School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY AND LANGUAGE
SCIENCES
Programme Director and
Postgraduate Advisor’s
Handbook
2009/2010
PPLS Postgraduate Office
Dugald Stewart Building
Edinburgh, EH8 9AD
Tel: 0131 651 5002
Fax: 0131 650 6883
Email: pplspg@ed.ac.uk
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
Page 3
2. Application Process
Page 4
3. Programme General
Page 6
4. Students on Programme
Page 8
5. Exam Boards
Page 110
6. Past Students
Page 12
7. Contacts
Page 13
8. Useful Information / Websites
Page 13
2
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
1. INTRODUCTION
This handbook sets out the roles and responsibilities of Programme Directors and
Postgraduate Advisors with regards to student administration in the School of Philosophy,
Psychology & Language Sciences (PPLS). The procedures described conform to the
University regulations and are adapted specifically to the administrative structure within
PPLS.
The PPLS Postgraduate Office (PGO) supports the administration for all postgraduate
programmes, courses and students in the School.
The Postgraduate Group
The School Postgraduate Group (sometimes referred to as the Postgraduate Studies
Committee) deals with all policy issues for postgraduate students in the school. The
Programme Directors and Postgraduate Advisors in each subject area act as a liaison
between subject area staff and the Postgraduate School. The PG Group also approves all
new programmes and courses.
Convenor
Prof Simon Kirby (PPLS Postgraduate Director)
Dr Rob Clark (PPLS Taught Programme Co-ordinator)
Secretary
Miss Katie Keltie (PPLS Postgraduate Administrator – PhD Admin)
Miss Toni Noble (PPLS Postgraduate Secretary – MSc Admin)
Miss Lynsey Buchanan (PPLS Postgraduate Assistant – MSc Admin)
PG Advisors
Programme Directors
Student
Representatives
Philosophy
Prof Duncan Pritchard
Psychology
Dr Martin Corley
LEL
Dr Nik Gisborne
Ancient Philosophy
Dr David Levy
Philosophy
Dr Jesper Kallestrup
Psycholinguistics
Dr Holly Branigan
Psychology of Individual Differences
Dr Alex Weiss
Human Cognitive Neuropsychology
Dr Sharon Abrahams
Psychological Research Methods
Dr Rob McIntosh
Applied Linguistics
Dr Joseph Gafaranga
Developmental Linguistics
Dr Mits Ota
English Language
Dr Graeme Trousdale
Evolution of Language & Cognition
Prof Simon Kirby
Speech & Language Processing
Dr Rob Clark
Theoretical Linguistics
Dr Patrick Honeybone
MSc
LEL Student TBC
Research
Psychology Student TBC
The School Postgraduate Director is the convenor of the PG Group and liaises with the
School and the College on behalf of all students and staff in the Postgraduate School.
3
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
Important Information
All Programme Directors and PG Advisors will be issued with the following University
documents, which are produced annually in September:



