Postgraduate Charter

 

The Charter is located on the following link.

 

 

The University and the Postgraduate Student Association (P.S.A.) are committed to supporting the development of a partnership between faculty and students which upholds the principles espoused in this charter.

All postgraduate students are entitled to representation by the P.S.A. on University bodies that make policy concerning postgraduate students.

Responsibilities of Students and Supervisors

Students and supervisors are expected by the University to work together in partnership and should at all times maintain a professional working relationship;

Students undertaking postgraduate research will have been informed before accepting an offer of a place, as to who has agreed to be their supervisor, and the supervisor and student should then agree the terms and conditions of the research;
Supervisors must have a good working knowledge of the subject matter and ideally should be publishing in the area of the student's interest, unless new faculty, wherein a second supervisor should be assigned to provide additional support;
Students will receive clear details of the University’s academic regulations on enrolment;
Students will be allocated a departmental postgraduate adviser, who will meet with the student at the beginning of each academic year to discuss progress and any issues that the student may like to raise;
Students and supervisors will be expected to arrange a regular schedule of meetings, agree deadlines for submission of written work, and students must follow the guidance provided by their supervisor;
Students and supervisors shall complete a progress report on a twice-yearly basis, which will be discussed by the student and supervisor prior to the submission of the report to the head of department;
In instances where a supervisor may be away from campus for more than one month, excluding the summer period, arrangements for supervision should be agreed between the supervisor and student;
In cases where problems arise in the student-supervisor relationship the University will seek to address and resolve the issues as provided for in the academic regulations;
Students shall acknowledge the supervisor’s role in their research;
Students shall, where it is deemed appropriate, seek co-publication with their supervisor;
Supervisors shall acknowledge a student's contribution in any presentation, publication or meeting, which involves the student's research work;
Students shall conduct the research within the ethical standards of the discipline(s) and in accord with the standards detailed by the University and any other appropriate external agencies;
Students will be provided with the appropriate professional advice and support in developing their academic skills and career prospects;
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Responsibilities of Departments and the University

The University will provide full-time research students with desk space, with graduate centres, departments, research centres or institutes responsible for ensuring students have access to computing and printing facilities;
Students should have access to graduate centre, department, research centre or institute facilities, such as telephones and photocopiers, for research purposes;
Students should be provided with graduate facilities in the library, including an agreed number of inter-library loans and photocopy allowance, where necessary for undertaking research;
Students should be made aware of the financial support available from the graduate centre, department, research centre or institute to undertake field research and to present papers at academic conferences;
Students should be informed in writing of departmental requirements and expectations with respect to demonstrating, tutoring or other academic work;
Full time research students on stipends are expected as a part of their duties to undertake up to 6-7 hours per week of demonstrating, tutoring or other duties assigned by the head of department;
Students not on stipends should be made aware of teaching and other employment opportunities that may exist from time to time in departments and research centres;
All students involved in tutoring or demonstrating should be provided with training and support in undertaking teaching activities, as well as receiving formal recognition for their teaching contribution;
Departments should nominate a faculty member to co-ordinate postgraduate teaching and demonstrating, to arrange training and to provide feedback;
Students involved in laboratory work will receive safety training in manual handling, chemical handling and basic first aid at the beginning of their studies;
A grievance protocol specific to demonstration, teaching and tutorials should be available.
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Taught Postgraduate Programmes

Students should be provided with full and detailed information about their programme of study, including the nature and goals of the programme, and any prerequisite skills and knowledge required;
An introduction and orientation should given by both faculty and graduates (where available) of the programme by the first week of the semester, including the provision of course outlines and any specific course regulations;
Students are responsible for ensuring that all registration procedures are completed prior to or during week one of each semester;
Project work undertaken on a programme should be clearly defined, well-planned and there should be adequate facilities to ensure its completion;
Students should be made aware of procedures and deadlines for the submission of all course work, projects and dissertations;
Departments should provide formal and informal avenues for student evaluation of programmes, including written evaluations and opportunities to meet with external examiners where feasible;
Departments should ensure that students have the necessary facilities and access to resources to complete their programme of study.
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