Disclaimer

This handbook should be used together with the Academic Regulations and http://arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/. This handbook provides information specific to the School of Mathematical Sciences, while arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students gives information common to all students at Queen Mary. The Academic Regulations provide detailed information on progression, award and classification requirements.

Nothing in this handbook overrides the Academic Regulations, which always take precedence.

The Academic Regulations are available online at: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/

The information in this handbook is correct as of [Monday 23rd October 2024] after minor amendments. In the unlikely event of substantial amendments to the material, the School of Mathematical Sciences will inform you of the changes. Any changes will be communicated via email to your University email address.

Queen Mary cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information given in third party publications or websites referred to in this handbook.

Alternative Formats

For a large-font version, please use the zoom control in your web browser to zoom in.

This handbook is available in large print format. If you would like a large print copy, please contact the Maths School Office, Mathematical Sciences Building - MB102 (first floor), 02078825470. If you have other requirements for the handbook, please contact Sajida Rahman (Student Support Officer), 02078825454.

• A single-page version (derived automatically from this QMPlus book version) is also available. Please contact the Maths School Office

• For a printed version, please use your web browser to print this single-page version  - For a PDF version, please use your web browser to print this single-page version to PDF. (Some operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows 10, provide a "Print to PDF" printer driver. Alternatively, free PDF printer drivers are available, such as PDFCreator for Microsoft Windows.)

• For earlier versions, please see the archive of student handbooks from previous years. Please contact the Maths School Office

During application and at (re-)enrolment you provide us with personal information about yourself such as relevant contact details and information about your background, which is held in systems such as MySIS. It’s important that you ensure this information is accurate and kept up to date. Throughout your studies (or after you graduate) you may also provide, or we may collect, other personal information and you should be aware that this also includes any work you submit for assessment in the course of your studies. Tutors may occasionally use anonymised student essays (or portions from them) as part of the teaching process. We hope you will be willing to support your fellow students by allowing this, but you may opt out by contacting your school office. Other markers of engagement are monitored to help support students. If you engage with your Advisor or other support services, notes may be kept and shared with appropriate individuals.

We ensure that all personal data is held securely and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, unless we are obliged to do so by law - for example the annual student record that we submit to the Higher Education Statistics Agency - or other conditions allow.

HESA requires us to collect details of our students’ ethnicities and disabilities as a means of monitoring the success of equal opportunities policies at a national level. This information is kept confidential and helps us to provide you with support and information on facilities and services that may be useful.

When you enrol or re-enrol online you will be asked to read a privacy notice about the purposes for which we use your personal data and to whom we may disclose it when required. You must read this carefully. All personal data is maintained in accordance with data protection legislation.  For more information, visit: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/privacy/ and/or contact Queen Mary’s Data Protection Officer via data-protection@qmul.ac.uk.

Updating Personal Details

The School of Mathematical Sciences comprises mathematicians who work in pure, applied mathematics, and statistics. The School is located in the Mathematical Sciences Building by Mile End Road, in Godward Square of the Mile End Campus (number 4 on the map). The building is a short walk from Stepney Green or Mile End tube stations. You can enter the building from Mile End Road, or alternatively via the Godward Square entrance.

Note that all Queen Mary University of London buildings are non-smoking areas.

Postal address

School of Mathematical Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS

General enquiries

Email: maths@qmul.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 5440

Contacting specific staff

The following links give contact details for permanent academic staff and professional services staff. It is usually best to contact academic staff (at least initially) by email. You may also visit academic staff in pre-arranged meetings or telephone them. Academic staff should allocate at least one "office hour" per week during the teaching semesters when they will be available but students are encouraged to contact specific academic staff members to pre-arrange meetings if they are unable to make the allocated "office hours". Academic staff "office hours" are shown on the module QMplus pages or the staff members contact page on the link above. Before travelling any distance always arrange an appointment by email or phone.

The School of Mathematical Science's Learning Café

The School of Mathematical Science's Learning Café is restarting this week.  The Learning Café is an opportunity for you to ask questions about module content, get academic support, as well as a chance for everyone to socialise in a welcoming atmosphere.

Summer vacation support

During the summer holiday, many academic staff will be away; you may still be able to contact them by email but not otherwise. You should contact the Maths School Office or the Student Support Officer if you need academic advice or assistance and cannot contact the appropriate member of academic staff.

Maths School office

Your main point of contact for administrative matters is the Maths School Office, MB-102 located on the first floor of the Mathematical Sciences Building. The Maths School Office opening hours during term time are 9:00am–5:00pm (last admission 4:50pm) every weekday. The office is closed on weekends. More limited opening hours may apply during holiday periods due to staff meetings. Opening hours and access are subject to change due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Teaching rooms

Teaching room information for the the Mile End Campus (QMUL) can be found here - http://www.timetablingsupport.qmul.ac.uk/plans/

MSci FINAL YEAR student facilities

The School provides a private study computer lab, room MB-103, on the first floor of the Mathematical Sciences Building, for all final year MSci students, with computer facilities for project work, writing dissertations, online research and online access to the library catalogue, e-journals and e-books.

Main notice boards

The main notice boards are located throughout the Mathematical Sciences Building and more prominent in the student social and study areas. There are additional notice boards located in the main seating area in the Maths School Office, MB-102.  You should check them frequently. They are for official notices from members of staff and other Queen Mary University of London departments. Sometimes these can carry urgent information such as important events and changes to examination rooms. 

Electronic displays

There are electronic displays are located throughout the Mathematical Sciences Building and more prominent in the student social and study areas. There is an additional electronic display located in the main seating area in the Maths School Office, MB-102.  They show breaking news, events, short-term information such as details of forthcoming meetings and examinations, and topical information such as the "Theorem of the Day". 

UG Study Space 

The School provides a private study room MB-103, on the first floor of the Mathematical Sciences Building, for all Maths UG students and the School Social Hub, MB-B11, in the basement level of the Mathematical Sciences Building.

Websites and QMplus

The School of Mathematical Sciences website has a few pages relevant to current undergraduate students, but most information for current undergraduates is on QMplus, the Queen Mary virtual learning environment. Other key websites are the Queen Mary Student Information System, MySIS, and the Queen Mary student app portal, my.qmul. You will need to log into MySIS and (sometimes) QMplus, using your Queen Mary username and password, to access personal or confidential information: MySIS for the name of your Advisor or your main examination results; QMplus for your personal timetable and other teaching information. Queen Mary uses QMplus to support all taught modules, which should be explained at the start of each module. We also use it to provide a lot of general information (including this handbook). The QMUL Student Support pages provides information regarding student experience and welfare.

Online media

The School has an official Twitter feed and Facebook page which we use to provide the most up-to-date information regarding the School and mathematics generally.

Timetable

The teaching timetable provides information about the times and locations of lectures, tutorials, exercise classes and computing labs. Your timetable will include lectures and tutorials for all your modules. You have access to your own personal timetable by logging in to QMplus or you can access the complete Queen Mary Central Web Timetables.

Study programme and module details

You can find undergraduate study programme and module details, and past exam papers, on QMplus via links on the landing page. The undergraduate module list includes links to the individual QMplus module pages, which provide teaching materials such as lecture notes and exercises. Each module  page will also include detailed reading lists for that module.

Computer facilities

All the software that you need for your course should be available on the Queen Mary Student Service, which runs Microsoft Windows. There are also laptops which students can sign out for academic use from the Library. Student Service computer availability around the campus is shown on the electronic display screen located around the Mathematical Sciences Building and around campus.

If you prefer to use your own computer then, as a Queen Mary student, you can obtain certain software for a discounted price or for free. This will depend on the software and all information can be found here. Under each software it will not the cost.

Queen Mary's Mission Statement

As detailed in its Strategic Aims, Queen Mary seeks "to teach its students to the very highest academic standards, drawing in creative and innovative ways on its research."

QUEEN MARY'S Charter

Our Community was developed in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union (QMSU), with input from both students and staff from across the College.

The Aims of Taught Mathematics

• To ensure that when you graduate you have the mathematical skills most likely to be useful to you and your employers. In particular these include: fluency and accuracy in elementary calculation; ability to reason clearly, critically and with rigour, both orally and in writing, within a mathematical context; and, within the areas that you study, a sense of how and where your mathematical knowledge can be applied.

