Signposts for
Postgraduate Students
This document is designed to point you towards, rather than tell you about, the main sources of
information relating to your registration as a postgraduate student. It can not and does not try to compress
everything you need to know into a few pages! It is very important that you consult the documents and
websites referenced throughout for full, detailed information. More information is also available in the
Postgraduate Guide, at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/student-records/pgresources/docs/pgguide2015/index.html
ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
University Regulations http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/
As a student you have agreed ‘to abide by all the statutes, ordinances, regulations and rules of the
University for the time being in force'. This means that you are bound by the Regulations as they affect
both your general conduct while you are a student of the University and the particular requirements of
your programme of study; it is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with what this means for
you. Please take the time to read the sections relevant to you. Regulation 16 describes in detail the
academic requirements for all the postgraduate degrees offered by the University. Regulation 17 covers
the conduct of student academic reviews and appeals, and Regulation 7 and 8 cover the Disciplinary
Regulations and Disciplinary Procedures respectively.
The Quality Assurance Code of Practice http://www.bath.ac.uk/quality/cop/statements.html
This is the University's manual of procedures, guidelines and practices for academic related processes, and
it covers many issues relating to postgraduate student business. In particular, it is very important that
research students are familiar with QA7. http://www.bath.ac.uk/quality/documents/QA7.pdf
Your department or programme handbook
You should familiarise yourself with the handbook provided by your Department, School or Programme, as
it sets out important information specific to the programme of study which you are following.
The University website
In particular, you will find a lot of postgraduate-specific information at http://www.bath.ac.uk/studentrecords/pgresources/ and on the webpages for your Graduate School, to which there are links from the
Graduate Student Resources page.
SOME BASICS
Academic organisation of the University
The University’s academic structure is based around the three Faculties and the School of Management.
Faculties are groups of Departments in related academic subjects. The three Faculties are Humanities &
Social Sciences, Engineering & Design, and Science, and each has its own Dean. Each Faculty has a Graduate
School headed by an Associate Dean, who is in charge of all its academic and other affairs, and a Graduate
School Manager, who handles administrative matters. Within Departments there are Directors of Studies
for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, personal tutors and supervisors who will look after your
academic welfare, and administrators and support staff who look after you in many different ways. The
School of Management has a Graduate Division, headed by an Assistant Dean, and administrative and
support staff.
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Finding your way around the University
The numbering system of buildings and rooms on Campus is centred on the Library. All buildings on the
same side of the Parade as the Library have odd numbers, and all those on the opposite side of the Parade
have even numbers. Buildings to the east of the Library (the end of the Campus with the Students’ Union
and the Sports Training Village) are 'EAST', and those to the west of the Library (the end of the Campus with
the Fresh supermarket and banks) are 'WEST'. The Parade is Level 2, the floor above it Level 3, and so on.
The two high-rise buildings at either end of the Parade are Wessex House (at the west end) and Norwood
House (at the east end). Campus maps are at http://www.bath.ac.uk/about/gettinghere/maps/
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
Anti harassment
http://www.bath.ac.uk/equalities/policiesandpractices/dignityandrespectpolicy.pdf
The University is committed to the prevention of unlawful discrimination in its
working and learning environment and wishes to encourage a culture where
harassment and bullying are unable to thrive. Incidents of harassment and bullying
are regarded extremely seriously and may be grounds for disciplinary action. This
may include dismissal or expulsion.
Attendance
See Regulation 3 http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation3.pdf
Award ceremonies http://www.bath.ac.uk/graduation/
The University's award ceremonies take place each year in early July and early
December. If you have not heard from the Student Records and Examinations Office
three months in advance of the ceremony at which you expect to graduate, please
let the Student Records and Examinations Office know.
Computing
Services
http://www.bath.ac.uk/bucs/
The BUCS Help Desk on Level 2 of the Library and Learning Centre provides
information, documentation and professional advice on all computing matters. The
campus computer shop (ITP) sells PCs, printers, software and other items including
digital media.
