SMS MSc Student Handbook 2020/2021 (Sep 2020 Start)

9. Advice and Support

You will be allocated a Advisor and there is a Programme Director for each degree programme; see below.

For straightforward administrative enquiries, normally you ask in the Maths School Office first. For general academic advice, normally you ask your adviser / Programme Director (they may well be the same person) or the Student Support Officer. Their roles are described below.

How do I know who my advisor is?

The relevant Programme Director will generally be assigned as an Advisor for postgraduate students; see Contact Information. MySIS will show who your current adviser is. If you cannot find who your current adviser is then please contact the Maths School Office.

The Advisor's Role

Your advisor's role is to give you information and advice during your studies; in particular to discuss with you and approve any electives in your "module registration" – the list of modules you register for each year. You should get to know your advisor, and normally you would ask them to act as a referee for job applications, etc. If possible, you will keep the same advisor throughout your time at Queen Mary. Teaching is not part of an advisor's role, although your advisor may be willing to help you with mathematical problems.

You should visit your advisor at the start of each semester to agree your programme of study for that semester, and you should visit your advisor at least once again during each semester to discuss your progress. It is also 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 Programme Director (if not advisor) or the Student Support Officer; see below.

The Student Support Officer's Role

The Student Support Officer is there to help you with any difficulties that are not primarily academic, and to provide an additional layer of support between the Maths Office and the academic staff. The Student Support Officer is an expert on the technical and bureaucratic aspects of student life. In particular, the Student Support Officer will act as a back-up adviser when your advisor is not available, will help you report extenuating circumstances, will direct you to the appropriate Queen Mary support services such as Advice and Counselling (see below), and may be available when the Maths Office is closed. The Student Support Officer will also help us to monitor your attendance, exercise submission, and marks for in-term assessment, and may discuss these issues with you.

an introduction from the Advice and Counselling Service

The Roles of the Director of Education and Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies

The Director of Educations is Dr Mark Walters. His email is: m.walters@qmul.ac.uk.  He oversees all taught programmes and takes primary strategic responsibility for programme development and resource allocation. The Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies is Dr Michael Phillips.  He takes primary operational responsibility for postgraduate programmes including student information and quality assurance. His email is: michael.phillips@qmul.ac.uk.

Getting Help

If you have administrative or technical questions relating to a specific module then you should approach the module organiser, either at the end of a lecture or in the module organiser's office hours; see Contact Information. Some module organisers may also provide additional support for students who are finding the module difficult – ask about this if necessary.

Writing Support

Mathematical Sciences students often have difficulty writing essays and other descriptive text. However, this is an essential skill that you will probably use much more than mathematics in your working life, so you need to improve it during your university course.

• We offer some general guidance on mathematical writing.
• The Language Centre provides a range of programmes in academic English and study skills, including in-sessional programmes for students currently studying at Queen Mary, pre-sessional programmes, foundation programmes and pre-masters graduate diplomas to prepare students for their undergraduate and post-graduate studies, courses in modern foreign languages, and courses for specific purposes.
• The Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE) service works in a number of ways with taught students at any level, undergraduate or postgraduate, from any subject discipline, to develop the skills and practices needed to become more effective in their academic work and excel at university. Areas covered include: writing for academic purposes, effective reading and note-making, presentation skills, time-management, critical thinking, understanding marking criteria, using feedback, revision and exam preparation and avoiding plagiarism.  We also support the work of student mentors through providing resources and training to support peer and social learning. Academic Skills Tutors offer support and developmental opportunities in the form of one-to-one tutorials, workshops, drop-ins, and self-access resources. In addition, we host  Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellows who offer writing advice to both taught and research students.

MyQMUL

MyQMUL should be used together with this handbook for general information on your time at Queen Mary. MyQMUL contains a wide range of information, including:

• Academic and student support services;
• The academic year;
• Campus facilities;
• Details of some key Academic Regulations;
• How to? advice;
• QM contact information;
• Calendar
  • Graduation
  • Student administration, and enrolment advice;
• QM policies;
• Campus and QM information.

Access MyQMUL at: www.my.qmul.ac.uk.