• To help you build up more general skills and sound habits. These include the ability to plan your work, to work independently and in groups, to explain your work to others, and to use computers and the Internet effectively and responsibly.

• To deliver a set of taught modules in mathematics that forms a coherent whole at the appropriate levels for each year of a university degree.

• To challenge and encourage all students within a friendly, stimulating and responsive environment.

• To exploit our research strength by designing modules that will be interesting and useful for the students but also reflect recent developments in the subject; and at the same time to build on those modules and procedures that we have found successful in the past.

• To deliver sound assessments of your work in order to keep you informed of your progress during your studies and in order to reflect your overall achievements in your class of degree.

• An additional aim for the MSci degree is to provide a comprehensive mathematical education that offers a first-class preparation for doctoral study or highly technical employment.

The Objectives of Taught Mathematics

1. All graduates will be able to use deductive reasoning and manipulate precise concepts, definitions and notation
2. All graduates will be able to approach a mathematically posed problem with confidence and technical dexterity.
3. All graduates in programmes that involve analysis of data will have acquired skills in data handling, quantitative statistical analysis, and the ability to synthesise results.
4. All graduates in interdisciplinary programmes will have developed both basic knowledge and understanding of the companion discipline, and appropriate mathematical expertise.
5. All graduates will possess basic computational skills.

MSci degree programme objectives consist of objectives 1, 2, 3 and 5 above but generally at a higher level than for BSc programmes. This applies with particular force to objective 1. In addition:

1. All MSci graduates will be able to write a technical mathematical report that draws on and synthesises work in published sources, using the proper scholarly conventions.
2. All MSci graduates who leave with a first-class honours degree will possess the maturity and the technical ability to be independent learners of research level mathematics.

• Regularly:
• read your Queen Mary University of London email (on your phone if you want);
• check the Maths QMplus landing page.

• At the start of each semester:
• make contact with your Advisor;
• check your timetable in QMplus;
• check where each of your teaching rooms is;
• check when and where your first coursework submissions are due.

• Before week 7 of each semester:
• check your week-7 revision lectures and tests;
• revise for your tests!

• Before the spring vacation:
• check your exam timetable and plan your revision;
• start considering your optional modules for next year.

• Before revision week:
• check your revision lecture timetable.

• Before the exam period:
• check where each of your exam rooms is.

• During the exam period:
  • submit extenuating circumstances for any exams you miss for good reason;
  • register for your optional modules for next year.

• Read this handbook and the Queen Mary Student Guide carefully at the start of the year and refer to them later if you have a question about your course.
• Read email/s sent to your qmul.ac.uk email address frequently. This is primarily how Queen Mary staff will communicate with you.
• Check the School QMplus landing page and the student information notice boards in the Mathematical Sciences Building regularly.
• Visit your Advisor at the start of each semester and at least once again per semester, and answer email from your advisor promptly. 
• Keep your Advisor informed of your circumstances and any problems you may experience.
• Keep your full contact details up to date in MySIS.
• Submit all exercises required for each module by the stated deadline.
• Inform the module organiser if you withdraw from a module or start a module late.
• Ensure you are registered for the correct degree programme, which should be the one you were originally accepted for unless you have explicitly changed it.
• Ensure that you prearrange and respect appointments made with your Advisor and lecturers; please see Contact Information.
• Respect Queen Mary policy on harassment, which states that all members of Queen Mary are entitled to work within an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect and where harassment of any kind is unacceptable.
• Note that all Queen Mary buildings are non-smoking areas.

Updating Personal Details

It is important that Queen Mary has up-to-date personal details for all students. Please update your address and contact details online using MySIS, although a change of name must be done in person at the Student Enquiry Centre with accompanying identification. Please also ensure you notify the Maths School Office so that we can update our departmental records.

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/index.html

Communication

Queen Mary will communicate with you in a variety of ways. Formal correspondence will be sent to you by electronic letter, and it is important that you keep Queen Mary up to date with your personal details and address. You can do this online via the MySIS record system: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/index.html

It is most common for the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary and the Students’ Union to contact you by your Queen Mary email. You are assigned a university email address when you enrol, and you are responsible for checking this account on a daily basis. All major notifications and updates will be sent to you by email first.

You can access your email account by logging on to a Queen Mary computer, or, if you are not on campus, at: http://mail.qmul.ac.uk.

You can access your Queen Mary email account in various ways. You can use any web browser (on any device) or you can use the same email client you use for your private email on your computer, phone and/or tablet.

Email Etiquette

TEMPLATE:

Dear Prof/Dr/Mr/Ms XXX,

[body of email] 

Best wishes,

Email is often the best way to contact Queen Mary staff, but you must use your Queen Mary email account and include both your full name (as registered with Queen Mary) and your 9-digit student number. Use standard and correct English with correct capitalisation; do not use abbreviations or colloquialisms. Save "txtspk" for friends and family! Address staff by their title and surname: for example, Prof. Prellberg, Dr Johnson, Mr W Ng. You can check staff titles in Contact Information. If you are replying to an email then please include a copy of that email.

If you follow the above requirements then you can reasonably expect an acknowledgement within about two working days and a full reply within about five working days during term time, but responses may take longer during vacations. If you do not follow the above requirements then we may ignore your email.

• How (not) to write an email to a member of staff - a pictorial guide

Requesting References

If you want an academic reference for a job or further study, you should normally ask your advisor. If you need a second reference, you should ask another member of academic staff who knows you and your work well, but they may refuse. If this happens then you may ask your relevant Year Tutors, but only as a last resort. He will only be able to write a general reference unless he knows you well.

You should always ask a member of staff well in advance whether they are willing to act as a referee before naming them on an application form. If you ask them by email then you must follow the email etiquette above. If you need letters of reference (rather than just names of referees), you should allow about two weeks for your referees to write them and referees may refuse to provide references with less than one week's notice.

The code of student discipline (also known as code of conduct)

The Code of Student Discipline may apply to any action of misconduct whether it takes place on or off Queen Mary premises. The Code also applies to actions that are electronic and occur via electronic means such as (but not limited to) the internet, email, social media sites, chat rooms or text messages.

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/misconduct/

The Queen Mary Code of Student Discipline covers general student behaviour. Please respect others by refraining from talking during lectures (except to members of staff) and in the library (except in designated areas). If you persistently talk during lectures or in quiet areas of the library then Queen Mary may take disciplinary action against you; we take a serious view of behaviour that prevents other people from working.

The Code of Student Discipline applies to any action of misconduct whether it takes place on or off QMUL premises. The Code also applies to actions that are electronic and occur via electronic means such as the internet, email, social media, or other communication technology such as mobile phones.

Further details can be found here - http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/misconduct/

Zero Tolerance campaign

Report + Support

Report + Support: tackling harassment, gender-based violence and hate crime

Queen Mary is committed to creating an environment for work and study where staff, students and visitors are treated with dignity and respect.  We have no place for bullying, harassment and hate. We recognise that these behaviours can take many forms.  Any allegation of harassment, hate crime, bullying or victimisation will be treated seriously, regardless of the seniority of those involved, and anyone found to have behaved unacceptably may be the subject of disciplinary action subject to the processes detailed in the relevant Queen Mary policies.

Report + Support is our secure online platform for anyone at Queen Mary to report harassment, gender-based violence or hate crime, and find out about support options. If you have experienced or witnessed any form of bullying, harassment, violence or hate crime, please see reportandsupport.qmul.ac.uk. 

Personal Information and Data Protection

During application and at (re-)enrolment you provide us with personal information about yourself such as relevant addresses and information about your background, which is held in systems such as MySIS. It’s important that you ensure this information is accurate and keep it up to date. Throughout your studies (or after you graduate) you may also provide, or we may collect, other personal information and you should be aware that this also includes any work you submit for assessment in the course of your studies. Tutors may occasionally use anonymised student essays (or portions from them) as part of the teaching process. We hope you will be willing to support your fellow students by allowing this, but you may opt out by contacting your Maths School Office (MB-102). Other markers of engagement are monitored to help support students. If you engage with your Advisor or other support services, notes may be kept and shared with appropriate individuals.