Careers
http://www.bath.ac.uk/students/careers/researchers/index.html
The Careers Advisory Service (CAS) is available for you as a postgraduate
throughout your time at Bath. We are here to help you plan your next steps,
develop your skills and employability and achieve your goals, no matter whether
you are interested in options in academia or outside.
Cheating,
plagiarism
http://www.bath.ac.uk/learningandteaching/resources/plagiarism/
http://www.bath.ac.uk/library/infoskills/referencing-plagiarism/
There are various forms of academic dishonesty but in the context of students it
means cheating in examinations or presenting work for assessment which is not
your own. Plagiarism as a form of cheating takes place when the student 'borrows'
or copies information, data or results from an unacknowledged source, without
quotation marks or any indication that the presenter is not the original author or
researcher. If carried out knowingly, cheating and plagiarism have the objective of
deceiving examiners and this threatens the integrity of the assessment procedures
and the value of your award. All students are now required to take and pass the
Academic Integrity test (see the link above).
Any student found to have cheated or plagiarised in assessment will be penalised.
The Board of Examiners will determine the nature and severity of the penalty, but
this may mean failure of the unit concerned or a part of the degree, with no
provision for reassessment or retrieval. Proven cases of plagiarism or cheating can
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also lead to disciplinary proceedings as indicated in University Regulation 7.4 (h),
which forbids all students ‘the use of unfair means in any examination or
assessment procedure’, including:
 cheating, for example unauthorised reference to notes or course material in
an examination
 fabrication, for example reporting on experiments never performed
 falsification, for example misrepresentation of the results of
experimentation
 plagiarism, i.e. taking the writings or ideas of another and representing
them as one's own
Regulation 16.1 (k) states that “Any student who is requested by his or her Director
of Studies to do so must provide an electronic version of a piece of work to be
assessed, selected by the Director of Studies, for submission to a service such as the
Joint Information Services Committee (JISC) Plagiarism Detection Service. This piece
of work may be the entire thesis.”
So:
 always credit clearly any source from whom/which you are reproducing
information, data or results, following the guidance given in the Library
publication ‘A Guide to Citing References’
 always use quotation marks when you quote someone else’s work, and give
the exact source of the quotation in accordance with the rules given in ‘A
Guide to Citing References’
 do not falsify any results. This includes exaggeration, however slight, of
results with a view to strengthening the point you wish to prove
 do not fabricate any results
 if you aren't sure, ask your Supervisor or Director of Studies for advice
Complaints
The complaints procedure is at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/students/support/complaints/index.html
Conduct and
discipline
http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation7.pdf
http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation8.pdf
Universities are communities whose members work, and often live, in close
proximity. This requires certain standards of behaviour. In return, the University
accepts that it owes a duty of care and responsibility to the members of that
community. This means that we have expectations about the standards of
behaviour of our students and staff and that there are regulations which govern
this. Failure to comply with University regulations may lead to disciplinary action.
When you register, you are agreeing to these regulations in so far as they relate to
your behaviour and actions.
Data protection
http://www.bath.ac.uk/internal/data-protection/
The University of Bath needs to process data about you in order to carry out its
normal administration. We may collect, store, use and disclose the data for any
purposes connected with your studies, your health and safety and for other
legitimate reasons. To comply with statutory and government requirements we
must provide data to organisations such as the Higher Education Funding Council
for England, the Higher Education Statistical Agency, the TDA, Local Education
Authorities, the Student Loans Company and Research Councils.
When you register with the University you will be giving us permission to process
data about you. Registration provides you with an opportunity to see some basic
personal data held about you and to correct inaccuracies. If you do not register and
give your consent to this processing, the University may not be able to accept you
as a student.
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Personal data will be processed only in accordance with the University’s registration
under the Data Protection Act.
