Fourth-Year Researchers

Compulsory Requirements for the Fourth Year of the Doctoral Programme

Written requirements:

- First draft of thesis by 22 January 2025
- Final draft of thesis by the end of the fourth year

Fourth-year researchers have no formal requirement for seminar attendance: they are however strongly encouraged to attend the Advanced Dissertation Writing workshop in the 1st term. 

In the fourth year researchers will be primarily engaged in writing up their thesis, rather than doing primary research. It is therefore not anticipated that researchers will be going on mission.

The fourth year is dedicated to the completion of the thesis. Researchers in receipt of the completion grant should submit the Final Draft of their thesis within 48 months of initial registration (i.e. by the end of the fourth year).

Fourth-Year Grant (a.k.a. Completion Grant)

The fourth-year grant is also known as ‘completion grant’ because it is subject to conditions which link payment to thesis completion by the end of the fourth year. The completion grant is assigned in two six-month instalments which have to be authorised by the Department at the beginning, and again towards the middle of the 4th year. Each approved instalment is in turn paid month by month.

The second instalment of the completion grant is payable once the supervisor and the researcher have agreed that the final draft of the thesis will indeed be completed and submitted by the 48th month of registration. In order to reach this agreement, the supervisor may ask for a first draft of the thesis to be presented by 22 January 2025.

For further information please check pp. 52-54 of the Researchers' Guide. Full details can be found in chapter 8. of the Academic rules and regulations for the doctoral programme of the Institute.