We ensure that all personal data is held securely and not disclosed to third parties without your consent, unless we are obliged to do so by law - for example the annual student record that we submit to the Higher Education Statistics Agency - or other conditions allow.

HESA requires us to collect details of our students’ ethnicities and disabilities as a means of monitoring the success of equal opportunities policies at a national level. This information is kept confidential and helps us to provide you with support and information on facilities and services that may be useful.

Use of Mobile Phones

Please do not use your mobile phone or allow your mobile phone to make any sound in lectures, classes, the library, computing laboratories or staff offices. If you do then a member of staff may ask you to leave. You must switch off your mobile phone in all tests and examinations. Allowing your mobile phone to ring during a test or an examination is a disciplinary offence that will normally lead to failure in the test or examination with a mark of zero, with more severe penalties for a second offence.

If an assessment is 'open book' the Module Organiser or the Maths Exam Board Chair will communicate clearly whether mobile phones will be allowed to be used during these assessments.

Tuition fee deregistration

When you enrol or re-enrol at the start of each academic year you agree to Queen Mary’s Tuition Fee Regulations, https://www.qmul.ac.uk/tuition-fee-regulations/ , which set the deadlines for paying tuition fees. Failure to pay your tuition fees by these deadlines may lead to your deregistration from your programme of study, under College Ordinance C3

You should familiarise yourself with emergency procedures for all areas in which you work, noting the location of emergency exits, assembly points and equipment. On hearing a fire alarm in a QM building, you should immediately leave through the nearest emergency exit, unless redirected by a Fire Marshall. Do not go to any other part of the building for any reason. Proceed to the designated emergency assembly area and report to the Fire Marshal. Do not leave the assembly area or re-enter the building until instructed to do so. Failure to follow these procedures may lead to disciplinary action.

You should familiarise yourself with emergency procedures for all areas in which you work, noting the location of emergency exits, assembly points and equipment. In case of a fire, immediately leave the building by the nearest exit point. Do not use the lifts. Fire action notices are displayed in corridors and by fire escapes.

Tampering with fire alarms or fire-fighting equipment is a serious offence, and disciplinary action may be taken against any student/s responsible for breaking this role.

In an emergency, dial 3333 from any internal phone and clearly state the nature and location of the problem, your name, and the number you are calling from (if known). If no internal phone is available, call 999 and follow the normal procedure. We all have a duty of care towards fellow students and staff. You should ensure that corridors and doorways are not obstructed and that fire fighting equipment is not removed from its station.

• For minor accidents, you can obtain first aid assistance by dialling 3333 from an internal phone or 020 7882 3333 from any other phone.
• For general enquiries, you can contact Queen Mary Security by dialling 5000 from an internal phone or 020 7882 5000 from any other phone.

Support for Students when University is Closed

Queen Mary’s student wellbeing services have been expanded significantly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but we are not emergency services, and our staff work office hours; broadly, Monday to Friday, 9.00 am - 5.00pm.

However, we recognise that students’ lives do not always fit around the opening hours of our wellbeing services, and people may need emotional support in the evenings, at weekends and Bank Holidays and on other days when the University is closed.

With that in mind, this page outlines all of the support students can access outside traditional office hours – our partnerships with Togetherall and Health Assured in particular have been developed to provide students with 24/7 support to complement our in-house wellbeing services, e.g. the Advice and Counselling Service, and the Disability and Dyslexia Service.

24/7 Wellbeing Helpline

Queen Mary are working with an organisation called Health Assured to provide our students with a 24/7 wellbeing helpline when our in-house services are closed. This kind of service is known as a Student Assistance Programme. Health Assured provide emotional support and ‘practical guidance’ through professionally qualified staff (typically counsellors).

The 24/7 Wellbeing Helpline is available to all Queen Mary students – their phone number is 0800 028 3766.

The 24/7 Wellbeing Helpline is a free, confidential, in the moment support service. The service is available 24/7, 365 days a year and covers topics including (but not limited to):

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Low mood
• Loss and grief
• Relationship problems
• Substance abuse issues

The Wellbeing Helpline is available, free of charge, to all students at Queen Mary University of London.

Whatever time of day or night you ring, your call will be answered by a qualified and experienced counsellor. The counsellor will take some details, including what university you’re calling from. The counsellor will talk to you about how you’re feeling and help you to identify some strategies that might help. They might work through things like mindfulness techniques or recommend other resources you can use which might help.

If you have not called them before the Health Assured operative on the phone will ask you to confirm the name of the university you are studying at (i.e. Queen Mary), as well as some contact details. Health Assured use this information to get you set up on their system.

If you have called them, they will ask you some security questions. These are simple - your date of birth, or postcode. Data security is important, so you must answer these correctly to continue.

They'll also ask what your call relates to. This is to make sure you get the right support, as quickly as possible. In the unlikely event that the appropriate counsellor is unavailable, they'll arrange a call-back at the best time for you.

The 24/7 Wellbeing Helpline is confidential. In order to provide the best service, however, counsellors ask for a few details. They'll need your name, address, contact number and date of birth. They'll also ask if it's okay to leave a voicemail, or send you an SMS - it's fine to say no to these. In most cases, Health Assured would only need to share information if:

• They believed that someone else is at risk of serious harm.
• They were told about acts of terrorism or bomb warnings.
• You asked them to get you help because you can't do this yourself.
• You expressed that you were experiencing thoughts of self-harm or that you were having suicidal thoughts.

Health Assured will always seek your consent before contacting your GP or the emergency services. However, if it is deemed that you are an immediate risk to yourself or others, this may not be possible.

The 24/7 Wellbeing Helpline is a separate service offered to students at Queen Mary University of London. Health Assured, who provide the helpline, deliver a confidential service and the information you discuss with their helpline support workers is not routinely provided to the University unless your health, wellbeing or welfare is judged to be at imminent risk.

In these circumstances and where the support worker thinks you need additional support they will seek your consent to share your name and information about their concerns with Student Wellbeing services so that they can provide you with further help. In some circumstances where you are not able to provide consent or where you refuse consent, Health Assured may still decide to share relevant information with Queen Mary where it is necessary to protect your or another person’s vital interests.

Health Assured treat your data with total confidence. All employees are bound by ethical and legal frameworks, and the service is ISO27001 accredited.

Queen Mary offers all of its students access to an online support service called ‘Togetherall’.

Many students write to us requesting support in the early hours of the morning or at weekends and we acknowledge that it may take a couple of days to receive a response and even longer to actually see someone. Togetherall provides immediate support whilst you’re waiting for an appointment to see someone in the Student Experience Directorate. If you access Togetherall there is no negative impact on your wait for support through our services; it’s just another option that you may want to explore.

Togetherall offers unlimited, 24/7 accessible online support – you can connect with peers, chat online to clinicians, use self-help resources, join groups or take self-assessments. Lots of students at lots of universities find it an incredibly helpful resource. It is also completely confidential and staff at the University cannot see what you are writing or sharing.

Sign up to Togetherall using your Queen Mary e-mail address.

Immediate Danger

If you are in immediate danger of harming yourself or others, call 999 or go to your nearest  Accident and Emergency department. If you are not in immediate danger but feel that you need urgent support, you can: 

• Contact your GP for an urgent appointment. If you haven't registered with a GP yet, use the NHS website to find one near you 

• Contact the NHS Mental Health Crisis Line for the borough you live in: 

• Tower Hamlets:  0800 0730003  

• Newham: 0800 073 0066  

• City and Hackney:  0800 073 0006  

• To find a crisis line in other areas, use the NHS urgent mental health form.

For more information on support available to people experiencing a crisis in their lives, please visit the Advice and Counselling Service’s Help in a Crisis guidance.

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 in the Maths School Office first. For general academic advice, you should normally ask your Advisor first, who may refer you to the appropriate programme director or the Student Support Officer. Their roles are described below.

HOW DO I KNOW WHO MY ADVISOR IS?

MySIS should show your current Advisor, but if you cannot find who your current Advisor is then please contact the Maths School Office. 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 able to help you with Essential Mathematical Skills.

