The Research Degrees Unit is exclusively for research students. We deal with all administrative aspects of your research programme, such as registration, examination entries, interruptions and can offer advice on most aspects of your research programme.
You can contact us by telephone or email or come to our office on the sixth floor of Tower Two. The Office is usually open between 9am and 5pm daily, although occasionally we close at 4pm on Fridays. You can call into our office during our opening times, or arrange an individual appointment with a member of the team if you need to discuss a particular problem (see our Whos Who for information on the RDU team).
Access to the office for students with disabilities is possible but a little tricky; if you use a wheelchair you might find it easier to ring us first.
What's new for 2011-2
The Regulations for Research Degrees which govern your programme at the School have been revised. You can access them in full at: Calendar|. The revised regulations apply to all registered students at the School, even if you first registered before the 2011-2 session. Information on our website has been revised to reflect the regulation changes: should you have any questions concerning the changes please email the Research Degrees Manager (Louisa Green): l.j.green@lse.ac.uk |
If you have already entered for the examination or been examined, this will be under the previous Regulations for Research Degrees (2010-1). Information is provided on the Examinations section of our website.
From the 2011-2 session once you have successfully completed your PhD, you will be asked to provide a final copy in electronic form (previously a hard copy was stored in the Library). LSE Theses Online ( http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/ |) is an electronic repository specifically for LSE research students' theses. Full instructions on how to submit your thesis to the repository will be provided to you on successful completion of your PhD.
The School published a statement on the level of editorial help that is and is not permitted with a final thesis submitted for examination. A copy of the statement was emailed to all registered research students at the School in May. The statement can be accessed on the MPhil/PhD Examinations web page(see Statement on editorial help with a PhD thesis|). The statement applies to all research students: you will need to declare the source of any editorial help you have received when you submit your thesis for examination by including this information in the front pages of your thesis (see thesis template for front pages| for further information). Should you have any queries relating to the Statement, please contact Louisa Green, Research Degrees Manager (l.j.green@lse.ac.uk|) in the first instance.
Using text-matching software (iThenticate) for PhD students’ work: the School will be piloting the use of iThenticate for all PhD theses submitted for examination between 1 January and 30 September 2013. A message has been sent to all research students with further information, a copy of which is provided here|
If you are due to submit your thesis during the pilot period, an iThenticate account will be set up for you and you will receive an email with instructions on how to access it.
If you are not submitting your thesis during the pilot but would wish to use the software, for example, on draft chapters of your work please send an email request to l.j.green@lse.ac.uk|
Any student who will be using the software is encouraged to attend one of the training sessions provided on: 12 June 1100-1200; 12 June 1500-1600 To book a place please access the following link: https://apps.lse.ac.uk/training-system/|
A copy of the Quick Start User Guide for iThenticate software is provided here for your information: Quick|Start User Guide| you will also find further instructions on how to use the software on the iThenticate website.
IT Training will be running a PhD Thesis Surgery throughout the Summer Term. To book a place please click here|.
Experiencing problems?
If you experience a problem with your programme of study, for example, difficulties with your supervisor, there are a number of places you can go to for help. You should always try and resolve any issues immediately by discussing it with your supervisor where appropriate. You can also take an issue to the Doctoral Programme Director for your department (see list of DPDs| in the School) and/or the Head of your Department (seelist of HoDs|). The Graduate Dean is also available to meet confidentially with research students experiencing academic or personal difficulties – for an appointment please contact the Deans’ Executive Assistant, Debra Ogden (d.ogden@lse.ac.uk|). The Research Degrees Unit can also offer advice to research students, in particular on the Regulations, please email research degrees@lse.ac.uk| to book an appointment.
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