Accessibility statement

Research degree programmes

Getting a new PGR programme approved

New research degree programmes (including PhD, MPhil, professional doctorates, MA and MSc by research) need to be approved by:

  • your department
  • your Faculty Executive Board (FEB), for planning purposes (exemptions apply, see below)
  • York Graduate Research School Board (YGRSB), for University academic approval
  • UEC if the programme includes an integrated taught award

For research degree programmes that involve a partner (eg industry, a research institute, or another university) please see the information on Approval of PGR programmes delivered in collaboration with others.

If your research degree programme will/is likely to involve PGRs receiving class-room based teaching (eg modules/courses) at a location in the UK other than York (eg another university) then you must notify Visa Compliance as a matter of urgency (even if you have not started the formal programme approval process) as those locations need to be added to the University's UKVI Sponsor Licence and this is a slow process.

Departmental approval

Departmental approval should be obtained from your Departmental Management Team (planning case) and the relevant committee(s) (academic case) which will normally be your Graduate School Board and possibly your DEC/Board of Studies. For ease, you are advised to use the forms required for Faculty and YGRSB approval (see below). 

Planning approval (Faculty)

For planning approval, you must liaise with your Head of Faculty Operations and work together to complete sections 1-3 ONLY of the programme approval document (after opening the template, make a copy of it as the default access is 'view only' for York users) before moving onto the YGRS pro formas, see below.

The form should be submitted to your Faculty Executive Board (unless you ask the Dean of Faculty to take Chair’s action, eg for programme variants not covered by an exemption).

Separate planning approval is NOT needed for the following variants of EXISTING PGR programmes (as blanket planning approval has already been granted):

  1. distance learning variants 
  2. placement variants (incorporating a placement module)
  3. 3.5 year and 4-year variants of three-year PhD programmes (NB ONLY where the 3.5/four-year variant is the same as the three-year variant other than in duration - faculty planning approval is STILL required for four-year integrated PhDs or 3.5/four-year PhDs with a new name and/or which differ from the equivalent three-year PhD other than with respect to the duration)
  4. off-site or split-site PGR variants.

IN ALL CASES, this blanket approval only be applied if:

  • (a) there are no additional resource requirements or unplanned costs;
  • (b) the variant is not expected to impact significantly on a department's financial plan and;
  • (c) the proposed partner for an off-site or split-site PGR programme is not high risk.

Academic approval

For academic approval, you should contact the PGR Academic Quality Officer for advice. You must also contact your faculty AQ contact if your programme is an iPhD or contains an integrated taught award. New PGR programme (which does not fall into one of the categories below):

  • (i) a completed PGR programme specification
  • (ii) a completed external assessor comment form [note the University does not pay external assessors]
  • (ii) if your programme includes an integrated taught award (NB see below for iPhDs):
    • full details of the integrated award on the standard new taught programme form (section 4 of the programme approval document) THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY UEC (or UEC approval should be underway)
      (iv) module descriptors for any new modules [NB all modules should be in the module catalogue]

New integrated PhD programme:

  • (i) a one-page summary of the programme
  • (ii) a completed PGR programme specification
  • (iii) full details of the integrated Postgraduate Diploma on the standard new taught programme form (section 4 of the programme approval document) THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY UEC (or UEC  approval should be underway)
  • (iv) module descriptors for any new modules [NB all modules should be in the module catalogue]
  • (v) a completed external assessor comment form [note the University does not pay external assessors]

Distance learning variant of an existing PGR programme:

It is expected that programme proposers will have sought advice from the PGR AQ Officer (and where relevant faculty AQ officer) and that the proposal submitted to YGRSB will have been informed by that advice.

The University does not pay centrally for external assessors of new programmes. If you believe that it is necessary to pay a fee to obtain a suitable reviewer, you may do so from your  own budget (suggested fee £75) and must ensure that the individual has undertaken the necessary checks before starting work (eg right to work, no conflicts of interest etc.).

Papers for YGRSB approval should be sent to the PGR AQ Officer at least three weeks in advance of the next YGRSB meeting date.