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 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

1. Be available for advisees via email and for scheduled meetings according to School policy.
2. Help advisees to understand the academic and administrative processes of Queen Mary.
3. Help advisees to understand the expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success in certain areas of study.
4. Help advisees to decide on details of study programmes and give advice about modules.
5. Be involved in discussions with advisees and other School staff in the event of poor attendance or performance.
6. Refer advisees to other resources when appropriate, such as specialist careers or counselling advice.
7. Provide references for current and former advisees.
8. Read the Staff Intranet and this Student Handbook.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADVISEE

1. Follow email etiquette.
2. Acquire information needed for selecting modules appropriate to your study programme.
3. Seek the academic and career information needed to meet your educational goals.
4. Become knowledgeable about relevant policies, procedures, and rules of Queen Mary.
5. Be prepared with accurate information and relevant materials, such as completed forms, when contacting your Advisor.
6. Read this Student Handbook.

The School of Mathematical Science's Learning Café

The School of Mathematical Science's Learning Café is restarting this week.  The Learning Café is an opportunity for you to ask questions about module content, get academic support, as well as a chance for everyone to socialise in a welcoming atmosphere.

It is a great opportunity to speak to staff and get academic support, advice regarding your modules and feedback.

The Learning Café runs in the School Social Hub, MB-B11 (in the basement level). There will some light refreshments.  Times and dates are posted below:

• Tuesday  -  11:00-14:00
• Thursdays  - 11:00-14:00

During these times, teaching staff will be attending the Café, and will be happy to chat about coursework, revision tips, lecture material, and academic life in general.

If you wish to discuss something with an individual member of staff, each module organiser should have their Learning Café hour posted on their module's QMplus page.  

SENIOR TUTOR ROLE

The Senior Tutor role allocates Advisors for students and oversees all aspects linked School of Mathematical Sciences enabling plan that relate specifically to overall student experience and/or success. They will be leading on initiatives to improve and to enhance both the student experience and student outcomes while acting as a key link between feedback regarding teaching, the student experience and the student voice. They oversee the academic aspects of advising and student welfare, in particular, engagement, attendance and performance in courseworks, tests and examinations while facilitating feedback from Course Reps and Lecturers. They liaise with Advisors and the Student Support Officer, as appropriate in regards to any non-academic aspects of advising (pastoral support) or student welfare.

STUDENT SUPPORT OFFICERS ROLE

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 with advice on the technical and bureaucratic aspects of student life, and can direct you to the appropriate Queen Mary support services, such as Advice and Counselling. The Student Support Officer provides professional support for all aspects of undergraduate and postgraduate administration and is a key member of the School's Professional Services Team, responsible for providing expert pastoral care and support to all students within the School of Mathematical Sciences as well being the link between students, the school and central college support services.

This involves:

• Create and run a variety of support mechanisms to support students throughout their student journey.
• Help students get the most out of life as a student and fulfil their full potential.
• Be the first point of contact for all students and signpost students to relevant support services and mechanisms.
• Offer advice on matters which may be impeding a student’s ability to study.
• To make the student experience the best it can possibly be.
• Manage and monitor the School’s engagement policy and offer support mechanisms to get students re-engaged with their programme of study.
• Manage the School’s extenuating circumstances policy (circumstances that are outside a student’s control which may have a negative impact on a student’s ability).
• Leading on the School’s student feedback procedures for assuring academic standards and enhancing the student learning experience.

Further information on how the School supports students can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlIb9f-h2b4

WRITING SUPPORT

Learning Development works in a number of ways with students at any level, undergraduate or postgraduate, from any subject discipline, to develop the skills and practices they need to become more effective in their academic work. Areas covered include writing for academic purposes, effective reading, presentation skills, time-management, critical thinking and avoiding plagiarism.

Writing & Study Guidance is offered by Learning Development Advisers in the form of one-to-one tutorials, workshops, drop-ins, retreats and downloadable resources. We also offer a programme of PhD writing development events. In addition, tutorials on writing are offered by the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellows, who are hosted by Learning Development.

Writing & Study Guidance and RLF tutorials are based in the Library on the Mile End Campus.  For more information on the range of services we offer, and to book a tutorial or workshop, check www.learningdevelopment.qmul.ac.uk. 

During your time at Queen Mary, our Learning Development team will provide you with a range of activities and resources to help you.

Writing & Study Guidance Staff are available for one-to-one tutorials in several aspects of study including writing for academic purposes, reading effectively, time-management, critical thinking, avoiding plagiarism and presentation skills. Besides tutorials, they also run drop-ins, retreats and various group workshops. Their aim is to help students at any level from any subject discipline, undergraduate or postgraduate, to become more effective in their academic work.

Royal Literary Fund Fellows are also available for one-to-one tutorials in writing with students from any discipline - their aim is to help the student develop clear, lively, accurate writing that conveys meaning with the minimum of fuss.

Writing & Study Guidance and RLF tutorials are based in the Library on the Mile End Campus. 

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

PROGRAMME DIRECTORS' ROLES

Each degree programme has a director, who decides which modules students must study within that programme. Normally, your degree title will be the title of your programme and the programme director decides what conditions you must satisfy to obtain that degree title. For full details of current Mathematical Sciences degree programmes see Study Programmes.

For joint programmes, there is also a contact in the secondary School, and Mathematical Sciences programme directors act as contacts for students on joint programmes for which Mathematical Sciences is the secondary School as shown below:

ROLES OF THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION and DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

The Director of Education oversees all taught programmes and takes primary strategic responsibility for programme development and resource allocation. The Deputy Director of Education takes primary operational responsibility for undergraduate programmes including student information and quality assurance.   

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. Many undergraduate modules, especially in the first year, have tutorials, exercise or computing classes, where you have an opportunity to ask questions of the teaching assistants (who may range from graduate students to senior academic staff). Some module organisers may also provide additional support for students who are finding the module difficult – ask about this if necessary.

PASS (PEER ASSISTED STUDY SUPPORT)

• PASS offers help with all first-year undergraduate maths modules to smooth your transition from school or work to university study.
• It consists of friendly drop-in study sessions run by student mentors who have successfully completed the first year.
• You can also pop in and talk about anything related to university life (e.g. where something is on campus).

Student mentors are volunteers who are keen to share their knowledge and experience to help you succeed. We train them to run effective PASS sessions. A student mentor explains:

PASS sessions are more like discussion groups than exercise classes. The mentors encourage you to have discussions amongst yourselves before asking for help.

For further details contact Shyla Jadav (s.jadav@se23.qmul.ac.uk) our Student Organiser, see the PASS posters around the Mathematical Sciences Building or visit https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/pass/

Queen Mary wants you to make the most of your student experience. For that reason, we want to help you identify the opportunities that exist to develop your graduate attributes. These attributes reflect the location and profile of the student body and the research-intensive nature of the institution. They are detailed in the Queen Mary Statement of Graduate Attributes, which consist of 32 attributes grouped into 7 themes that will help you prepare yourself for your future employment.

Engage fully in your degree programme

Make sure that you identify where in your degree programme the opportunities for developing graduate attributes occur and engage fully in these learning activities.

OTHER FORMS OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY

At Queen Mary we have designed our courses, as well as many of the offerings provided to students through our Careers and Enterprise team, to broaden opportunities for you as a Queen Mary undergraduate, within and beyond higher education, so that you will be supported in planning and managing your ongoing professional development. Our approach is firmly grounded in the core Queen Mary values of respect for, and engagement with, the local area and communities, with a distinctive focus on enabling you to make a genuine societal impact through leadership in your chosen field. We have organised various modules and opportunities around the key themes of networking, multi- and inter-disciplinary, international perspectives, and enterprising perspectives to assist you with fully realising your potential.

There will be a menu of such modules available for you to choose from, together with a range of extra opportunities available to you through Careers and Enterprise.  All have been designed to offer you a wide range of experiences, and many can be included in the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). This allows you to demonstrate to employers the learning gained from your involvement in extra-curricular activities. 

