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As a PGR student, you will not be given a timetable of lectures and seminars to attend, you do however have a timeline for your degree which focuses on several key milestones. You will have monthly meetings with your supervisory team, and access to workshops throughout the year to support you. You should contact your supervisory team to arrange an initial supervisory in the first week of your course.

You will be invited to an inductionÌýon the first day of your course. This will provide an overview of the Doctoral College, how to get started on your research degree, and introduce the support available at Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬for PGRs.

Following your inductionÌýyou can expect:

• A separate induction, organised by your faculty, which will include specific information to help you settle into your new surroundings, as well as provide informal opportunities toÌýmeet your peers and faculty staff.
• A series of 'Getting Started' sessions to welcome you to the Doctoral College community and run through useful resources at BU.

Further information about your induction schedule will be available on the Doctoral College Brightspace page, available to you once you have completedÌýonline registration.ÌýDetails of how to complete this as well as when your first session will be held are included inÌýyour registration email, which is sent around six weeks prior to your course start date.

As well the induction organised by your faculty and Doctoral College, our Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬Service Teams and the Students’ Union (SUBU) will be hosting a variety of events and activities to welcome you to the Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬community. You can find out more about what to expect in your first week by visiting our ‘Explore and things to do’ webpage, or downloading our

Brightspace and your student email will be essential to your experience at Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬and can be accessed once you haveÌýcompleted your online registration.

Brightspace

Once you have completed yourÌýonline registration,Ìýyou will be able to view the new starters area withinÌýtheÌý, which will support your arrival at BU. This page includes a welcome to Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬from the Vice-Chancellor and Heads of the Doctoral College, as well as information on how to attend your faculty induction and settling-in sessions, alongside an induction checklist you will need complete in your first week.

To help you get started with using our learning platform we recommend completing our 'Getting to know Brightspace' course which can be found on theÌýÌýafter you log in. You can also find out more aboutÌýBrightspace on the Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬website.

Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬email

As a PGR student you will receive both a Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬student email address and a Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬staff email address. Both will give you different access across our Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬platforms to engage in your research and learning.

These email addresses will be where we communicate with you throughout your degree. We recommend that you check these daily to stay up to date on news about your course or the wider Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬community.

You can find out more about how to access the basics on ourÌýIT information webpages.

Please note: When youÌýaccess Brightspace or your Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬email accountÌýfor the first time, you will be asked to register for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). To do this, you will need to go toÌýoffice.comÌýand register with your new Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬email address. You can find out more about MFA in theÌýIT informationÌýsectionÌýof our website.

Student Agreement

We've put information about the rules, policies and procedures in an agreement which was emailed to you with your offer letter. This student agreement includes important information about your time at Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬- for example, what happens if we have to change something about your course, you're not able to submit an assignment, payment of tuition fees and more.

When you accept your offer from BU, you're agreeing to our student agreement. When you register for your course online, you'll be asked to review the current version and confirm that you agree to it and the rules, policies and procedures it refers to. We may have updated our student agreement since you first saw it, so make sure you check it when prompted.

Download your copy online from ourÌýimportant information webpages.

Student Charter

Joining Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬is a mutual, active partnership and you're the most important part of that partnership. By working together professionally and respectfully we can all achieve our goals. We've created a Student Charter to help you understand how that works. Following the charter means you will get the best of our your experience at BU. Read it now onÌýour website.

We want you to develop into self-motivated, independent, lifelong learners. To help you achieve this we offer a range of services.

Researcher Development Programme -ÌýThe Doctoral CollegeÌýResearcher Development Programme (RDP)Ìýcan support you in obtaining the necessary skills and knowledge you need to complete your research degree, as well as the skills and attributes needed for your longer-term career ambitions.

Library and Learning supportÌý- We provide a comprehensive library and learning support service to all our students. As well as our two libraries - The Sir Michael Cobham Library, Talbot Campus and Weston Library, Lansdowne Campus, which are open seven days a week - we offer a range of online resources that you can access off-campus, including e-books and e-journals. Find out more on ourÌýwebsite.

Additional Learning Support (ALS)Ìý- If you have a learning difference, a medical or mental health condition, or a sensory or physical impairment, adjustments can be made to your learning and assessment. Contact our ALS team so they can so they can advise on the most appropriate support for you. They can help you apply for additional funding if you are eligible, access useful resources and learn strategies that will empower you to develop your skills and achieve your goals. The sooner you contact themÌýthe sooner they can help. Find out more about the service on ourÌýwebsite.

English language supportÌý- We offer extensive free English language support for students for whom English is not your first language. Workshops on various aspects of English for academic practice and one-to-one sessions to help with grammar and punctuation are available. These workshops are bookable throughout the year, either face-to-face or virtually. Find out more when you get here.Ìý

As a Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬student you have access to a wide range of IT facilities, tools, services and support.Ìý Below are a few quick links to things we think you might find useful:Ìý

• How to contact the IT Service DeskÌý- open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Ìý
• IT information pagesÌý– everything you need to know about IT at BUÌý
• Password reset, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and the Authenticator AppÌý– help protect your Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬accountÌý
• WiFi access on campusÌý- including how to connect and print from your personal deviceÌý
• Ìý– find the right solution for youÌý
• Working remotely and using your own deviceÌý– access when and where you need itÌý
• Log-in servicesÌý- including myHub, Brightspace, Office365 and your Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬emailÌý
• Laptop loan serviceÌý- borrow a MacBook Air for up to 4 hours, for freeÌý
• Calendar Centre - sync your Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬timetable to your personal calendar
• Staying safe onlineÌý– what to watch out forÌý
• LinkedIn Learning and the IT Learning CentreÌý– free courses and skills development workshops
• Calendar CentreÌý- sync your Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬timetable to your personal calendar.

You have access to all Å·ÃÀÐÔ°®Æ¬support services and events, which you can read about on ourÌýrelevant web pages. Current students and staff will also be available at the start of your courseÌýto help give you an introduction and a welcome to life on campus.

You can join the dedicated Postgraduate Research Society to discover a range of activities and events withÌýother postgraduate researchers. Find out more about how to join and what you can get involved in on theÌý