Origin
Senate delegates responsibility for defining, managing and monitoring programme quality assurance processes to its Education and Student Experience Committee. To assist the Education and Student Experience Committee, the Postgraduate Research Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Subcommittee makes recommendations for defining, managing and monitoring programme quality assurance processes for postgraduate research degrees to the Doctoral College Committee (postgraduate research student experience) and the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee (quality monitoring and enhancement framework).
Purpose
- The Postgraduate Research Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Subcommittee is responsible for making recommendations for defining, managing and monitoring programme quality assurance processes for postgraduate research degrees.
- The Chair is responsible for ensuring that any equality impacts against each project/policy/process/procedure have been considered as part of the decision-making process.
Responsibilities and activity
- To receive and scrutinise reports on postgraduate research programmes in respect of:
- Development of new programmes;
- Programme approval and review;
- Annual reporting;
- Periodic review, including Faculty responses, and
- Discontinuation of programmes
- and to bring forward recommendations to the Doctoral College Committee and the Academic Quality & Standards Subcommittee, as appropriate.
- To consider and to recommend to the Doctoral College Committee, and the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee where appropriate, policies and procedures including guidance and templates for assuring the quality and standards of postgraduate research programmes.
- To receive, in parallel with the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee, annual assurance reports on doctoral research provision across the University and to make recommendations for consideration by the Doctoral College Committee for enhancing quality and standards.
- To advise on the framework to support the setting up and development of Doctoral Training Partnerships, Centres for Doctoral Training, and other funded doctoral training initiatives.
Reporting arrangements
- The Postgraduate Research Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Subcommittee reports to the Doctoral College Committee. It also reports to the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee.
- The Faculty Graduate School Subcommittees report to the Doctoral College Committee and Postgraduate Research Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Subcommittee.
Constitution
The Terms of Reference and Constitution are reviewed annually to ensure that the composition of the Subcommittee reflects those Faculties and Professional Services that have responsibilities for postgraduate research programmes.
- Chair (nominated by the Chair of Doctoral College Committee)
- Director of the Doctoral College
- The Faculty Directors of the Graduate Schools
- Additional representatives from named Faculties
- Head of Doctoral College Administration
- Associate Director (Doctoral College)
- Doctoral College Team Leader representative
- Quality, Standards and Accreditation Adviser
- Vice-President (Education & Democracy), Southampton University Students’ Union
In attendance: other relevant officers from Professional Services and colleagues from Faculties may be in attendance as appropriate to the business, e.g.:
- Head of Representation, Southampton University Students’ Union
- Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator, University of Southampton Malaysia
Quorum and frequency
Quorum
The Postgraduate Quality Monitoring & Enhancement Subcommittee will be quorate with one third of membership plus one in attendance.
Frequency of meetings
The Postgraduate Quality Monitoring & Enhancement Subcommittee will meet at least three times per year.
Resources
Secretariat support will be provided by the Quality, Standards and Accreditation Team.
Terms of Reference review
Date of last review:....... September 2024
Date of next review:...... September 2025
Governance reporting line
The Postgraduate Research Quality Monitoring & Enhancement Subcommittee reports to the Doctoral College Committee regarding the postgraduate research student experience, and reports to the Academic Quality & Standards Subcommittee regarding the quality monitoring and enhancement framework.
Document owner
Doctoral College Committee .