Leave of Absence

Leave of Absence

• periods of absence of less than three months may be approved by the Principal Supervisor.
• periods of absence of three months or more, but totalling less than 15 months, must be approved by the Director of Graduate School, in writing using the following Leave of Absence Request Form - 3-15 months.
• periods of absence totalling more than 15 months must be approved by the College Postgraduate Studies Committee.

Short Periods of Absence

Students may be absent from Edinburgh for short periods to allow for vacations, attendance at conferences, workshops, etc. with the agreement of their principal supervisor. Although a formal leave of absence is not required students and supervisors should agree start and end dates for the absence in advance.

Longer Periods of Absence

Where students will be absent for periods of three months or more the Principal Supervisor should apply for a formal leave of absence. The period(s) of absence should:

• be to allow for fieldwork, academic research, work experience, etc. at another institution or site
• not normally be more than 15 months in total during the prescribed period of study
• not fall in the first three months of the prescribed period of study

Applying for a Leave of Absence - Request Form - 3-15 months

To apply for a leave of absence the Principal Supervisor should provide Graduate School with the following information:

• the start and end dates of the proposed absence
• the reason for the proposed absence
• an indication of how the proposed fieldwork, research, etc. will contribute to the student's research project
• details of the arrangements for continued supervision during the absence.

When the leave of absence is approved the Director of Graduate School will write formally to the student confirming the details, with a copy to the Principal Supervisor.