Your supervisor

Supervisors play a fundamental role in supporting postgraduate researchers throughout their programme. Your supervisor or supervisory team is responsible for helping you to manage your research, as well as being your primary link to your department and the University. Your main supervisor is your first point of contact for any issues that arise throughout your programme.

Supervision meetings

Our Student Academic Engagement and Wellbeing Policy sets out how we support you to achieve your full academic potential. Formal supervision meetings with your supervisor or supervisory team should take place at least eight times per year, with an expectation of one meeting at least every 6-7 weeks for all full-time and part-time postgraduate researchers. At these meetings your supervisor(s) should give detailed feedback on the work you present and help you make plans for your next steps. A detailed record of your formal supervisory meetings and actions agreed will be kept through SkillsForge, and must be signed by both you and your supervisor(s). 

Within three months of the start of your registration you and your supervisory team are expected to sign that you have read the 'Principles of Supervision' document, which you will find in your SkillsForge account. This summarises aspects of the Policy on Research Degrees, extracting the points which are most essential to a successful supervisory relationship. You can therefore expect your supervisor to discuss these with you in your early supervision meetings.

Important information for Student Visa holders 

Ensuring all relevant meetings are formally recorded in SkillsForge is the sole method of recording a PGR visa-holder’s ‘engagement point’, therefore it must be actioned as promptly as possible, to indicate continued engagement and to satisfy the UKVI’s sponsorship policy. Visa-holding PGRs are expected to record these engagement points throughout their normal period of enrolment and during the continuation/examination period whilst under sponsorship. All student visa holders should familiarise themselves with the terms and conditions for visa holders.

For any queries regarding visas and immigration, please note the appropriate contact on the University’s Student visa holders web pages.