Code of Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes or
Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students
Postgraduate Assessment Regulations and Procedure
These documents can also be downloaded from: http://www.aaps.ed.ac.uk/regulations/. All
Directors and Advisors should familiarise themselves with these before the beginning of the
academic session and have them to hand for reference throughout the year.
2. APPLICATIONS PROCESS
All applications are sent in electronically to the PGO; the PGO ensures that the applicant
satisfies the University regulations for English language and first-degree result. When the
application is complete, it will be sent electronically through the EUCLID portal to the
relevant Programme Director or Postgraduate Advisor for consideration. The PGO will email
the relevant staff to inform let them know that an application will be in their EUCLID inbox
Having considered the application fully, it is the Programme Director’s / PG Advisors
responsibility to accept or reject and return to the PPLS postgraduate office as quickly as
possible.
Instructions are below on how to complete this process for both taught and research
applications.
Taught Applications
To log in to EUCLID:
1. Log in to your MyEd account: www.myed.ed.ac.uk
2. Select the Teaching tab
3. Click on Launch EUCLID Button which looks like this:
To Review an Application in EUCLID:
1. In EUCLID, Click on the PG Admissions option on the left hand side of the screen
2. Scroll down the page and click on the “Application & Decision Entry (ACD)” option
3. (NB: Depending on your PC, this will open another window for you – if you want to
have it all in one browser window, hold down Ctrl and click to select)
4. Enter the student UUN number on the ACD Screen
(UUN = number starting with s – these will be sent you these via email outwith the
EUCLID system)
5. Click on the Retrieve button at the top of the page
(NB don’t click on List next to the UUN box as this doesn’t do anything other than get
you frustrated because the record you’re looking for doesn’t show up!!)
4
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
6. Click on drop down menu at the bottom of the page, select “Application (Full)” and
click Go
This will bring up the full application for the student so that you can read through it –
you also have the option to print this page if you prefer to read paper rather than read
off a computer screen
7. Review the full application –
When you have reviewed all the information on this screen, click on your web
browsers back button at the top left of your screen to go back to the application
summary screen
8. Click on the View All Application Forms at the top of the student record
9. On the “Currently Viewing” drop down box, select the entry beginning MST… as this
will allow you to look at all of the attached documentation for the student. Click View
10. Review the supporting documentation
11. From here, close the page to go back to the Application summary page and close the
page down
12. From the main EUCLID page select “My Outstanding Recommendations” option
(NB: This will open another window for you – if you want to have it all in one browser
window, hold down Ctrl and click to select)
13. The list of applicants you currently have pending will appear on this screen. Choose
an option (Conditional Offer, Unconditional Offer, Reject, Further Information
Required) from the drop down menu and enter any notes necessary. Press ‘Store’
after completing this and you’re done!
Research Applications
When research applications are received by the School Postgraduate Office, the research
topic will be emailed to the Postgraduate Advisor for advice on who best to show this
application to. The application will then either be sent directly to relevant members of staff
for comment or to the Postgraduate Advisor for further examination.
As soon as a principal supervisor has been identified, the Postgraduate Advisor confirms
acceptance or rejection and returns the application to the School PGO.
NB: It is important that the PG Advisor liaise with the prospective supervisors so that
they are aware that they are being named as supervisors and have had a chance to
look through the application.
To log in to EUCLID:
1. Log in to your MyEd account: www.myed.ed.ac.uk
2. Select the Teaching tab
3. Click on Launch EUCLID Button which looks like this:
To Review an Application in EUCLID:
1. In EUCLID, Click on the PG Admissions option on the left hand side of the screen
5
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
2. Scroll down the page and click on the “Application & Decision Entry (ACD)” option
(NB: This will open another window for you – if you want to have it all in one browser
window, hold down Ctrl and click to select)
3. Enter the student UUN number on the ACD Screen
(UUN = number starting with s – these will be sent you via email outwith the EUCLID
system)
4. Click on the Retrieve button at the top of the page.
(NB don’t click on List next to the UUN box as this doesn’t do anything other than get
you frustrated because the record you’re looking for doesn’t show up!!)
5. Click on drop down menu at the bottom of the page, select “Application (Full)” and
click Go
This will bring up the full application for the student so that you can read through it –
you also have the option to print this page if you prefer to read paper rather than read
off a computer screen
6. Review the full application –
When you have reviewed all the information on this screen, click on your web
browsers back button at the top left of your screen to go back to the application
summary screen
7. Click on the View All Application Forms button at the top of the student record
8. Review the supporting documentation
9. From here, close the page down to go back to the Application summary page
10. Email Katie Keltie (Catherine,Keltie@ed.ac.uk) outwith the system with your
thoughts:
- Would you like to supervise?
- Would you like to be principal supervisor?
- If Yes, do you have any suggestions for co/assistant supervisor?
- If No, do you have any suggestions for alternative supervisors?