Duration of study
See Regulation 16 http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation16.pdf
Employment
http://www.bathstudent.com/joblink/
The easiest way to find work while you are a student at the University is to contact
JobLink, which specialises in finding on-campus jobs for students, as well as
advertising work off-campus.
All students should seek advice from their Supervisors or Director of Studies about
how much paid work they can reasonably expect to be able to carry out while
working for a postgraduate degree, and those who are funded by any of the
Research Councils should note that there are clearly defined limits to the maximum
amount of paid work that students may undertake while studying. If you are in the
UK on a Tier 4 visa, you should seek advice from the International Office about how
much paid work you may legally do.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/students/visa-advice/index.html
Academic Skills
Centre
http://www.bath.ac.uk/asc/ English courses for native and non-native English
speakers.
Equal
opportunities
http://www.bath.ac.uk/equalities/
The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunities in accordance with its
Charter. It is the University's aim that potential and current students are treated
fairly on the basis of merit regardless of age, disability, family responsibilities,
gender, HIV status, marital status, nationality, race, religious or political views or
affiliations, sexual orientation, socio-economic background or transsexualism.
Ethics
www.bath.ac.uk/vc/policy/ethics.htm
In particular you should ensure that:
 potential ethical issues are identified and built in to the design of your research
at an early stage
 you are open and honest about the aims, methods and intended use of results
from your postgraduate studies
 confidentiality of data on individuals is maintained within the limits of the law
 the design and methods to be used in conducting the research conform to the
ethical standards of the community of scholars and researchers to which the
research will be addressed
Examinations
http://www.bath.ac.uk/student-records/examinations/index.html
http://www.bath.ac.uk/library/exampapers/exam.php
http://www.umcbath.co.uk/
http://www.bath.ac.uk/disabilityadvice/
The main Assessment Periods in 2015-16 are:
 Semester 1: 11 January - 22 January 2016
 Semester 2: 9 May – 27 May 2016
However, some postgraduate and distance learning examinations may be held
outside these dates depending on the requirements of specific programmes. All
students taking campus-based examinations will be issued with a letter containing
their personal candidate number shortly before the commencement of the
Semester 1 Assessment Period; this will also contain information concerning
general examination procedures.
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An examination schedule detailing the dates and times of examinations will be
made available in your Department/School. Past examination papers, which may be
useful for revision purposes, are available online via the Library and Learning
Centre.
If you are too unwell to take an examination, please try to go to the Medical Centre
on the morning of the examination, or telephone the Centre to request a home
visit. In order to be allowed to take the examination at another time, you will need
a medical certificate. See http://www.bath.ac.uk/registry/imc/
If you feel that you should be entitled to special arrangements for any examinations
that you take while you are a student at the University, please talk first to your
Tutor or Director of Studies. Your particular needs will then need to be discussed
with the Student Disability Advice Team.
Feedback
mechanisms
QA7 includes information about how research students should provide feedback to
their Supervisors, and how s/he should provide feedback to you about the quality of
your work. In addition, postgraduate student representatives sit on
Department/School Staff/Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) and on the University
Research Students Committee. If you wish to make a formal complaint against
another student, a member of staff or a service or facility of the University, the
procedures for doing so are set out in the Procedure for Student Complaints. The
University is keen to find out students' views on all aspects of their study, and for
this purpose conducts a series of surveys. These are carefully coordinated to avoid
'survey fatigue'. If you are asked to participate in a survey, please make every effort
to do so - the more people respond, the more likely it is that things will change!
