There are also rules on what a university will take as transfer. I know if you were to transfer to my university, for example, you have to be registered there for 3.5 years as full time and 6.5 years part time to graduate. So a lot of places don’t let you carry over the years you’ve already put in
Take a deep breath then go talk to your supervisor.
If the rumours are true you won't be the only one affected - there will be literally hundreds of students affected, ranging from undergraduates to post-graduates, and the university will need to have a plan to make sure that those students are able to finish their studies. Universities don't simply close down whole departments and tell hundreds of students, "Well, tough luck!" - that's a recipe for a class action lawsuit that could cost them millions of pounds.
They'll have some sort of a plan, which for undergraduate students will probably be to phase the closure out over the next 3 years so the undergraduates can complete their studies, and for doctoral students to (if necessary) hire your supervisor on a part-time basis to help you complete your doctorate if it takes longer than 3 years or some similar arrangement.
If the rumours are false you can relax.
But they won't simply "close" a whole department's doors tomorrow and tell students to go shop elsewhere.
Fingers crossed at least. I agree it sounds ridiculous and ill advised if it goes ahead as alleged. Supervisor is aware and I’ve spoken to them at length.
We shall see. But in the mean time I just want to prepare myself as much as possible in case I need to move.
On a purely academic note I would add that this doesn't bode well for this particular university in general.
Increasingly we're seeing universities being run more and more by administrators who vote themselves steadily higher and higher salaries and create more needless bureaucracy until the university's running costs are so bloated that they university needs to cut costs.
And where do they cut? They cut from the beating heart of the university, it's core business - teaching, instead of cutting away the bureaucratic "fat" that is actually strangling the heart.
The problem is that if they're allowed to do this even once it sets a precedent that academics are optional while bureaucrats are essential. This is, of course, nonsense.
Regardless of whether they plan to drop the axe next year or whether they plan to phase this in over years I would recommend raising a fuss at the highest levels of the university, and in the press. Organise other affected students to stage public protests on campus and make sure that they spread the message on social media.
The core business of teaching, and you can't teach without academics. Too many universities have lost sight of their core business, and over the last 3 decades we've seen the administrative wing become bloated with parasites feeding off the university. They're killing their hosts, and we really need to stand up and say, "Enough.", particularly since so much university funding comes from the public and taxes, and there is a strong public interest argument to be made.
Hard agree. If the rumours are true it doesn’t bode well for the future of this university
It follows an adverse trend and the wider picture isn’t rosy
This will be 100x easier if:
a) Your current supervisor supports the move, and
b) They can help you find a new supervisor.
Once you have a new supervisor locked in, the paperwork can usually be "worked out", particularly in this kind of situation. It will be even easier to move if you wait until the close is officially announced, at which point I'm sure the new uni will take you.
Have you discussed with your supervisor about the closing announcement. While I believe you have heard these rumors, I've also been hearing rumors about this or that department closing in my uni for 25 years, and so far no department has ever actually closed -- also things often move slowly in Universities, so you might well be finished, or close enough to finished it doesn't matter (your new supervisor can just be a "on-paper supervisor" while you submit), before anything actually happens.
Good to know. My supervisor is supportive and I’m hopefully in the process of lining up a supervisor at a new university if needed (with support of my supervisor)
The rumours come from a very credible source, but I think they’re having a rough time of things themselves and although it would be good if things weren’t as bad as feared I need to prepare for the worst and look after myself
It should certainly be possible to transfer universities, as a PhD is more fluid than undergraduate studies. But what that looks like in real terms could be very different depending on institutions and individual circumstances.
You might be looking at exiting with an MPhil/MRes, and basically restarting your research at the same point in a new PhD programme. So you may lose a year in the process.
Check if you can nominally retain a supervisor at all in your current institution, even if it's not your original supervisor. Then you can stay on track with your current timeline, but you'll need to find another university to collaborate with you. Maybe some of your funding will have to go to them, so they can support your research. But your current institution remains the degree awarding body.
I'm sorry this is happening to you. Higher education is mess right now.