Engage in work experience 

Make sure you take up some of the wide range of opportunities open to you, such as work experience, volunteering, and enterprise education and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Enhance your ability to reflect on your learning and monitor your progress for employability

Sign up for an award or certificate designed to ensure you gain the most from your student experience.

Be active in your career decision making and preparation for employment from your arrival at Queen Mary

Make sure you attend the Mathematical Sciences careers programme and other Queen Mary careers activities.

Make employability information work for you!

Look at these resources early on and plan ahead:

• Queen Mary Careers
  

Your views are important to the School of Mathematical Sciences and Queen Mary. There are a variety of ways in which you can tell us what you think and share your ideas for improvements.  At an institutional level, there are student representatives on Council, Senate and various committees across Queen Mary. Student representatives, elected by fellow students, also speak on behalf of the student body at the School, Faculty and Queen Mary-wide level via various committees, groups and meetings. More information can be found at http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/.

Student Voice Committee (SVC) and Course Reps

The School of Mathematical Sciences undergraduate Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) normally meets twice a semester. It discusses matters of interest to undergraduates, including the curriculum, student welfare and facilities, and advises the Head of School. The Students' Union arranges elections for at least two student course representatives from each BSc year and one from the final MSci year. Please raise any matters of concern with one of your student course representatives.

The School takes suggestions from the SSLC very seriously. The committee is chaired by Dr Justin Ward and attended by the Head of School, Director of Education, Deputy Director of Education, Education Services Manager and Student Support Officer. We provide details of the SSLC on QMplus, including minutes of past meetings. See also Student feedback.

Each year of each course has at least one Course Representative. Course Reps are the key link between students and staff in their school.

They seek out students' views and represent them at Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meetings, work in partnership with staff to improve their course and resolve any course-related issues as they arise throughout the year. Course Reps work closely with the Students' Union to campaign for change and make things better for students.

Student Ambassadors

The School of Mathematical Sciences employs a number of students to act as guides and talk to prospective students who attend open days or post-offer visit days. There are similar opportunities within Queen Mary. Look out for emails and notices if you are interested, and see https://www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-work-experience/items/display-name-717785-en.html

Maths Student Feedback Open Forums

During each semester, each year group will be invited to attend a forum with the Student Support Officer. This is your chance as a cohort to give your individual and group feedback. The Student Support Officer is the only member of staff who attends and we encourage you to be as open and honest as possible whilst giving constructive feedback about your whole student experience. Both positive and negative feedback from these forums are anonymised and taken to the relevant staff committees within the School and Queen Mary in order to bring about any necessary changes to improve your experience.

Module Evaluation Questionnaires

Each semester, we will ask you to complete a standard one-page questionnaire online for each of the Mathematical Sciences modules that you are taking. We use the results to try to identify any problems and rectify them. This will be completed via the QM App.

uk engagement survey (ukes)

The UK Engagement Survey (UKES) is a national survey which gives you the opportunity to tell us about your learning experience at Queen Mary. It is open to all undergraduate students who are not eligible to complete the National Student Survey.

The UKES is facilitated by Advance HE, the national body that champions teaching excellence. The survey asks you about things like how you engage with the learning on your course, how you work with others, and what kind of activities help you to learn. It is a chance to reflect on how you study and what might help your studies in the future.

http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/ukes/

National Student Survey

All final-year undergraduate students at UK institutions take part in the National Student Survey (NSS). The NSS is a nationally recognised annual survey of mostly final-year undergraduates in the UK. The survey gives you an opportunity to give your opinions on what you liked about your time at Queen Mary as well as things that you feel could have been improved.

If you are a finalist, you will usually be contacted by email early in the spring term. Please do complete the NSS, and fill it in honestly.

The NSS results are made publicly available to help prospective students make informed decisions of where and what to study. Queen Mary and the Students’ Union will also use the data to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses to help effect change and bring about enhancements to improve the student experience for future generations of students. Data from previous surveys are available on Unistats. http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/national-student-survey/

How can I provide personal feedback?

You are welcome to make suggestions for improvement to members of staff, such as your module organisers or advisor, and we will try to pursue any serious suggestions that may lead to improvements in our procedures. Please contact the Student Support Officer if you have any general feedback.

Queen Mary Students' Union lists a wide variety of societies. The Students' Union web pages also list details about how to set up your own society if none of the existing groups fit your interests.

Mathematics Society

We have a hugely popular and successful society which recently won 5 different awards including Academic Society of the Year. The society's main role is to organise social events to get everyone in the School of Mathematical Sciences together. Non-maths students are of course welcome as this will help promote the subject and the whole society in Queen Mary.

The Maths Society is an Academic Society working closely with the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of London and with QM Careers Group. The society consists of students who are enthusiastic about mathematics and want to share their passion with the rest of Queen Mary. The society runs numerous academic and social events throughout the year including an annual trip abroad.

We hope to make the society as successful as possible and make members feel proud of being part of the society. We will make the best use of students' membership fees and try to include as many members as possible in our decision making.

You can find more information about the Maths Society on the following link - https://www.qmsu.org/groups/maths/ or check out the Maths Society's Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/qm.maths.society/

Actuarial society

Queen Mary Actuarial Society provides a second home for all students who wish to become actuaries, or those who wish to gain deeper comprehension of this profession. We are happy to welcome all other students as well regardless of your course!

We aim to SUCCEED:

• Sharpen your technical and non-technical skills relevant to actuarial work,
• Unite students from the institution,
• Create a strong group of future actuaries of QMUL,
• Care for our environment more,
• Enhance your commercial awareness,
• Enable you to network with colleagues and industry experts (not only actuaries), and
• Develop your understanding with regard to actuarial work and professional standards.

Our events include:

• Workshops,
• Debates,
• Fundraising,
• Seminars, and of course,
• Socials!

We place importance not only in valuing each and every member, but also in making this society fun and lively while being academic. We believe in diversity - we cherish individual differences.

Email: qmactuarialsociety@gmail.com

Diversity IN DATA

We pride ourselves on our unparalleled, dedicated work in organising and running technology events for all students and staff in QMUL to understand more on a topic of Data Science. This includes panel talks, seminars and workshops.

At QM Diversity in Data Society, we believe that the right understanding and technological edge are leading the world to the 4th industrial revolution, and everyone deserves the right to know and work in Technology to celebrate this revolution together.

Equal opportunity is at the core of all that we do at QM Diversity in Data Society.

Our main goal is to encourage more people to discover the potentials behind data, that data science will help build a better tomorrow for everyone, everywhere.

Email: diversityindata@email.com

Economics Society

Email: economicssociety@qmsu.org

This society allows students interested in economics to meet up in an informal way to discuss business-related issues as well as forming friendships through debates, dinners out in the City and other social events.

Banking and FInance Society

Email: contact@qmbfs.co.uk

This society aims to provide a support network to its members with information and advice, as well as providing a forum for members to share their ideas and opinions about anything related to business. Queen Mary Business Society believes in engaging students in enterprising student activities such as workshops, presentations, skills development sessions and much more to improve students' future prospects. This society understands the high value of commercial awareness and intends to provide students with opportunities to gain a further insight into the business world.

Appeals - Queen Mary level

Please visit the Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office web site for further information (if required).

A Formal Appeal is a request to review a decision about progression, assessment or award.

Before you submit a Formal Appeal please speak to the Maths Education Services Team about the decision you wish to appeal as many issues can be resolved without the need to enter into a lengthy formal process.

The School of Mathematical Sciences will be able to provide you with feedback on your marks, or degree classification, and to answer any queries you have. Please note that a Formal Appeal cannot provide feedback on academic work. Appeals against academic judgment are not permitted, this means you cannot appeal simply because you think the mark you have received is too low.

The Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office deals with the following types of student casework; for more information please click on the links.

• Appeals
• Academic Misconduct
• Complaints
• Disciplinary Misconduct

For general enquiries on any of the processes, please contact us using the details below:

Email: appeals@qmul.ac.uk

By Post:
Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office
Academic Registry and Council Secretariat
Queen Mary University of London
Dept W, 81 Mile End Road
London E1 4UJ

There are two grounds for appeal:

• procedural error: Where the process leading to the decision being appealed against was not conducted in accordance with Queen Mary’s procedure, such that there is reasonable doubt as to whether the outcome might have been different had the error not occurred. Procedural error shall include alleged administrative or clerical error, and bias in the operation of the procedure.

