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STA Student Handbook (Taught Programmes) 2025/26

Communication

 
How to contact us

You must use your QMUL email address when contacting us - emails from private accounts can get lost in 'spam' and may not be read. 

You can contact your advisor, teaching staff by email or the STA office staff via AskQM.

The School Office is room 1.40, on the first floor of the ArtsOne Building. The office is open daily from 10-1 and 2-4 during term-time. 

All academic staff set aside drop-in hours during term-time when they are available in their office or remotely without appointment to see students. These hours are listed here on QMplus. You should, where possible, use these hours to see module organisers with queries about your modules, or your Adviser about any matter you wish to discuss. If you cannot see a member of staff during their drop-in hours, it is often easiest to contact them by email to arrange an alternative time.

 
How we contact you
 

We will normally communicate with you to your QMUL email address, but formal letters may be sent by post and we will occasionally need to call you. Please make sure you keep your details on MySIS updated. 

When you pre-enrol for your first year, you will be registered with the University's IT Services, and receive a username (with password). As well as allowing you to make full use of IT facilities, the internet and intranet, and giving you access to our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform, QMplus, your QMUL IT account will give you access to your QMUL email address. This is vital as this is the email address we will use to contact you throughout your studies. You can access your QMUL email account on the web here: http://mail.qmul.ac.uk

Communication between Staff and Students

You should email the School's staff (both academic and administrative) using your Queen Mary email address. School staff will also send all communication to your QM email address. It is therefore essential that you get into the habit of checking this on a regular basis.

If you wish, you can arrange for messages sent to your Queen Mary email address to be forwarded to an alternative address of your choice.

Staff will normally reply to messages within three working days during term time, and answer messages marked urgent in the 'Subject' box (eg 'Urgent: next week's lecture') within two. Only enter 'Urgent' in the subject box after careful consideration. Staff have to deal with increasing amounts of electronic communications, so before you send a message at all please make sure that it really is necessary. Ask yourself whether you might answer your question by other means (by consulting this handbook, perhaps, or an online library catalogue)?

Communication Guidelines for Students

  • If you decide to send a message please make it as brief and clear as possible.
  • A degree of informality in email correspondence is acceptable but you should remain professional.
  • You should address the recipient in your email and, when relevant, include your full name and student ID number so that we can check your details on our records, if we need to.
  • The use of offensive or abusive language in emails is unacceptable, and is a disciplinary offence.
  • Do not send the same message separately to several people, as this can create confusion and unnecessary duplication of responses to you.