Field work away
from the
university/health
and safety
http:///www.bath.ac.uk/insurance/
http://www.bath.ac.uk/hr/hrdocuments/staying-safe-well/policies/fieldwork.pdf
http://www.bath.ac.uk/hr/hrdocuments/staying-safe-well/policies/working-offsite.pdf
If you are intending to carry out fieldwork away from the University, either in the
UK or abroad, you must talk to your Tutor/Supervisor and seek advice from the
Finance Office about insurance and from the Health and Safety Office about safety
issues. Please ensure that you are familiar with the requirements of the
University's fieldwork policy and working off site policy. If you are studying at Bath
on a Tier 4 visa it is essential that you follow guidance given at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/students/visa-advice/index.html
Foreign Languages
Centre
http://www.bath.ac.uk/flc
Courses for postgraduates in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin
Chinese
Intellectual
property
http://www.bath.ac.uk/ipls/
If you undertake or contribute to project work during your studies, it is possible that
the results may be patentable. In most cases, the University will own the
Intellectual Property Rights to this work but will also ensure that you receive due
recognition for your contribution.
Library
http://www.bath.ac.uk/library/
The University Library provides materials and information services in support of
teaching and research across the University. The Library has an extensive copy and
print service, including black and white and colour photocopying and laser printing.
Arrangements are made at the beginning of each academic year for an introduction
to the facilities and services offered by the Library. If you arrive at any other time,
you should ask your Supervisor or your Department/School Administrator to
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arrange for you to meet the Librarian responsible for your subject area for a
personal tour. The Library also runs Information Skills talks for general subject areas
such as science, which you may like to attend. They focus particularly on the
electronic sources available for the subject and are publicised in advance on the
Library homepage where you can also find additional information about library
services. On Level 5 of the Library there is a postgraduate study area with a number
of PCs and deskspace.
Registration and
keeping your
personal details
up to date
www.bath.ac.uk/registration-on-line
It is vital that your registration is kept up-to-date annually, via Registration on Line.
Unless you are fully registered, you are not allowed to attend the University and
make use of its facilities. If you move house, please update your details via
Registration on Line. If you change your name, for example if you get married,
please notify your Department IMMEDIATELY. If your personal details aren’t up-todate, your degree certificate may show the wrong name, or vital communications
from the University may not reach you.
Reviews of
assessment
results; academic
appeals
http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation17.pdf
Regulation 17 states the grounds on which you may seek an academic review. You
may not request a review of the outcome of an assessment of your work simply on
the grounds that the decision is one that you don't like. If you wish to seek a
review, you must contact the Chair of the Board of Studies in writing within 14 days
of being notified of the decision of the Board.
Student
representation
Staff/Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs)
Each Department/School has a Staff/Student Liaison Committee that has both
undergraduate and postgraduate representatives, elected by students. It will
consider comments concerning academic matters from the student body. This is an
opportunity to question and comment upon arrangements in your
Department/School and is provided for in the Ordinances of the University.
Participation has no bearing on the academic assessment of the students
participating in SSLC business. If you want to know more, contact your Department.
Student Support
http://www.bath.ac.uk/students/services/centre/
The Student Services webpage includes information about a wide range of student
services, including accommodation, counselling, chaplaincy, disability advice,
student information and funding, international office
Support is also available from other sources such as the International Office, the
Advice and Representation Centre in the Students’ Union and, of course, the
Postgraduate Association.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/international/ and
http://www.bathstudent.com/advice/guides/academic/ and
http://www.bathstudent.com/pga/
Suspensions/
extensions of
registration
http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation16.pdf
The Regulations limit the number of suspensions (breaks in registration) and/or
extensions (additional time) you may be granted, and also set out the criteria to be
used in the decision-making process followed by your Faculty or School in
consideration of your request. See Regulation 16.1 paragraphs (d) and (e).
Tier 4 visa holders
If you are studying at Bath on a Tier 4 visa it is essential that you comply with the
terms of this visa. Comprehensive information is given at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/visa/staff/tier-4/index.html and it is essential that you are
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familiar with the requirements, and adhere to them.