• that exceptional circumstances, illness, or other relevant factors were not made known at the time for good reason, or were not properly taken into account.

An Formal Appeal must be received within 21 days of the notification of the decision you want to appeal and should be submitted from your Queen Mary email to appeals@qmul.ac.uk.

Further information about how to appeal and the appeal form can be found on the Queen Mary website: http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/appeals/index.html

An appeal is the only method by which a student can request a review of a decision made by an academic body about progression, assessment and award, as well as decisions made under several other Queen Mary policies.

There are various types of appeal. Please use the links below to navigate to the relevant information, guidance and documents:

Academic Appeals

• Any appeal relating to an academic decision (progression, assessment, award)

Administrative Appeals

• Any appeal about decisions or outcomes that may affect your studies or student experience, but are not academic results (for example, if you are deregistered due to unpaid fees)

Academic Misconduct Appeals 

• Where academic misconduct has been found to occur, a student may appeal this decision and/or any penalty imposed

Student Disciplinary Appeals 

• Where misconduct has been found to occur, a student may appeal this decision and/or any penalty imposed

Appeals 23/24 

• Please use this webpage for ANY appeal (regardless of type) relating to the academic year 2023/24

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your appeal you may submit a Final Review for consideration by the Principal’s nominee. Once a Final Review is complete you will be sent a Completion of Procedures letter which outlines the final decision of Queen Mary and the reasons for the decision.

Complaints - School level

We hope you will not need to complain, but if you would like to raise any issues, either as an individual or as a group, please follow the procedure described below, which provides the most up-to-date information including who to contact in relation to particular complaints.

Remember also that there are elected student representatives on the Student-Staff Liaison Committee. They are not part of the Queen Mary complaints procedures, but they may have useful experience and advice, and if you think your complaint is a matter of general interest you may take it to one of them. You can also speak with the Education Services Team, who can give you help and guidance at every stage of the complaints procedure.

The School of Mathematical Sciences undertakes not to disadvantage you if you make a complaint in good faith. The School also understands and respects the fact that you may need to complain in confidence.

Before you submit a Formal Complaint please speak to the Maths Education Services Team about the decision you wish to appeal as many issues can be resolved informally without the need to enter into a lengthy Formal Complaint process.

Complaints procedure - Queen Mary level

If your issue is not resolved through the informal process then you will need to complete the Formal Complaint form and submit this to Mr William Ng (Education Services Manager, Maths) at maths@qmul.ac.uk for investigation under the Student Complaints Policy:

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/student-appeals/complaints/index.html

Most complaints are resolved at the Formal Complaint stage but if your matter is still not resolved then there is one review stage to the policy.

When the complaint process is finished you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter explaining the final decision and the reasons for it.

Queen Mary has a specific Formal Complaints procedure which is designed to help you raise any concerns that you may have with either academic or non-academic issues. 

The policy is driven by the following principles:

• transparency – it spells out who is responsible for dealing with your complaint at each stage of the process, and indicates what action you should take if you feel dissatisfied with the outcome;
• speed – there are target timescales set for each stage of the process and if for any reason it is not possible to meet the timescale, you will be informed of the reason for the delay;
• natural justice – the Policy follows the principles of natural justice, in that no person who has any direct interest in a complaint will be involved in deciding the outcome, and you will be guaranteed a fair hearing;
• confidentiality – your complaint will be dealt with confidentially, and only the person(s) responsible for dealing with the complaint, and those who are parties to it, will be informed;
• non-detriment – you will not be disadvantaged if you make a complaint in good faith;
• group action – if several of you have a problem, you can make a joint complaint;
• a friend – you have the right to be accompanied by a friend when you make a complaint, or at any subsequent meeting to deal with the complaint.

If you feel that you have a legitimate complaint on an academic issue, there are a number of sources of help and advice available to you:

• the School of Mathematical Sciences – your Advisor, Education Services Team, Senior Tutor, Director of Education or the Student Support Officer;
• the Students' Union, particularly the Vice-President (Education, Welfare & Representation);
• the Advice and Counselling service;
• your Student-Staff Liaison Committee, particularly if the problem affects a number of students.

Office of the independent adjudicator (OIA)

If you are unhappy with the outcome of an appeal or complaint then you may submit a complaint to the OIA within 12 (twelve) months of receiving your Completion of Procedures letter. The OIA is the independent body set up to review student complaints and is free to students. For further information regarding the OIA please visit their website: http://www.oiahe.org.uk/

In place of the classroom teaching normally used in schools, we use lectures and exercise classes to teach most of our modules. You also need to spend time on your own studying and attempting exercises; we expect you to spend about 40 hours per week on your degree course, of which we timetable about 16 hours.

We will assess you by a mixture of exercises, coursework, in-term tests, project reports, presentations, quizzes and end-of-year exams/assessments; see module details for how we assess each module. For some of our modules, the assessment of exercises is summative, which means that it is intended to evaluate your performance and to measure your understanding of the set learning objectives of the module throughout the semester. Summative assessments will contribute marks directly to your final result for the module and will take different forms. Each module will be different so the relevant module organiser will explain this at the beginning of the module. This information will also be available on the relevant module QMplus module.

Modules will also use formative exercises, which means that it is intended to help you learn and does not contribute marks to your final result for the module. Formative exercises give you practice for the tests and exams and so are just as important as summative assessments that contribute marks directly to your final result for the module. If you work hard on all the formative exercises then you will do better in your tests and exams.

Queen Mary policy is that all teaching starts at 5 minutes past the hour and finishes at 5 minutes before the hour, which gives you a 10-minute break between classes. If any member of staff fails to adhere to these times (other than occasionally) then please complain; see Complaints Procedure.

Lectures

In a lecture, the lecturer stands at the front of the room and talks. The lecturer will normally also write on a board or visualiser and/or project slides onto a screen. The written information may include everything important or it may include only key points, depending on the style of the lecturer. You will need to take notes during the lecture. What you write is up to you but it will normally form your main record of what the lecturer has taught in the module.

You will generally need to copy carefully what is on the board or screen unless the lecturer provides full lecture notes on QMplus. Generally, notes provided by the lecturer are not a substitute for notes you take yourself. You should regularly review and correct your notes, check for any points you do not understand and try to resolve them, asking in the exercise classes if you cannot sort them out for yourself. Nobody will look at your lecture notes except you. It is very important that you keep up with each module since mathematical modules tend to refer back to, and rely on, material covered earlier. You should keep your lecture notes for revision.

It is essential that you do not talk while the lecturer is talking. Please be aware that we will take disciplinary action against any student who disrupts lectures in any way.

The module organiser will set problems as exercises. Working through the exercises is essential in order to understand each module. Moreover, we use your exercise solutions as a measure of your engagement with the module.

Exercise Classes

In a mathematical sciences undergraduate exercise class (tutorial/seminar/IT Lab), there will normally be several members of staff and PhD students to help you with specific problems. It is up to you to ask them questions (about any aspect of the module). However, their job is to guide you towards the solutions to problems, not just to tell you the answers!

You should try to solve the problems before the class by looking up the meanings of relevant terms in your lecture notes or appropriate textbooks or by searching the web. If you cannot solve a problem then make yourself a note to ask for help in the next exercise class. There is not enough time to write out all the solutions during the classes, but there should be time to ask questions about the things you do not understand provided you have thought about them beforehand. The exercise classes for some modules take place in a computing laboratory.

Tests

These are mini-exams, normally held in week 7 of the semester. Examination regulations apply to tests. The School of Mathematical Sciences uses it as a "consolidation, revision and test week". Week 7 has a different timetable from the rest of the semester, which will normally be emailed to your University email account.

Time Management

Ideally, you should make up your own study timetable, including lectures, and specify when you are going to read the lecture notes and do the exercises each week. Studying at university is a full-time job; the standard expectation of time spent by students studying for a degree is 1200 hours per year. That is equivalent to 150 hours for each 15-credit module and to 40 hours per week for 30 weeks of the year.