11. To go to the next student for consideration, click on the Clear button at the top of the
Application Summary screen and start the process again
3. PROGRAMME GENERAL
Taught Programme Handbooks
Handbooks should be updated annually to be given to students; the handbooks should
include all information specific to your programme, for example, details about subject area
facilities, courses and important dates (assignment deadlines). Generally there will not be
too many changes required from year to year however these should be completed by August
each year.
The PPLS Taught Masters handbook gives general information for all programmes in the
School and is available in hard copy from the PPLS Postgraduate Office and online at
http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/index.html.
Research Handbooks
The PPLS Masters by Research and PPLS Research handbooks are updated annually to be
given to students, including information specific to students on the MSc by Research or PhD.
Generally there will not be too many changes required from year to year however these
6
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
should be completed by August each year.
The PPLS Research handbook is available in hard copy from the PPLS Postgraduate Office
and online at http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/index.html.
Degree Programme Tables and DRPS
The Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study can be found online at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/index.php. These set out the structure of the programmes within
the School (see overleaf for a sample) including details of core and option courses available
to students on the programme. These are updated every year in Semester 2 and you will
be required to provide amendments to the PPLS Postgraduate Office. The DRPS also lists
the postgraduate courses available in PPLS; this information is drawn from the CCAM
listings on WISARD. MSc /Dip (T) programmes should be comprised of 180 credits, 60 of
these are assigned to the dissertation element of the programme.
Examples
of
all
DPT’s
can
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/drps_ppl.htm
be
found
online
here:
Prospective Students
Enquiries from prospective students should come to the PPLS PGO in the first instance so
that we can respond to any straightforward requests for information. If the student is asking
for specific academic information on a programme, the request will be forwarded on to you
as Programme Director or PG Advisor to respond.
At around May / June time the PPLS Postgraduate Office will send out welcome emails to all
applicants who hold unconditional offers for the following academic year. You will be asked
to provide wording for these welcome emails. For applicants accepted after this date,
welcome emails will be sent out when the unconditional offer has been issued. They will be
directed to the relevant websites and given any additional information as and when further
developments occur. The news section of the PPLS postgraduate webpage will be updated
regularly.
Welcome / Induction Events
In addition to University induction sessions for postgraduate students, each subject area and
programme should hold a welcome / induction session for the new students in fresher’s
week. This should include going through the programme handbook, a tour of the subject
area and general information on the programme. The PGO will contact you in June / July to
confirm dates and times. Details of University events will be distributed to Programme
Directors and PG Advisors during the summer.
The School also has a reception to welcome students and introduce them to School staff.
This is an opportunity for students to meet others in the School and for staff to get to know
the new intake of students. Prior to fresher’s week, the School Programme Directors and
PG Advisors will have a meeting to discuss the welcome / induction sessions to ensure that
there are no conflicts in timing and information given to students.
Student Representatives
Students should be appointed for every taught programme and subject area to represent the
interests and concerns of the students by the end of the first week of semester one. Further
information regarding the student rep roles can be found in the Student Representative
Handbook available online here: http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/index.html.
7
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
4. STUDENTS ON PROGRAMME
Registering Students on Appropriate Courses
The WISARD system allows Programme Directors and PG Advisors to register students on
any courses appropriate to the student’s programme of study.
Taught Students Courses
Core courses should be seeded for the programme (this means that students will
automatically be registered on these courses). Students must be registered on WISARD for
the appropriate option courses by two weeks into each semester. It is advisable to register
students for a tentative programme of study by the end of fresher’s week (including 2nd
semester options which can be amended at a later date).
Registering Research Masters Students on Appropriate Courses
Research Masters students have the option to study either 100% towards their dissertation
or to take 40 credits of courses (please see DPT online). The WISARD system allows PG
Advisors for Research Masters to register students on any courses appropriate to the
research. Students must be registered on WISARD for the appropriate courses by two
weeks into each semester.
Registering PhD Students for Auditing Courses
PhD students have the option to ‘audit’ a course that they feel will be appropriate to their
research. In order to be enrolled, the student must first obtain the permission from the
relevant Course Organiser and the supervisor or PGO can enrol them. Students should be
aware that auditors are not usually included in tutorial groups (where these apply) — though
they may be expected to participate in any ‘workshop’ activities that take place during the
course. A course with a small number of takers cannot run for auditors only.
Assigning Appropriate Supervisors for Dissertation Element