INFORMATION SPECIFICALLY FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS
Approval of your
candidature
Soon after you start at the University, you will be asked to complete a Candidature
Form. This form, which you will complete with your Supervisor, finalises the details
and title of your research topic, the name(s) of your Supervisor(s), your funding
arrangements, your start date, your training requirements and any restrictions that
are to apply to access to your thesis after it has been deposited in the Library. If you
are a probationer PhD candidate, you and your supervisor will also have to specify a
date by which you must submit work in support of your application for confirmation
as a PhD candidate. This date will normally fall within 12 months of first
registration. Once completed, the form, together with an outline of your planned
research, will be passed to the Faculty or School Research Students Committee for
approval, and you will then receive a letter from the Student Records and
Examinations Office confirming these details. Any subsequent changes that you and
your Supervisor wish to make to any of the details specified on the Candidature
Form will require approval from the Research Students Committee.
Confirmation of
your PhD
registration
With effect from 1 October 2012 most research students who ‘do a PhD’ register in
the first instance as probationer for the degree of PhD. Confirmation of PhD
registration is subject to your passing an assessment process, the details of which
vary between Departments, but which normally involves submission of written
work and an oral examination. The majority of students will be expected to attempt
this within a year of first registration, with a second attempt (if needed) within a
further six months. Students first registered before 1 October 2012 are generally
registered for ‘MPhil/PhD’, with their transfer from MPhil to PhD registration
subject to a process identical to the one outlined above for probationer PhD
candidates.
Facilities for
research students
Senate agreed at its meeting in March 2000 the following guidelines on minimum
standards of facilities that should be made available to all full-time research
students:
 a desk and appropriate chair situated in a suitable non-laboratory, nonhazardous environment (a PC laboratory would, however, be acceptable for
this purpose)
 a reasonable amount of secure space for personal possessions
 a reasonable amount of shelving and/or filing space
 access to a telephone in accordance with Departmental guidelines and
practices
 access to Departmental photocopying facilities
 access to a networked PC and associated printing facilities, as appropriate
for each student's programme of research.
Holidays
You are entitled to take up to 25 working days’ (full-time students, pro rata for parttime students) in any 12-month period, in addition to days on which the University
is closed. See Regulation 16.1 (i). If you are a Tier 4 visa holder you will need to
apply for ‘authorised absence’ if you are going to be away from the University FOR
ANY REASON for 14 or more days.
If you think things
are going wrong
The work required for a research degree can occasionally seem exhausting,
frustrating and seemingly endless. Almost all research students, even those who are
achieving good results and making rapid progress, suffer at times from the feeling
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that their work is pointless and that they are getting nowhere. Nevertheless, if you
feel that things are going more seriously wrong, you should normally seek advice in
the first instance from your Supervisor. If you feel, for whatever reason, that this
would not be a good idea, there are many other people who can offer support and
advice:
•
the Director of Studies in your Department
•
the Head of your Department
•
the Associate Dean (Graduate Students) of your Faculty
•
the Students' Union Advice and Representation Centre (ARC) Office
http://www.bathstudent.com/advice/guides/academic/
•
the Postgraduate Association www.bathstudent.com/pga
•
the Graduate Office www.bath.ac.uk/grad-office/
•
the Postgraduate Ombudsman (see below)
The main thing to emphasise is that you should seek help as soon as you think there
might be a problem, and not suffer in silence.
Thesis preparation Notice of intention to submit
http://www.bath.ac.uk/student-records/pgresources/HD1.doc
and submission
You are required to give at least two months' notice of your intention to submit
your thesis. This may be done by completing an HD1 form.
Preparing your thesis
http://www.bath.ac.uk/studentrecords/pgresources/docs/Thesis_Specification_2013.pdf
Theses for research degrees must be presented in a format specified in the Thesis
Specification. The format for dissertations written as part of taught programmes is
specified by the individual Departments and you should seek guidance from your
Department/School.
Restriction on access
If you wish there to be a restriction on access, you must seek the approval of the
Board of Studies at the earliest possible time, preferably when your Candidature
Form is put to the Board of Studies - you may not suddenly decide as you hand your
thesis in that access to it should be restricted.