Submission of weekly/fortnightly coursework Exercises

The lecturer/module organiser will post all weekly/fortnightly coursework exercises via QMplus (on some occasions these may be set during lectures). The lecturer/module organiser will confirm this during the first lecture. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can find the weekly/fortnightly coursework exercises for all your modules and to contact the relevant lecturer/module organiser if you have any questions about the posting of the coursework exercises. The module organiser will set problems as your coursework exercises. Working through the exercises is essential in order to understand each module. 

You are expected to submit reports, exercises, essays, and other pieces of coursework associated with each module for which you are registered as part of your programme of study, by the individually advertised deadlines and methods of submission. These will be regularly spaced throughout the semester. 

For some modules this will be summative assessments and will contribute marks directly to your final result for the module and will take different forms. Each module will be different so the relevant module organiser will explain this at the beginning of the module. This information will also be available on the relevant module QMplus module.

Each lecturer/module organiser will tell you at the start of the module how to submit your weekly/fortnightly coursework exercises for that module.

Submission of Project Reports

Each project module organiser will tell you how to submit your project report, but normally you should submit an electronic copy to QMplus. This will be used for plagiarism detection, for which we currently use Turnitin; see Plagiarism and Referencing. You may also be asked to submit two printed copies to the Maths School Office (since your report will be read independently by two examiners). The Maths School Office staff will record the date they received them and give you a receipt. Keep this in case you need to prove when you submitted your report. You can print your report single or double sided, as you prefer, but your printed copies must be robustly bound so that they can be easily read without falling apart.

Project reports must have a title page showing clearly the module code and title, the title of your report, and your full name and student number. A project report should look like any well produced printed document and if it is a mathematical report then it should look like a well produced mathematics textbook. Content is more important than presentation, but presentation is also important. In particular, you may lose marks for poor spelling and grammar; most modern word processing or text editing applications provide a spelling checker, which you would be well advised to use. Divide your text into paragraphs that each deal with one idea or a small number of related ideas.

Unless you have been specifically instructed to the contrary, use normal single-spaced lines of text. Unless the document is very short, divide it into sections, subsections, etc, each with a clear heading, as illustrated by this handbook. If the document is longer than one page, include page numbers. You can draw diagrams by hand or by computer as you prefer, but make sure they are neat, clear, and annotated as appropriate. Tables should have captions above them and diagrams should have captions below them. Use of colour is optional.

Correct referencing of other people's work that you have used in your report is essential and will help avoid accusations of plagiarism; see Plagiarism and Referencing and Recommended Referencing Style.

THE SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES LATE SUBMISSION POLICY IS OUTLINED BELOW:

If an assignment is submitted after the specified deadline it shall be recorded as late and a penalty shall be applied, as detailed below. If there are valid extenuating circumstances then a penalty may be fully or partially waived.

              i.        For every period of 24 hours, or part thereof, that an assignment is overdue there shall be a deduction of five per cent of the total marks available (i.e. five marks for an assessment marked out of 100). After seven calendar days (168 hours or more late) the mark shall be reduced to zero, and recorded as 0FL (zero, fail, late).

            ii.       A student may submit work of passing standard but fail the module because of the late submission penalty. Where the student is eligible for a resit attempt in such a case, the student shall not be required to resubmit the assessment; instead, the pre-deduction mark from the first attempt shall be entered for the resit. Where a student is not eligible for a resit, this provision does not apply.

          iii.        Certain assessments may cease to be a valid measure of a module’s learning outcomes prior to the seven working day cut-off. For example, where feedback has been provided to the class, any submission made after that point would not be an accurate measure of attainment. In such cases, the late submission policy shall apply as normal up to the day on which feedback is given; at that point, a mark of zero (0FL) shall be applied, even if this is within seven calendar days of the deadline. The School of Mathematical Sciences will make it clear to students in advance where this variant policy applies, or else the general policy shall be applied.

          iv.        A late work penalty may be removed where a student provides good reason for the late submission under the extenuating circumstances policy and the extenuating circumstances claim is approved. A student must submit a formal claim with supporting evidence in line with that policy in order for the circumstances to be considered. If an extenuating circumstances claim is rejected no further action will be taken.

            v.       The School of Mathematical Sciences may award extensions to submission deadlines. This is at the discretion of the School of Mathematical Sciences and usually requires an approved extenuating circumstances claim. For an extension to be considered, a student must apply before the submission date with an extenuating circumstances claim and supporting evidence. In no circumstances shall an extension set a new deadline beyond the next meeting of the relevant Subject Examination Board (though a first sit may be awarded).

Word count policies and penalties

The School of Mathematical Sciences does not apply any penalties where students exceed a specified word count. Students are provided with a word count by the relevant module organiser/lecturer which acts as a guideline.

Your degree programme is initially the same as the course for which Queen Mary accepted you. Our study programme guide specifies what modules you must take. Some details of your current study programme are also encoded in MySIS and limit the options available to you. 

Provided you meet all the programme requirements, including those not encoded in MySIS, you can choose your optional or elective modules freely, subject to the approval. We may allow you to change your degree programme, but all such changes require careful consideration and formal approval. You must follow the procedures below and complete a Queen Mary Change of Programme of Study form, which is available from the Maths School Office, Student Enquiry Centre, room CB02 in the Queens' Building, and on the web. If this form is not completed and returned to the Maths School Office, then you will not have changed your degree programme. All change of programme forms will need to be approved by your Advisor and new programme director.

During the first two weeks of each semester, students on certain programmes of study are able to modify their choice of modules by reselecting your choices in MySIS. MySIS is the website you used to pre-enrol and is a portal to your student record. It shows you your personal details, such as addresses and finance, as well as your overall module results.

You are encouraged to register for your modules as soon as possible as popular modules may quickly fill up. You can find out how to change your modules on the Student Enquiry Centre website (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/study/module-registration/index.html).

Students may be permitted to change programmes in the first two weeks of the academic year.  There may be restrictions as to whether this is permissible if students fail to meet the entry criteria or have failed to undertake core and compulsory modules.  Some changes will continue to be permitted at later points in the academic year, for example where students wish to transfer onto or off of a programme that includes a period in industry/overseas.

How do I change to a different Mathematical Sciences degree programme?

1. Complete a Change of Programme of Study form and obtain your Advisor's signature.
2. Take the completed form to the programme director of the proposed new programme (whose name is shown at the top of the programme in our study programme guide). If the programme director accepts the change then leave the form with the programme director, who will also sign the bottom of the front of the form (by your Advisor's signature) and then forward it to the Education Services Team to complete the processing.

Transferring between BSc and MSci

We do not recommend this for overseas students who begin their programme in 2016 or later because new UKVI rules mean that it may cause visa difficulties.

We invite home BSc students on appropriate programmes at the end of their first or second years who have obtained a first-class average to transfer to the corresponding four-year MSci programme. We may also allow BSc students who have obtained an upper second-class average to transfer to the MSci programme at their request. Transfer to MSci may be possible up to the start of your third year provided you have taken appropriate modules in your BSc programme.

An MSci candidate who fails the MSci progression requirements will be automatically transferred to G100 or the relevant joint BSc programme, but may then be allowed to transfer to a different but related BSc programme. An MSci candidate may also opt to transfer to a BSc degree course, which has lower progression requirements, at any time up to the start of the third year of study. Later transfer to BSc may also be possible but will need approval by the Registry. If you are an MSci candidate and you fail to obtain enough credits for the award of an MSci then we may consider you for a BSc degree.

How do I change to a degree programme run by another School?

1. Visit the School that runs the degree programme you want to transfer to and discuss it with them. If they agree to the change then complete a Change of Programme of Study form.
2. Take the completed form to the Education Services Team for Mathematical Sciences for approval of your release from the School of Mathematical Sciences and inform your Advisor.
3. Take the completed form to the other School and follow their procedure for approving a change of study programme. They may require you to return the form to the Registry yourself.

If your study programme includes optional modules then you should choose them for the whole academic year well before or, at the latest, during the enrolment period at the start of Semester A. You will be able to amend your Semester B choices at the start of Semester B. Module registration is handled online using MySIS. Before attempting to register for modules, you should consult module registration, study programmes and module details.