Taught Masters Students
The Programme Director is designated as the supervisor for all MSc students on programme
at its start. By the middle of the second semester, students should have discussed potential
dissertation projects with members of staff and agree on a dissertation supervisor, with
whom they are expected to keep in close contact throughout their research.
Giving Advice to any Students Having Problems
As Programme Director / PG Advisor, you are identified as a first point of contact for
students experiencing problems on programme. Students on programme should feel free to
approach you with any difficulties they may be experiencing. If students approach you with
problems in good time, you will be able to arrange extensions or further support as required
rather than having students missing deadlines and trying to appeal at a later date.
You should be familiar with the Code of Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes and
the Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students, which are published every
September; this gives details of sources of assistance for students.
Should you require any assistance in any particular case, you should contact the
Postgraduate Director who will be able to advise you on further courses of action.
Anonymity in Marking

Taught Masters Students
Student’s coursework should be identified by examination number (available on the student’s
matriculation card) rather than name or matriculation number in order to maintain unbiased
marking. When discussing student’s marks, please ensure that you identify them by exam
number. Anonymity is also maintained for the dissertation element.
8
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
Additional Programme Costs and Research Support Grants

Taught Masters Students
These costs are devolved to the Programme Director. Costs may be used for individual
students or for groups, in addition any unspent funds may be rolled over to the following
year. These costs will be kept at School level for the Programme Director to spend as they
see fit on student research support, Programme Director’s must apply through the PGO and
an accurate record of expenditure will be kept.
The additional programme costs cannot be used to support teaching of any credit bearing
course, but can be used towards the following:

Conference attendance and summer schools

Travel expenses

Accommodation

Participant payment

Purchase of equipment (either individually per student or to be rolled over an larger
equipment purchase)

Other specific research related costs

Research Students
All additional programme costs for programmes that charge are allocated to the Research
Support Grants. Grants are made on a competitive basis with preference given to students
in years 1-3 of full time study, or the part time equivalent (claims by student’s outwith their
prescribed period of student may be considered). Deadlines for the Research Support
Grants will be advertised to the students (1st December and 1st June)
Due to the lack of funds available, maximum grant levels have been set at:

Maximum award for EU / Overseas conferences - £500 if presenting paper / poster; first
year research students only can apply for up to £300 if not presenting

Maximum award for UK conferences - £300 if presenting paper / poster; first year
research students only can apply for up to £200 if not presenting