Submission of your thesis
http://www.bath.ac.uk/student-records/pgresources/HD2.doc
When you have prepared two copies of your thesis in accordance with the Thesis
Specification document, you must bring them to your Graduate School Office,
where you will be asked to complete an HD2 form. It is vital that you follow this
procedure, not least for financial reasons: once you have handed in your thesis, no
further fees are chargeable. If you do not bring the copies to the Graduate School
Office, the student record system (SAMIS) will not be amended to show that you
have handed in your thesis and you or your sponsor will continue to be charged
fees.
Postgraduate
Research
Ombudsman
Usually you can resolve problems with postgraduate supervision by consulting with
either your Director of Studies or your Head of Department/School. However, if you
feel that this has been ineffective, or that it would be inappropriate, you can seek
advice either from the Postgraduate Ombudsman, Professor Mike Threadgill, or
from the Deputy Ombudsman, Dr Marcelle McManus. Consultations are treated in
the strictest confidence and they will only contact staff in your Department or
School if you ask them to do so.
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You can contact Professor Threadgill in 5 West 3.9; Tel: 01225 386840
Email: M.D.Threadgill@bath.ac.uk, and Dr McManus may be found in 4E 3.14; Tel
01225 383877 Email: M.McManus@bath.ac.uk
Teaching duties
http://www.bath.ac.uk/quality/documents/QA9.pdf
QA9 covers the Development of all Staff and Students undertaking Teaching
Activities. If you are carrying out, or are intending to carry out, teaching duties
within the University, please make sure that you are familiar with this document.
Skills Training
(Researcher
Development)
http://www.bath.ac.uk/learningandteaching/rdu/
The University has a comprehensive programme of postgraduate training. In
addition to this, academic Departments/Schools provide a range of courses and
training opportunities for their own postgraduates. The University provides general
training opportunities using open learning materials, courses and workshops
covering information technology, teaching and tutoring, and personal and
professional skills development. You will work with your Supervisor to identify your
skills training requirements and record them at candidature. One condition of
transfer/confirmation of PhD registration is the completion of the training listed.
Viva voce (oral)
examination
http://www.bath.ac.uk/regulations/Regulation16.pdf
Regulations for the award of all doctorates at Bath require that candidates pass a
viva voce (oral) examination conducted by the examiners on the broader aspects of
the field of research in addition to the subject of the thesis. The Board of Examiners
will generally comprise one or more external examiners, together with an internal
examiner. Your Supervisor may, at your request, attend the viva voce examination;
if they are not present they should be available for consultation while it is taking
place. The examiners are appointed by Senate on the recommendation of the Board
of Studies and will be experts in the specialist field of the candidate and/or related
fields.
After the viva, the Board of Examiners will make a recommendation to the Board of
Studies. This recommendation can be anything from a pass with no corrections to
the thesis required, to a fail with no resubmission of the thesis permitted. The full
range of possible outcomes is given in Regulation 16.
‘Writing up’ fees
Most full-time research students will be funded for three years, although the
regulations allow up to four years for the completion of a PhD thesis. Once you
have completed the minimum period of study required for your particular degree,
and provided you have completed the necessary amount of work, you are eligible
for transfer to either the ‘Administration’ Fee, or to the ‘Continuation’ Fee, both of
which you may hear referred to as ‘writing-up’. The ‘Administration’ Fee in 2015-16
is £104, and the ‘Continuation’ Fee is £624, payable on a pro-rata basis every six
months. For the ‘Administration’ Fee, you are entitled to receive neither
supervision nor access to the Library; for the ‘Continuation’ Fee you may receive
minimal supervision plus continued access to the Library.
In order to transfer to either 'writing-up' status, the correct form must be put by
your Supervisor or Director of Studies to the Faculty/School Research Students
Committee for approval. If this procedure is not followed, your transfer to 'writingup' will not be recorded on the student record system (SAMIS), and you or your
sponsor will continue to be charged at the part-time or full-time rate as appropriate
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