Doctoral College

Student participation

Two women standing indoors, one gesturing with her arms crossed, engaged in conversation with others in the background.

Your views are vital for shaping your experience as a postgraduate researcher. The university uses an approach called  Student Voice Partnership. This system is designed to be flexible, inclusive, and effective, creating a genuine partnership between students and staff.

How it works

The Student Voice Partnership has three key components:

1. A variety of engagement activities

We gather your feedback through a range of activities. This allows you to contribute in ways that suit you. Examples include:

  • Formal channels: Surveys, focus groups, forums, and town hall assemblies.
  • Informal channels: Coffee mornings, social events, and student panels on specific topics.

2. The Student Voice Action Plan

Every faculty has a live  Student Voice Action Plan. This plan records the key feedback we receive and the specific actions staff will take in response. It ensures your input leads to tangible results.

3. Review meetings

Senior student representatives meet with the Faculty Director of Postgraduate Research termly. The purpose is to review progress on the Action Plan, address any delays, and agree on how to communicate outcomes back to the student community.

Roles for student representatives

Student representatives play a key role in this partnership.

  • PGR Officers: These are the senior student representatives for each faculty. They analyse feedback data and work with staff to develop solutions. They are responsible for ensuring all students are represented.
  • Academic Representatives: Academic Reps form a pool of volunteers who help with specific projects, activities, or analyse feedback on particular topics.

This approach allows representatives to focus on creating change and ensures we make the best use of student feedback.

Get involved

We encourage you to take part in feedback activities throughout the year. Your Faculty PGR Officer and Academic Representatives are there to champion your voice.

By working in partnership, we can continue to improve the postgraduate research experience for everyone.

Many postgraduate researchers gain valuable experience by working as Postgraduate Teaching Assistants (PTAs). Teaching can be a rewarding part of your professional development, whether you plan to pursue an academic career or other pathways.

Teaching opportunities

Teaching opportunities are advertised at the start of the academic year. All research students are welcome to apply for these roles.

Terms and conditions

If you take up a teaching role, you must follow the University’s Code of Good Practice, Chapter 19 - Employment of postgraduate students: code of good practice. Key points include:

  • You should not normally work more than 6 hours per week.
  • Over the academic year, full-time students must not exceed 180 hours of work (pro-rata for part-time students).

Important information for international students on a student visa:

Your visa conditions include a strict limit on the number of hours you can work per week during term time. This limit applies to all work, including teaching, additional ad-hoc hours, and voluntary work for the University or any other employer.

Training requirements

You must complete training before you begin teaching: Learning & Teaching in Higher Education Programme

  • Stage 1:  A one-day course offered at the start of Term 1 and Term 2. We strongly recommend that all students complete this to be ready for teaching opportunities.
  • Stage 2:  A longer programme is required if you will be marking student work.

Contracts and payment

  • You will receive a contract and an hours allocation template (HAT) for your teaching work.
  • You must register for eClaims and submit claims promptly after completing work.
  • Payments are made at the end of each month.

IT accounts

If you have a PTA contract, you will receive an associate IT account and email address. Please check both your student email (for study matters) and your associate account (for teaching-related communication).

For full details, refer to Chapter 19: Code of Good Practice for Employment of Postgraduate Students.

Taking part in research seminars and events is a valuable part of your academic development. It helps you engage with your department’s academic culture, build professional networks, and gain peer support.

You are strongly encouraged to attend relevant events and seminars within your department, faculty, and across the University. These often include talks by visiting speakers from other institutions.

Details of upcoming events are shared through:

Making time to participate in these activities will enrich your research experience and support your professional growth.