Grades of PhD degree

A doctorate from the Open University may ultimately be a pass or fail, but there are five grades given after the viva:

• Award of the degree
• Corrections and modifications
• Substantial amendment
• Major revision and resubmission for re-examination
• Alternative recommendations for PhD candidates
• Fail

Straight award with no corrections is rare. The most likely result is minor corrections and modifications, for which you get a couple of months to do them in. Substantial amendment is still a pass and you get six months to fix the deficiencies. With amendments you don't have to get reexamined. I am not contemplating the lower grades.

Emmy Noether

Einstein couldn't have proved the conservation of energy without the work of Emmy Noether. This was a German woman born 1882. Emmy Noether's father taught her maths, and in 1907, she was awarded a doctorate - only the second doctorate awarded to a woman by a German university.

In the same decade, Einstein was working out his theory of general relativity but had problems still to solve. He presented theory and problems in 1915, convincing Hilbert and Klein of the merits of his work. They involved Emmy Noether, who within months produced a brilliant paper that resolved one of the issues of general relativity.

Emmy Noether impacted lives yet she had to beat a way through prejudices against women and Jews in order to use her mathematical talents.

But achievement is not due only to women on their own. Emmy Noether had a skilled father who recognised and nurtured her talents. She had Hilbert and Klein who were ready to work with her and Einstein who appreciated her work. Men and womens' work complement each other. I'm doing what I do because of encouragement from my male staff tutor as well as my female regional manager and my male and female supervisors. I'm glad and grateful that expectations of both genders are now higher and broader. Without those expectations, I'd have no chance of achieving my doctorate.

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Source: Derbyshire, J, Unknown Quantity: a real and imaginary history of algebra, 2006

PhD progress report

We're supposed to write up progress reports every six months, so October-March means my first should have been in a bit ago. Supervisors signed it off yesterday - hurray! What they wrote is the nearest to positive that I've had, but then feedback from them is usually verbal, not written.

They point out:

1. I've moved from accountability to a focus on effective management of consultants - yes, but that's why I don't keep my original first supervisor.
2. I'm still reviewing the literature - do I ever get to stop?
3. I've negotiated relevant access to a supplier - yes
4. I'm addressing writing skills "in a more clearly expository style" - he means that I don't usually give enough detail of what I've read and why it's relevant
5. I'm meeting performance targets. :) Big smile (but do I know what they are?)
   

I have now to do more on the literature review, focus research questions and outline the methodology for the probationary review in July.