Final Dissertation Plan

Three months before your final submission date you should produce afinal dissertation plan.

This short dissertation plan and will provide the overall skeleton of yourdissertation.

It should outline the structure and content of the Introduction and alsodescribe the contents of each chapter including figures and brief figurelegends.

Students are also asked to detail the work that remains to be done toallow them to complete their MPhil.

As soon as your plan is complete, you should arrange to discuss it with

your Supervisor and Second Supervisor to talk about your progress andthe time period required to complete your MPhil.

Details of your third year report meeting should be recorded on the formon page 43 of this handbook. Please send a copy of your report andrecord of your meeting with your Supervisor and Second Supervisor toHayley Woffendin at [email protected](CRI students should also send acopy to Ann Kaminski [email protected]).
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Final Dissertation Plan Meeting with SupervisorMeeting held 3 months before submission deadline

Date of Meeting:..





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Submission of dissertation

The minimum time to submission is no earlier than the first day of the 6thterm. The finaldeadline for submission of the dissertation for all full-timeMPhil students is the last day of your 12 months of study.

If, the end of your 12 months is approaching and you know you are notgoing to be able to submit in time, you should discuss this with yourSupervisor and then apply to the Degree Committee in good time for anextension to your registration deadline. I f y o u d o n o t t a k e a c t i o n b yt h e e n d o f y o u r 1 2 m o n t h s , t o e i t h e r su b m i t o r a p p ly f o r a n

e x t e n s i o n , t h e D e g r e e Com m i t t e e w i l l t a k e y o u o f f t h e r e g i s t e r a t

t h i s p o i n t .

Note, please be aware that you will need to consider the potentialimplications of applying for a deferral of submission of your thesis if you

require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK. You will also need to check thefinancial consequences of deferring with your sponsor, who you shouldconsult about putting your award into abeyance.Information about how to submit your thesis, how to arrange forappointment of your examiners and how to apply for a deferral ofsubmission can be found on the Student Registry websitehttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.html.

When you submit your Dissertation please inform Hayley Woffendin at

[email protected] (CRI students should also inform Ann Kaminski [email protected]).

Procedure for appointment of Examiners

Information about submitting a dissertation can be found:

on your CamSIS self service account, on the Student Registry website:

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/and on the Graduate School of Life Sciences website:

http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.html.

Please note, you are required to comply with the Graduate School of LifeSciences procedure for appointment of examiners, which is as follows:

1. About 8 weeks before submission, you are required to completean Appointment of examiners student Application form, which canbe downloaded from the Graduate School of Life Sciences website:http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.html.
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/degrees/appointment_examiners.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/submission/phd/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.htmlhttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/gradprofile.html


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Once completed, you should send the form, together with 2 copiesof your abstract, to the Degree Committee for Clinical Medicine &Veterinary Medicine at: Higher Degrees Office, School of ClinicalMedicine, Box 111, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge

CB2 0SP, or email to:[email protected] .

2. This triggers the Clinical Medicine & Veterinary Medicine HigherDegrees Office to send a formal letter to our Departmental Head ofGraduate Student Affairs, along with a Nomination of examinersform. The Higher Degrees Office also sends an email to yoursupervisor alerting that they need to send the names and fullcontact details of two examiners to our Departmental Head ofGraduate Student Affairs (at no point should this form go to thestudent).

3. Our Departmental Head of Graduate Student Affairs completes andsigns the Nomination of examiners form and returns it to theHigher Degrees Office for Degree Committee approval.

4. The names of the two examiners and the dissertation title (obtainedfrom the abstract sent by you) are then listed on a document(Reported Action document) for consideration by the DegreeCommittee for Clinical Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

5. The Higher Degrees Office will then arrange the viva.

Examiners eligibility criteria

PhD dissertations are examined by oral examination (viva) by twoexaminers, one internal and one external:

Internal examiner:

Must be employed by the University or one of our approvedNon-University Institutions (e.g. MRC CCU, NHS, CRUK).

Must have had no direct involvement with the student or the

work being examined. If they meet the above 2 requirements, the examiner can be

from the Department of Oncology, but not from the studentsresearch group.

External examiner:

Must be from outside the University and its approved NUIs. Must have no recent close connection with the University. Must not have any collaboration with the student.

Both examiners must be recognised by the academic community ashaving the academic standing to judge the work submitted for a PhD
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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degree. If you are unsure, check whether they have examined aCambridge PhD before, or have good experience of examining PhDs withinthe UK system generally.

Your supervisor must be able to justify the nomination of both examiners

on the basis of:

the examiners academic reputations, the examiners familiarity with the subject matter, and the examiners experience of examining PhDs.


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Frequently asked questions about the submission of MPhilDissertation?

1. How do I count my terms?Include all terms from the date of starting on the MPhil course. All courses

start on one of these dates: 1 October, 4 January, 10 April, and there areTHREE terms per year. Discount any terms for which you have actuallybeen granted permission to intermit or come off the register.

2. Will I get a warning before the deadline?

Yes, the Board of Graduate Studies (BGS) will email you to advise youthat your deadline is approaching.

3. How will the department help me to meet my deadline?

BGS will also notify your department, supervisor, College and DegreeCommittee when you are due to submit your dissertation. TheDepartment will monitor your progress and will want to know how youplan to complete in time.

4. What if Im nearly ready to submit when the final day arrives(but not quite)?If you overrun even by one day, this will be a black mark against thedepartments submission record. Try not to get into this situation - if itsthat close, and you plan ahead, you can meet the deadline. If it does

happen, the Degree Committee will make decisions on a case-by-casebasis about whether to take you off the register.

5. Can I apply for an extension to my period of registration?You may apply to the Degree Committee for an extension, which will beassessed on a case-by-case basis.

6. What happens if I am taken off the register?Students taken off the register will l o se t h e i r s t u d e n t s t a t u s , i.e.

will no longer retain the right to use University or College facilities, will become liable to pay certain taxes and repay student loans and their student visa will no longer be valid.

You will need to apply to be reinstated when your thesis is ready tosubmit and you will normally be given a month after reinstatement todeliver the thesis to The Board of Graduate Studies.

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