Contact within your School/Division 

Postgraduate administration

You should make contact with the member of staff who deals with postgraduate taught programmes within your school/Division’s administrative team as soon as possible. They will be able to help with administrative matters regarding your registration and should be your first point of contact should you have any queries or problems relating to your studies.

Programme Convenor

Each taught programme has a convenor or director. This member of staff is an academic within your school or Division who is responsible for the development of the programme of study and your progress within it. He or she is also the person you consult about any queries or problems relating to your work or general circumstances.

If you need to develop further skills for your programme, the convenor/director can give you advice and arrange for extra tuition if necessary. Convenors are also able to request that you attend additional classes, lectures and tutorials if these are thought necessary for your academic progress.

In general, it is your responsibility to tell the Programme Convenor if you have any administrative or academic-related problems. The Convenor is required to give prompt attention and replies to your requests, to comment on your written work within a reasonable time, and to put you in touch with other people working in your area if that is helpful.

Each School or Division will have staff who can help to support you and offer guidance with any issues that arise during your studies. The best person to talk to about a particular issue will depend on the nature of the issue and the structure of the unit in which you are located, but help can be sought from some or all of the following:

Academic Adviser, Student Representative, Student Support Adviser, Module Convenors, Director of Graduate Studies (with responsibility for taught programmes of study), or other members of academic and support staff.

Postgraduate students based at Brussels

Information for postgraduate students who are based at the Brussels School of International Studies can be found on the ‘Getting Started/Brussels’ website at: www.kent.ac.uk/gettingstarted/brussels/index.html 

Credit Framework

The Credit Framework for Taught Programmes provides information about the credit structure of taught programmes of study, award of credits, progression and conventions for award and classification of qualifications. The annexes to the Credit Framework include information about qualification level descriptors, minimum credit requirements for awards, marking, resit marks, concessions applications and appeals against recommendations of Boards of Examiners, academic discipline procedures and the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The Credit Framework can be viewed at: www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/credit-framework.

What does a taught course entail?

Our taught programmes consist of coursework with other students (lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratory work as appropriate, online or face to face where possible) and, for the Master’s degree, independent study for a supervised dissertation or project.

Student responsibilities concerning University regulations

Please familiarise yourself with the University Regulations for Students which can be viewed at www.kent.ac.uk/regulations

This link will provide you with access to the General Regulations (including the Student Charter) and the Academic Regulations.

Student Data System and Moodle

KentVision (KV) 

An invaluable source of information is KentVision, from which you can get your timetable details, as well as check your marks and deadlines. The Student Data System can be accessed via the Student Guide on the University website at: www.kent.ac.uk/student 

Moodle

Most taught modules at the University of Kent have an associated Moodle module available for use by staff to help them deliver online teaching resources to students. To access visit: https://moodle.kent.ac.uk/2021/my/index.php

For instructions and documentation on how to use Moodle please go to the E-Learning website at: www.kent.ac.uk/elearning/moodle/index.html?tab=information-for-students

Presentation and examination of your dissertation

Where a dissertation is a requirement for your programme of study, students should aim to complete and submit their dissertation by the end of their period of registration. In exceptional circumstances an extension in the time allowed for submission may be considered. In such cases your academic school will advise you on the procedure.

The Student Learning and Advisory Service (SLAS) runs the student skills and learning development programme, a workshop programme which includes sessions on planning and preparing for your dissertation. More information can be found on their website: www.kent.ac.uk/learning/programmes/postgraduate.html

Personal Development Planning

Part of the experience of studying at university is the acquisition of the skills you need to become a more effective, independent and confident learner. Personal Development Planning (PDP), a process in which you reflect on your learning and achievement and plan for your educational, academic and career development, can help you to achieve this. All students are encouraged to undertake PDP as part of the development of a personal Progress File. Further information and online resources to help you with this process are available from the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (UELT) at: www.kent.ac.uk/learning/PDP-and-employability/pdp 

Providing feedback

Postgraduate students have a number of mechanisms which they can use to provide feedback on their experience.

Module evaluations

Module evaluations encourage students to reflect on their own learning and provide developmental feedback to staff. Further information can be found under Annex M of the Code of Practice for Taught Programmes of Study: www.kent.ac.uk/teaching/qa/codes/index.html 

You can direct feedback to your programme convenor or postgraduate student representative(s).

The PGT Survey

The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (circulated in spring/summer) provides you with an excellent opportunity to provide feedback on a range of different areas. The results of this are anonymous and the information is used by your academic schools and the wider University to make improvements to the postgraduate experience at Kent.

Staff/student liaison committees

Staff/student liaison committees are one of the means by which students are able to discuss with staff their views on degree programmes, modules, and administrative arrangements. The committees include representatives from the School/Division’s postgraduate programmes which are elected via the Kent Union Student Representative elections.

Further information on Staff/student liaison committees can be found in in the the University’s Code of Practice for Quality Assurance for Taught Programmes.

Postgraduate finance

Scholarships and Finance

Postgraduate students fund their degrees through a range of routes (eg self-funded, employer sponsored and Career Development Loans). Useful Kent websites related to postgraduate funding include:

Postgraduate loans for Master’s degrees

The Government recently established new student loans for Master’s degrees. Eligible students can now borrow up to £11,570. Further information is available at www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships/search/FNADPGLOAN02

Travelling and working overseas

Students may possibly have the opportunity to travel or work overseas as part of their programme of study (eg as part of a placement or group visit where these are still running).

Where this is the case, students should refer to the University’s requirements concerning travelling and working overseas. The member of staff leading or organising the visit must carry out a risk assessment for all work undertaken overseas. Full details of the University’s requirements concerning travelling and working overseas are available for reference at: www.kent.ac.uk/safety/hs/pages/travel-work-overseas/travel-work-overseas.html