College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
NUI Galway
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Graduate Research Committee guidelines
(adapted from University Guidelines for Research Degree Programmes)
All research students within the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences are required to have a Graduate Research Committee (GRC), whose role is to ensure quality of research, compliance with best practice, offer mediation if required and to support and provide advice to the research student and supervisor(s).
A GRC will normally comprise of 3 members of academic staff, and can have an external member from another University. Members are nominated by the Head of School in conjunction with the Head of Discipline and the supervisor(s). It is a matter of local policy whether a GRC will be unique for each student, or if a GRC is common to all students in a discipline. Under University guidelines, a supervisor may not be a member of the GRC for students starting research degrees after September 2013. For longer registered students whose supervisor is a member of their GRC, should it be necessary, the other members of the GRC can meet with the student in the absence of the supervisor(s), and can make formal recommendations. Membership of a GRC does not preclude an academic who is not the student’s supervisor from acting as internal examiner.
The research student is required to submit an Annual Report to their GRC. The format, content and length of this report will be agreed locally, but should report progress and outline a workplan for the next year. A template Student GRC Annual Report Form (Name: GS_030_CMNHS) is available on the CMNHS website to download, but alternative School or research unit forms may be used if preferred locally. Only students who are on a leave of absence for the entire academic year are exempt for that academic year. The deadline for submission of documentation to the GRC is 31st May annually, unless an earlier date is stipulated within the discipline or research centre.
The supervisor(s) will also submit a report on the performance of the research student to the GRC. A template Supervisors Progress Report Form, GS_040_CMNHS, is available on the CMNHS website to download.The supervisor(s) will be required to indicate the structured modules successfully completed by the student, returning grades of pass, fail or incomplete as appropriate.
The GRC will formally meet with the student to consider the student’s performance at an Annual Review, which will normally take place before the end of June annually. The GRC may request that the research student make a presentation to them, but this is not obligatory. The GRC makes a recommendation to College on student progression using the GRC Recommendation Report to College Form (Name: GS_050_CMNHS, available on the CMNHS website to download). Completed yearly progress report returns must reach the SchoolOffice, by 5pm on 4th July.
The progression of research students on structured programmes will be ratified by a College Postgraduate Examinations Board in September annually.