The GRCs 5 Milestone Workshops are designed to support PhD researchers at key stages throughout their doctoral journey. From starting your PhD to preparing for your viva, each workshop offers tailored guidance to help you reflect, plan, and progress with confidence. The milestones include: Milestone 1: Kickstart your PhD, Milestone 2: Taking Stock of your PhD, Milestone 3: Progressing in your PhD, Milestone 4: Finishing your PhD, and Milestone 5: Preparing for your Viva. Attendance at Milestone 1 is compulsory; the remaining workshops are optional and can be attended at points most relevant to you.
Milestone 1: Kickstart your PhD | Compulsory
Beginning of your PhD
This workshop explores the PhD journey and will focus on what researchers need to make the most of their doctoral programme. During the workshop students will be directed to resources for getting started with their research projects. The workshop will explore the responsibilities of a postgraduate researcher, the supervisory relationship and skills development. Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF) will be examined as a tool to orientate development as a researcher. Participants will begin to identify what skills they need to develop during the course of their research and approaches to achieving these goals through an introduction to the Researcher Development Assessment (RDA). The workshop is interactive and features a mix of lecture-style delivery and group work.
Milestone 2: Taking stock of your PhD | Optional
6-9 months into your PhD
How are you getting on with the PhD? If you are six months into the PhD or more, your project will probably be looking and feeling different to when you started. This workshop aims help you take stock of your project and progress in the PhD so far; it will concentrate on what you have achieved, what needs to be achieved, and encourage you to reflect on your ways of working.
Milestone 3: Progressing in your PhD | Optional
Second year
This two-hour workshop explores the middle phase of the PhD—the space between the uncertainty and excitement of the first year and the point at which the end is in sight in the final year. Focusing on this pivotal stage, the workshop will identify the critical success factors for second-year (FTE) doctoral researchers, establish the key elements of authoring a PhD, explore how to refine research questions to support research activities and thesis structure, and consider how to manage a doctorate effectively.
Milestone 4: Finishing your PhD | Optional
Third year
In this two-hour workshop, we will consider what a successful doctorate looks like and how to plan effectively for completion. The session will clarify what you are aiming for, how to recognise when you are finished, and the key steps and actions to undertake in your final year, with a particular focus on writing the thesis and developing effective research writing strategies. This workshop is aimed at PhD researchers nearing the end of their doctorate, from end-of-second-year (FTE) to third-year (FTE) doctoral students.
Milestone 5: Preparing for your viva | Optional
Pre-submission
The final workshop of the milestone series will tell you all you need to know to effectively prepare the viva voce examination. The session will explore the viva examination process, establishing its purpose and what is expected of you, whilst identifying different preparation strategies and techniques. By the end of the session, you will feel more confident in how to prepare for the viva, deal with the viva and your examiners, and how to cope with corrections.
All training workshops run by the GRC including Milestone workshops can be booked on our online training portal.