The Key Staff deal with most student queries in general. We will also allocate a member of academic staff as your advisor and there is a programme director for each degree programme.
For straightforward administrative enquiries, you should normally ask the Education Services Team first. For general academic advice, you should normally ask your advisor first, who may refer you to the appropriate programme director, the Senior Tutor or the Student Support Officer. Their roles are described below.
HOW DO I KNOW WHO MY ADVISOR IS?
MySIS should show your current advisor, and these will be allocated shortly. If you cannot find who your current advisor is then please contact the Education Services Team, maths@qmul.ac.uk. To contact your advisor please see Contact Information.
ADVISOR'S ROLE
Your advisor's role is to give you information and advice during your studies; in particular to discuss your academic progress throughout your time at Queen Mary. You should get to know your advisor, since normally you should ask your advisor to act as a referee for job applications, etc. If possible, you will keep the same advisor throughout your time at Queen Mary. Your advisor is able to help you with any mathematical problems and also help with your module selections.
It is normally best to contact your advisor by email initially and then arrange a meeting if necessary. It is important that you discuss with your advisor any academic, financial, medical or other problems as soon as they arise. Your advisor can then refer you to the appropriate person within Queen Mary to deal with your problem, which you may also need to report to the Senior Tutor or the Student Support Officer; see below.
Students will be required to attend at least one meeting each Semester with their advisor to discuss academic progress and personal development aims and goals (the first meeting will take place in Welcome Week). Students will be contacted by advisors to arrange a mutually agreed date and time for the meeting to take place. Informal meetings can be arranged at any time during the academic year via email or student dropping by the advisors office.
ADVISING CONTRACT
The aim of the advisor-advisee relationship is to
- foster and develop in our students a sense of value for and ownership of their education;
- actively promote our students' involvement in the planning and achievement of their academic and career goals.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADVISOR
- Be available for advisees via email and for scheduled meetings according to School policy.
- Help advisees to understand the academic and administrative processes of Queen Mary.
- Help advisees to understand the expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success in certain areas of study.
- Help advisees to decide on details of study programmes and give advice about modules.
- Be involved in discussions with advisees and other School staff in the event of poor attendance or performance.
- Refer advisees to other resources when appropriate, such as specialist careers or counselling advice.
- Provide references for current and former advisees.
- Read the Staff Intranet and this Student Handbook.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADVISEE
- Follow email etiquette.
- Acquire information needed for selecting modules appropriate to your study programme.
- Seek the academic and career information needed to meet your educational goals.
- Become knowledgeable about relevant policies, procedures, and rules of Queen Mary.
- Be prepared with accurate information and relevant materials, such as completed forms, when contacting your advisor.
- Read this Student Handbook.
ADVICE AND COUNSELLING
The Advice and Counselling Service offers free and confidential professional services to students. International students with visa-related queries may find this service particularly helpful. The service is located on the ground floor of the Geography Building at Mile End, and is open on weekdays throughout the year, including most vacations.
STUDENT SUPPORT OFFICER
In addition to the pastoral support provided by members of the Education Services Team, the Student Support Officer is here to help you with more complex pastoral issues.. The Student Support Officer can help direct you to the appropriate Queen Mary support services, such as Advice and Counselling (see above).
The Student Support Officer is also responsible for reviewing your engagement with academic studies and co-ordinating Tier 4 monitoring, checking coursework submissions (where used in a module), and supporting the Education Services Team with more detailed advice on pastoral support.
Further information on how the School supports students can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlIb9f-h2b4.
