Cambridge Students — Graduate Study

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Submitting your thesis for examination (PhD, BusD, EdD, MD, VetMD, MSc, MLitt)

How and when to present the thesis for examination

You must submit an electronic copy of your thesis for examination, and any required accompanying documents, to your Degree Committee by your submission deadline (which can be found under 'Thesis Submission details' on the Academic tile in your CamSIS self-service). Your Degree Committee should provide you with guidance for electronic submission; please contact them directly if you require any advice.

If you are not a self-funded student, the terms and conditions of your funding may require you to submit your thesis earlier than the date shown in CamSIS. If you are unsure about this, you should contact your Funding Administrator. You are required to submit your thesis for examination by your deadline even if the date falls over a weekend or holiday period.

The thesis you submit to your Degree Committee will be the thesis forwarded to the examiners for examination, except where a thesis does not comply with the specified word limit requirements and is declined by the Degree Committee. It is not possible to 'retract submission' or to send a revised copy directly to your examiners. Therefore you should very carefully check the file(s) you submit.

Postgraduate students must keep a minimum number of terms of research before they can submit (for example, 9 for the full-time PhD) unless they have been granted an allowance or exemption of terms. The thesis may be submitted from the first day of the term in which this requirement is met, provided that full-time students have also met the minimum residence requirement (unless they have been granted an allowance of terms). If you attempt to submit too early and have not had an allowance or exemption of terms approved, your thesis submission will not be accepted. If you have an application for an allowance or exemption of terms under consideration in CamSIS at the time you submit your thesis, your thesis will be kept on hold until a decision on your application is made.

Format of the thesis

The thesis must:

comply with the word limit requirements specified by the Degree Committee

be written in British English, apart from quotations and recognised technical formulae

be in A4 portrait format

use one-and-a-half spaced type

include any photographs or other illustrations scanned into the text

be a single file saved in the electronic format and naming style specified by your Degree Committee

Required thesis inclusions

Please complete the provided thesis submission checklist to ensure you have met all the requirements before you submit your thesis.

You must include the following bound inside your thesis. Please ensure the pages are in the correct order and no other pages are inserted into the sequence. This is very important - if these preliminary pages are in a different order in your final hardbound thesis to your thesis submitted for examination, this could delay approval for your degree.

1. A title page displaying: the full title of the thesis; your full legal name (as it appears on your passport, marriage certificate or deed poll); your College; date of submission (month and year); and the following statement: This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of [Philosophy / Business / Education / Medicine / Veterinary Medicine] / Master of [Science / Letters]. (delete as appropriate)

2. Directly following the title page, preface which includes a declaration with exact wording as specified by the University.

3. Directly following the declaration, an abstract/summary of your thesis

4. [if applicable] Directly following the abstract, the list of additional materials that were approved for submission alongside the thesis

Required documents to submit with your thesis

1. Required: Completed thesis submission checklist (Word/PDF)

2. Required: One completed and signed 'Statement of Length and Declaration Form' (Word/PDF)

3. Optional: Research Impact Statement (see official guidance)

Inclusion of additional materials

Students (other than those in the Faculty of Music) must seek permission through their CamSIS Self Service if they wish to submit additional materials for examination alongside their thesis. Additional materials are integral to the thesis but in a format that cannot be easily included in the body of the thesis (e.g., 3D graphics). Refer to the University policy before applying. If submitted without permission, the Degree Committee will hold the thesis until approval is confirmed.

If permission is granted, you must upload the same materials to the University repository, Apollo, when you submit your approved thesis post-examination (doctoral candidates only).

Submitting a revised thesis

If resubmitting following a viva outcome allowing revise-and-resubmit, follow the same procedure as the original submission.

What happens following submission

The Degree Committee will check your thesis submission and acknowledge receipt, inform the Student Registry, and forward your thesis to the examiners. If you have not received viva confirmation within six weeks, contact your Degree Committee. Examiners should not ask you for printed copies in advance of the viva; if they do, seek advice from your Degree Committee.