Doctoral College
Getting started
At Bournemouth University there are many people and resources available to support you now and throughout your journey.
Doctoral College: You will receive a series of important emails from the Doctoral College team to get you started and throughout your research degree. You can read more about our remit in this guide and on the website: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/doctoral-college.
Inductions: You should attend the Doctoral College and your Faculty Inductions, where you can meet fellow PGRs and receive information to get you started and on the support available.
Brightspace: Check out the dedicated Doctoral College and Researcher Development Programme content on Brightspace, which also includes an induction checklist to guide you in the first few months. www.brightspace.bournemouth.ac.uk.
ProGRess: A bespoke IT system, which guides and records your research degree milestones. You need to record your supervisory engagements here too: www.progress. bournemouth.ac.uk.
Faculty, Schools & Research Centres: You will be assigned to a school within your Faculty and you may also be interested in becoming a member of one or more BU Research Centres.
Student Services: In addition to your Faculty and the Doctoral College, you can access a wide range of support through the University student services: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/ professional-services/student-services.
About the Doctoral College
The Doctoral College has responsibility for three distinct functions overseen by a small Executive Team.
Our primary functions are:
• Research Degree Policy
• PGR Administration (PGRAs)
• Researcher Development & Research Culture
As a department, we are here to provide support to you throughout your research degree and we aim to enhance your postgraduate research student experience. We want you to feel part of, and thrive in, the BU postgraduate research community.
Research culture and community
Research culture and community activities are integral to a positive PGR experience and are supported by the Doctoral College in a variety of ways.
• Monthly Update for Researcher Development, Culture & Community
• Researcher Development Programme
• Annual PGR Conference
• PGR Development, Culture & Community Grant
• PGR & Supervisor Summer Social
• PGR Peer Support
• Student Voice
• Supervisory Development Training.
Key milestones
During your research degree you will have some key milestone which you must pass to continue and complete your research degree. These are:
• Probationary Review (not for EdD)
• Major Review (not for MRes or MPhil)
• Viva Voce Examination
You are also required to complete an Annual Progress Review in May each year before you can re-enrol on your research degree.
You will work on each of these milestones independently and share your work with your supervisory team before submitting.
Your supervisors are your primary point of support for all academic matters. The Doctoral College team will support you with the administration of these milestones, including providing workshops as part of the Researcher Development Programme.
Researcher Development Programme
The Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme (RDP) is a bespoke training programme for our postgraduate researchers.
It has an extensive range of workshops, masterclasses and online training, is complementary to your postgraduate research degree, and provides you with the flexibility to develop your academic, professional and personal skills.
It supports you in gaining the skills needed to complete your research degree whilst also building on your transferable skills for employability, whether in academia or further afield.
You will not be given a timetable of lectures or seminars to attend. Instead you can pick and choose which development sessions to attend and when.
You should undertake a Development Needs Analysis with your supervisors to help guide and record your development and undertake 10 days of training (pro-rata) per year.
Postgraduate researcher experience
Read what some of our PGRs have to say about their experience so far. “ “ “
The Doctoral College continues to enhance the experience for us PGRs ... they established a special fund for PGRs to apply to deliver their own initiatives, which is such a great idea and effectively boosted the engagement of the PGRs. Staff members from the Doctoral College are always ready to support with kindness and expertise. Really appreciate their hard work!
Yunfei Li, PhD student, MST
The Doctoral College has fostered a unique setting that has greatly enhanced my academic development and intellectual exploration. It has given me the platform to profoundly engage with my areas of research.”
Bohan Liu, PhD student, BAL
Working alongside world-class archaeologists, both staff and other PGRs, has enhanced my project and student experience. The inter-disciplinary research produced by the school keeps me enthused and focused! Could not have hoped for a more supportive team to join.”
Lucy Parker, PhD student, HEMS
The MRes offers the opportunity for independent working within the highly supportive faculty and doctoral support systems. This degree allows expansion of your research, communication and administration skills vital in employment or further study. I wholeheartedly commend this degree to anyone interested in academia or improving their researching abilities for employment.”
Leigh Chester, MRes student, HEMS
Contact us
The Doctoral College teams can be contacted in a variety of ways depending on your question.
PGR administration – Faculty of Business and Law (BAL) BAL-PGRAdmin@bournemouth.ac.uk
PGR administration – Faculty of Health, Environment and Medical Sciences (HEMS)
HEMS-PGRAdmin@bournemouth.ac.uk
PGR administration – Faculty of Media, Science and Technology (MST)
MST-PGRAdmin@bournemouth.ac.uk
ProGRess enquiries progress@bournemouth.ac.uk
PGR Viva Voce pgrvivavoce@bournemouth.ac.uk
Researcher Development and Research Culture researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk
General enquiries doctoralcollege@bournemouth.ac.uk
Tel: 01202 968255
To apply for a research degree: pgradmissions@bournemouth.ac.uk