S.L. 327.695 Art. 49Boards of Examiners for M.Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees.

(1) Theses and practice (as applicable) shall be examined by a Board of Examiners appointed for the purpose by

Senate, through the Doctoral Academic Committee, on the recommendation of the Faculty Doctoral Committee and the Board.

(2) The Board of Examiners for Ph.D. Degrees shall include a Chair, who shall be a resident academic, a visiting external examiner, and two internal examiners who shall normally be resident academics. The Chair shall only act as a convenor.

(3) The Board of Examiners for M.Phil. Degrees shall include a Chair, who shall be a resident academic, a visiting external examiner, and two internal examiners who shall normally be resident academics. The Chair shall only act as a convenor.

(4) In all cases, if sufficient examiners cannot be sourced locally, two visiting external examiners and one internal examiner, who shall be a resident academic, shall be appointed.

(5) Examiners shall be academics experienced in research in the general area of the students’ theses and where practicable, shall have experience as specialists in the topic to be examined. The external examiner/s shall also be academic/s who command authority within the area of research concerned. Where the students are currently involved in teaching and/or research at the University or at the Junior College whenever practicable, the internal examiners, who shall normally be resident academics, shall be appointed from different faculties or departments than those where the student teaches.

(6) Principal Supervisors, co-supervisors and advisers shall be precluded from being examiners but Principal Supervisors shall be invited to attend as observers during the oral examination. Principal Supervisors may contribute to the discussion if and when they are invited to do so by the members of the Board of Examiners, but must withdraw prior to any deliberations of the Board of Examiners.

(7) The deliberations of the Board of Examiners are strictly confidential and those present at the oral examination are not at liberty to divulge to the student or to any unauthorised person their own or any other Board member’s opinions on the merits of the thesis and practice (as applicable) submitted for examination. The Board of Examiners may inform the student of its recommendations to Senate but should ensure that the student understands that any recommendation shall need to be ratified by Senate. The decisions of Senate shall be communicated to the students by the Academic Registrar.