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• Postgraduate Researcher Governance
• • Postgraduate Researcher Sub-Committee
  • Postgraduate Researcher Recruitment and Funding Sub-Committee
  • Postgraduate Researcher Experience Sub-Committee
  • Research Degrees Progression and Award Board

Postgraduate Researcher Governance

The postgraduate researcher (PGR) governance structure is overseen by the Sussex Researcher School.

Together, the various committees have responsibility for institutional strategy relating to PGR provision and support, quality assurance in relation to research degrees, and PGR recruitment and widening participation, funding, culture and wellbeing, training and development, and academic progression and assessment.

Committee structure

The Postgraduate Researcher Sub-Committee (PGRSC) is a sub-committee of the University Research and Innovation Committee. It is primarily responsible for institutional strategy relating to PGR provision and support, and for the quality assurance of research degrees, including overseeing the annual review of of the main PGR policy (the Policy on Research Degrees). Other aspects of PGR provision and support are delegated to the PGRSC's sub-committees (see below). 

Sub-Committees to the PGRSC

There are three sub-committees to the PGRSC:

• The PGR Recruitment and Funding Sub-Committee (PGR RFSC) is responsible for overseeing PGR recruitment matters (including delivery of the institutional plan for growing its PGR community) and PGR funding (with a particular focus on the availability and management of scholarships).
• The PGR Experience Sub-Committee (PGR ESC) is responsible for overseeing and monitoring the experience of PGRs at Sussex, including wellbeing, training and development, employability, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
• The Research Degrees Progression and Award Board (RDPAB) is responsible for overseeing the policies and processes relating to PGR progression and examination, as well as for the approval of examiner appointments and making recommendations for degree awards to Senate.

School PGR Committees also report in to the PGRSC. These committees oversee the delivery of research degrees, and the PGR experience, at the School level.  

Supporting structures

In addition to the formal committee structure, there are underlying structures in place which support the governance structure:

• The PGR Services Forum brings together professional services colleagues from across the University 3-4 times a year to share information and practice relating to PGR provision and support.
• The Directors for Postgraduate Researchers (DPGR) forum does the same as the above for the PGR academic leads in Schools.
• The PGR Professional Services Working Group oversees cyclical cross-institutional operational PGR matters, and receives work packages from the overarching PGR governance structure.

PGR representation

The PGR voice forms a critical aspect of the PGR governance structure, with PGR representatives ('reps') integral to committee membership. The Student Union oversees the selection of PGR reps in academic Schools, and the election of School-level reps to thematic rep positions on the PGRSC and its sub-committees; see the individual sub-committee pages for the themes represented on each committee. Find out more about PGR representation on the Student Union webpages.