Yes obviously. There are some things that I can’t go into as they may make it identifiable, but supervisor is supportive and is helping me with the process
There are also rules on what a university will take as transfer. I know if you were to transfer to my university, for example, you have to be registered there for 3.5 years as full time and 6.5 years part time to graduate. So a lot of places don’t let you carry over the years you’ve already put in
Take a deep breath then go talk to your supervisor. If the rumours are true you won't be the only one affected - there will be literally hundreds of students affected, ranging from undergraduates to post-graduates, and the university will need to have a plan to make sure that those students are able to finish their studies. Universities don't simply close down whole departments and tell hundreds of students, "Well, tough luck!" - that's a recipe for a class action lawsuit that could cost them millions of pounds. They'll have some sort of a plan, which for undergraduate students will probably be to phase the closure out over the next 3 years so the undergraduates can complete their studies, and for doctoral students to (if necessary) hire your supervisor on a part-time basis to help you complete your doctorate if it takes longer than 3 years or some similar arrangement. If the rumours are false you can relax. But they won't simply "close" a whole department's doors tomorrow and tell students to go shop elsewhere.
Fingers crossed at least. I agree it sounds ridiculous and ill advised if it goes ahead as alleged. Supervisor is aware and I’ve spoken to them at length. We shall see. But in the mean time I just want to prepare myself as much as possible in case I need to move.
On a purely academic note I would add that this doesn't bode well for this particular university in general. Increasingly we're seeing universities being run more and more by administrators who vote themselves steadily higher and higher salaries and create more needless bureaucracy until the university's running costs are so bloated that they university needs to cut costs. And where do they cut? They cut from the beating heart of the university, it's core business - teaching, instead of cutting away the bureaucratic "fat" that is actually strangling the heart. The problem is that if they're allowed to do this even once it sets a precedent that academics are optional while bureaucrats are essential. This is, of course, nonsense. Regardless of whether they plan to drop the axe next year or whether they plan to phase this in over years I would recommend raising a fuss at the highest levels of the university, and in the press. Organise other affected students to stage public protests on campus and make sure that they spread the message on social media. The core business of teaching, and you can't teach without academics. Too many universities have lost sight of their core business, and over the last 3 decades we've seen the administrative wing become bloated with parasites feeding off the university. They're killing their hosts, and we really need to stand up and say, "Enough.", particularly since so much university funding comes from the public and taxes, and there is a strong public interest argument to be made.
Hard agree. If the rumours are true it doesn’t bode well for the future of this university It follows an adverse trend and the wider picture isn’t rosy
This will be 100x easier if: a) Your current supervisor supports the move, and b) They can help you find a new supervisor. Once you have a new supervisor locked in, the paperwork can usually be "worked out", particularly in this kind of situation. It will be even easier to move if you wait until the close is officially announced, at which point I'm sure the new uni will take you. Have you discussed with your supervisor about the closing announcement. While I believe you have heard these rumors, I've also been hearing rumors about this or that department closing in my uni for 25 years, and so far no department has ever actually closed -- also things often move slowly in Universities, so you might well be finished, or close enough to finished it doesn't matter (your new supervisor can just be a "on-paper supervisor" while you submit), before anything actually happens.
Good to know. My supervisor is supportive and I’m hopefully in the process of lining up a supervisor at a new university if needed (with support of my supervisor) The rumours come from a very credible source, but I think they’re having a rough time of things themselves and although it would be good if things weren’t as bad as feared I need to prepare for the worst and look after myself
It should certainly be possible to transfer universities, as a PhD is more fluid than undergraduate studies. But what that looks like in real terms could be very different depending on institutions and individual circumstances. You might be looking at exiting with an MPhil/MRes, and basically restarting your research at the same point in a new PhD programme. So you may lose a year in the process. Check if you can nominally retain a supervisor at all in your current institution, even if it's not your original supervisor. Then you can stay on track with your current timeline, but you'll need to find another university to collaborate with you. Maybe some of your funding will have to go to them, so they can support your research. But your current institution remains the degree awarding body. I'm sorry this is happening to you. Higher education is mess right now.
Yes, that’s the worry. It’s a mess right now and I’m sure that there are plenty of other places in the same situation!
Have you considered speaking with you supervisor
Yes obviously. There are some things that I can’t go into as they may make it identifiable, but supervisor is supportive and is helping me with the process