Maximum award for non conference applications - £250
Research Support Grant Applications
Any student that submits a Research Support Grant application must have a case for
support from their supervisor. Students must submit their application to their supervisor in
time for the application to be completed and submitted to the PGO on the deadlines set (1st
December and 1st June). When applications are received, accurate records will be kept then
the applications sent to the appropriate PG Advisor for ranking.
The ranking process must take into consideration the year of study the student is on and
how relevant the application is to the student’s research. The application form will specify
how much the student has already been granted (if applicable) and how many conferences
they have also attended during their studies (if applicable). This will enable the PG Advisor
to make a decision. All ranked application forms must be returned to the PGO by one week
after receiving them from the PGO.
When the applications are returned to the PGO, the Postgraduate Director will look at the
ranked applications and award grants. The student will be informed of the decision shortly
after this time.
Freedom of Information
Please be aware that students can request all documents (including emails) that hold their
personal details (name, number etc). Please take this into consideration when writing any
emails regarding students.
9
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
Absence Reporting
Any student planning to leave the University campus (UK) for more than one month must
ask their Programme Director / Supervisor to complete a Leave of Absence form; this
includes Masters students who leave during the dissertation period. Leave of Absence
forms can be obtained from the PPLS PGO.
5. EXAM BOARDS / COMMUNICATIONS WITH EXTERNAL EXAMINERS
Taught & Research Masters Students
Exam Board meetings (one per subject area) normally take place twice a year. An interim
board meets in May / June to approve the progression of students from the coursework
element to the dissertation stage of the programme. A final board meets at the beginning of
October to approve dissertation marking and recommend award of degrees / diplomas. In
exceptional circumstances, additional board meetings may be held to discuss specific cases.
As Programme Director (PD) it is your responsibility to work with any other Programme
Directors in your subject area and the Convenor of the exam board and School
Postgraduate Office (PGO) to ensure that board meetings are organised well in advance.
You should familiarise yourself with the role of the board detailed in the University
Postgraduate
Assessment
Regulations
and
Procedures
found
online
at:
http://www.acaffairs.ed.ac.uk/.
Sample Work Sent to External
A sample of work from each course and dissertation element must be sent to your External
Examiner. The sample of work is taken automatically by the PGO on the following rules:
 All failing work
 All distinction work
 All borderline work
 All work where an agreed mark could not be reached between internal markers
 If class size is over 10, a sample of work from each marking band
If you would like any other work sent to the External Examiner, outwith the rules above,
please inform the PGO.
Preparation for Examination Boards
Month
October
Action
Membership of board for next session sent with Head of Subject
Area approval
→ All Programme Directors within the Subject Area should be named
as members (any further academic members of staff teaching on a
programme may also be named as members if they wish)
→ No fewer than 4 internal members should be present at any
meeting
→ The PPLS Taught Programme Co-ordinator should be named as
the convenor for all boards (if they also run a programme then a
deputy should be named when the specific subject area board is
taking place)
→ Ensure that an External Examiner is appointed for the coming year.
Any change to External Examiners should be announced at the final
meeting of the previous year. The PGO will have details of the
external examiners contract and will inform the PD if the contract is
coming to an end
November Approval of Exam Papers
→ If any of the courses included in the programme are assessed by
examination, all exam papers should be written and sent to the
By
PD
PGO
PD
10
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
March
April
May
May/June
May/June
May/June
August
August
PGO by the beginning of November at the latest
→ All examination papers need to be approved by the External
Examiner and will be sent at the beginning of November so that
External Examiners have plenty of time to look at papers and
respond prior to the exam period
Date of Interim Board
→ At this point, the members of the board should be consulted
regarding appropriate dates for the Interim Board. The PGO will
remind PDs of this and of the deadlines regarding return of marks to
registry
→ Dates for sending coursework to External Examiners should be
agreed upon at this stage and the External informed
→ Please inform the PGO should the External Examiner require
accommodation when attending the exam board; this will be booked
through the University
Exam Papers
→ For May exams – same procedure as November
→ Papers should be submitted to the PGO by the beginning of April at
the latest
Sending Coursework to External Examiners
The PGO will send a sample of coursework to the External Examiner
including examples of each band of marking, all borderline cases, all
distinctions and any potentially difficult cases for adjudication by the
External Examiner.
Special Circumstances
→ PPLS will hold a Special Circumstances Committee for all subject
areas in the School. It is the Programme Director’s responsibility to
ensure that any special circumstances for your programme are
documented and discussed at this meeting
Internal Board Meeting
→ It is useful for the convenor of the exam board and secretary to
meet prior to the exam board in order to go over the agenda and
check that all documentation is in order
Interim Exam Board
→ Room bookings
→ Welcome the External Examiner when they arrive
→ An agenda and past minutes will be sent prior to the meeting
→ In order for the board to be quorate, there should be a minimum of
4 (or half) of the internal members present
→ Convenor and External will sign the examiners lists for return to
registry
→ Tentative dates for the final exam board should be discussed at the
meeting in order to have it scheduled in all diaries
After the Exam Board
→ Convenor of the board will be asked to sign the minutes of the
meeting and the progression letters for students (normally the day
following the board meeting)
Confirm date of final exam board
→ This should be held in the first two weeks of October in order to
return results to registry and award degrees
→ The dates for dissertations being sent out to markers and Externals
should also be confirmed at this point
Dissertation Hand-in
→ The hand in date is at the end of August
→ Details of first and second markers should be given to the PGO at
the beginning of August to allow a quick turnover of dissertations to
PGO
PGO/
PD
PGO/
PD
PGO
PGO/
Conv
PGO
PD/Co
nv
PGO
Conv
Conv
11
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
October
the appropriate markers
→ Internal marking should take approximately two weeks after which a
sample of dissertations will be sent out to External Examiners
→ External Examiners should be allowed at least two weeks with the
dissertations prior to the final exam board
Final Exam Board
→ As Interim Exam Board
→ Convenor of the board will be asked to sign the minutes of the
meeting
PD
PGO
Conv/
PGO
Shared Courses
In the case of courses shared by more than one programme, one External Examiner should
be assigned the course so that results are moderated and approved by one board only. In
these cases the External Examiner will see a sample of all students taking the course, not
just those students on the specific programme that the external is responsible for.
External Examiner’s Attendance
The External Examiner should attend all examination boards held for the programme.
According to regulation, Externals may miss one board per year as long as they provide their
comments on the coursework / dissertations prior to the meeting and are available by
telephone for the duration of the meeting.
See the Board of Examiners’ Meetings section of the Assessment Regulations found online
at: http://www.acaffairs.ed.ac.uk/ for further details.
6. PAST STUDENTS
Writing References
Past students requiring references for future employment or education can either contact the
Postgraduate Office or approach the relevant member of staff directly. The Postgraduate
Office can supply the past student with a general letter describing their past studies, degree
conferred upon them and also the date of graduation. However, if they require a more
personal reference, then the Postgraduate Office will contact you for this information. If you
receive a request from a student who you are not familiar with, please refer their request to
the PGO for further action.
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives a general right of access to all types
of recorded information held by Scottish public authorities except where an exemption
legitimately applies. Section 23 of the Act requires Scottish public authorities, of which the
University of Edinburgh is one, to adopt, maintain, publish and review from time to time a
publication scheme. The scheme must set out the sorts of information (or "information
classes") that the University intends to publish as a matter of routine, how the information
will be made available, and any charges that will be made for the information.
The University of Edinburgh is committed to openness and transparency. The University
Court and the University's senior management fully support the aims and objectives of
freedom of information and are committed to implementing the legislation. The publication
scheme is intended to assist staff, students, prospective students and members of the
general public to help them find themselves, as far as possible, the information that they are
interested in. The University hopes that the publication scheme will become one of the
principal methods of accessing information about the University.
Signing Transcripts

