Examinations, examiners and supervisors

Most master's programmes require students to pass the ‘taught’ part of the course before they can move on to the project or dissertation stage. Find out what to expect from your exams and your examiners, as well as the role played by your supervisors.

Dissertations and theses

The length of time it takes to complete your dissertation or thesis will vary from student to student as well as from course to course. This is because people work at different speeds and some projects produce more problems than others. Read this section to find out more.

Vivas

Your viva examination will usually take between one and two hours. In some universities in addition to yourself and the two examiners there may be a senior member of academic staff present to act as chair of the examination. Find out more about what to expect.