Taught & Research Masters Students
Currently past students (prior to 2006) contact the PGO to obtain further copies of their
12
School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences
academic references and / or coursework certificates. If the PGO has the relevant
information then these will get printed off and sent to you as the Programme Director of the
relevant degree for signing. Once signed you must send these back to the PGO
If a student comes to you directly for this information, please refer them to the PGO as there
is a small charge and the information is only held here for former postgraduate students.
7. SCHOOL PG CONTACTS
School
Title
Email Address
Prof Simon Kirby
PPLS PG Director
Simon@ling.ed.ac.uk
Dr Rob Clark
PPLS Taught Programme
Coordinator
Robert@cstr.ed.ac.uk
Miss Katie Keltie
PPLS PG Administrator
Catherine.Keltie@ed.ac.uk
Miss Toni Noble
PPLS PG Secretary
Toni.Noble@ed.ac.uk
Miss Lynsey Buchanan
PPLS PG Assistant
Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk
8. USEFUL INFORMATION / WEBSITES
PPLS Postgraduate pages
http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/index.html
CHSS Postgraduate pages
http://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Postgraduate/index.htm
Codes of practice
http://www.postgrad.ed.ac.uk/mascode/default.htm
Assessment Regulations
http://www.aaps.ed.ac.uk/regulations/exam.htm
Funding Information
http://www.scholarships.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/index.htm
Application requirements
http://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Postgraduate/prospective/index.htm
13