You are encouraged to register for your modules as soon as possible as popular modules may quickly fill up. You can find out how to change your modules on the Student Enquiry Centre website (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/study/module-registration/index.html).

To register for your modules, log-in to MySIS (your personal area of SIS) using your usual Queen Mary computer account details, select "Module Registration" from the menu on the left and make your preliminary module choices from a list using the module descriptions to tell you what the modules are about. Any core or compulsory modules will be pre-selected and you cannot change them. Some optional modules can be selected from lists but for others you must enter the module code. Clicking on an underlined module code or title will provide a brief description to tell you what the module is about and you can also view the full Queen Mary Module Database from the Module Registration page.

Once you are happy with your choices, these will automatically be sent to the School of Mathematical Sciences Education Services Team for approval (e.g. we will make sure there aren't any timetable clashes, you meet the relevant prerequisites, have a balance of modules in each semester and meet the required programme requirements). This is essential; until you do it your module selection has no effect! You can send comments with the selection if you wish. All of your selections must be confirmed and approved by the specified deadline which will be emailed to you. The final outcome of your choices will be confirmed to you by email and MySIS. Module registration has to be completed by the specified deadline (normally mid-October within the first two weeks of teaching).

At the beginning of each academic year, you must check your Queen Mary email frequently and respond quickly if any of your module registrations have been rejected. The Education Services Team should provide a comment to indicate the reason; if not, contact the Education Services Team immediately to discuss your options. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that there are no timetable clashes and you have an appropriate balance of modules in each semester. Module registration has to be completed by the specified deadline (normally the end of the second week of teaching). If there are timetable clashes you will be required to change your module selections.

Some modules have a limited number of places, and priority is given to students who are required to take them for their programmes. Therefore you are advised to choose your optional modules and complete your module registration as soon as possible.

You can modify your choice of optional modules up to the end of the second week of teaching in each semester. To modify your choice after you have submitted your module registration, you must contact the Education Services Team. However, remember that you may risk losing your place on popular modules if you don't act quickly.

Please note that continuing students should register for modules in May, although they can change their registration in September. Also, the first year of all undergraduate Mathematical Sciences degree programmes is compulsory so students do not need to (and cannot) register for their first-year modules. 

MODULES Descriptors

Amending Modules 

During the first two weeks of each semester, students on certain programmes of study are able to modify their choice of modules by undoing your choices in MySIS. MySIS is the website you used to pre-enrol and is a portal to your student record. It shows you the personal details, such as addresses and finance, as well as your overall module results.

However you must register for your modules as soon as possible as popular modules may quickly fill up. You can find out how to change your modules on the Student Enquiry Centre website (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/study/module-registration/index.html).

Optional modules Outside the School of Mathematical Sciences

OPTIONAL MODULES at other UK higher education INSTITUTIONS

Advice for Continuing Students

Your Advisor will likely change from one year to the next so please check; see "How do I know who my Advisor is?" in Advice and Support. If your progression depends on late summer examinations then you may not be able to enrol or register for modules until the first week of teaching.

Most undergraduate modules have prerequisites and some have overlaps; see module details. You cannot take a module if it overlaps with one you have already taken, will take this year or must take in future. You may take a module only if you have taken all the essential prerequisite modules. If you have not taken one or more of the helpful prerequisite modules then you are advised to consult the module organiser before registering, otherwise you may find the module too difficult.

Registrations for some modules must be validated, meaning that you must obtain approval (usually from the module organiser) in writing (usually by email) to register for that specific module and forward it to Deputy Director of Education. You also need written approval to take modules taught by other Schools; see our study programme guide. Obtaining this approval is entirely your responsibility.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you satisfy all module requirements. You must normally have written permission from both the Deputy Director of Education and the Registry to take modules taught outside Queen Mary. For approved modules run by other colleges and institutes of the University of London, you must complete an intercollegiate module registration form available from the Registry.

Study abroad - general information on this is given here

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/erasmus/index.html 

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/exchange/index.html

What if I have Failed Modules?

You may attempt each examination at most twice but you cannot resit any examination you have already passed. Once you have passed enough credits you will normally graduate, after which you cannot resit any modules.

It is possible to retake a complete module but only if you have approval to retake a year (first take) but these are only approved under exceptional circumstances. Otherwise, your second attempt at a module will be a resit of the examination alone (without attending any of the teaching for the module) and the maximum overall mark you can obtain will be limited to the minimum pass mark; we say that the mark is "pegged" or "capped". You must resit examinations at the first opportunity. Resit assessment of most Mathematical Sciences modules is synoptic, meaning that the resit exam contributes 100% to the assessment.

If we discontinue or substantially change a module and no comparable examination paper is being set then we will set a special resit paper for that module, if required, on one occasion and no more. You should check with the module organiser how we will handle any large in-term assessment for resit candidates. You should also check with the current module organiser for any minor changes that may affect a resit examination.

The following regulations normally apply to resit examinations:

• You must resit each examination at the earliest opportunity.
• We currently allow you two attempts at any one module, including one resit.
• When there is a significant change in either style or content of the examination paper from one year to the next, resit candidates will be set a special resit paper that is comparable to the original one; they cannot take the current year's paper

For further general information please see Exams / Past exam papers.

Examination Timetable

Your individual examination timetable will usually be available in MySIS towards the end of November for Semester A modules and the end of March for Semester B modules (please note these dates are subject to change). Please check it and report any errors to Registry immediately. In particular, check your resit and first sit entries.

Results

• We will endeavour to provide your provisional results via MySIS by the end of June. 
• We do not give results over the phone or by email. You should be able to access your results online via MySIS.
• Note that the results provided by the School are "provisional" because the Degree Examination Board has not yet formally approved them. Confirmed results will be released in July.

Late Summer Examinations

We will offer you late summer resits of any exams that you fail at your first attempt. We will enter you automatically for late summer exams for which you are eligible. You can withdraw but if you are absent then it counts as a fail. Late summer examinations normally take place during the first two weeks of August. The time table will be available in MySIS by around mid-July.

Your results will be accessible via MySIS. However, if necessary, you can check from the second week of September onwards whether you progress by emailing the Maths School Office.

Please note that academic staff members are available to help you with your modules during term time, but not generally during holiday periods, and certainly not without you first making an appointment. There is no formal revision period for late summer exams.

All students will now be automatically opted in to their resits, however students can still opt out. These resits will take place at the next available and earliest opportunity usually in the late summer period. All resits will be free of charge.

More detailed information on re-sit examinations, missing exams etc. can be found here http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/exams/index.html.

Examination Offences

Queen Mary takes your assessment very seriously. This means that we must strictly obey the rules governing assessments and so must you. Generally, calculators are not allowed in examinations, but if calculators are allowed then the examination rubric will state this clearly, so be sure to read the rubric. If you use a calculator in an examination in which calculators are not allowed, you can expect to receive a mark of zero for the examination. It is also an examination offence to take any notes into the examination room even if you do not look at them (unless the exam is open-book), to look at another student's work, to disrupt the examination in any way or to fail to do what an invigilator asks you to do. These rules apply also to tests.

Assessment offences include plagiarism, fraudulent reporting of source material and exam offences.

If an allegation of an assessment offence is made against a student, a formal procedure is selected depending on the allegation, the type of assessment the allegation applies to, and whether this is a first-time offence or not.

More information on the procedure can be found on the Academic Registry webpages

TO OBTAIN AN MSCI DEGREE:

Progression in the first three years are the same as BSc degree programmes.

For further information please see Academic Regulations which relate to the year you enrolled or discuss this with your Advisor or the Student Support Officer.

TO OBTAIN A BSC IN MATHEMATICS, STATISTICS AND FINANCIAL ECONOMICS:

• You must take all compulsory modules and the required number of compulsory options as shown in the outline programme or as agreed with the programme director.
• You must pass all ECN modules indicated by a superscript P (which are core modules).

If you graduate but fail to meet these requirements then your degree title will be “Mathematics, Statistics and Economic Studies”.

DEGREE CLASSIFICATION (BSC AND MSCI)

We will classify your degree from best to worst as either first, upper second, lower second or third class. All Queen Mary degrees are honours degrees. The number of credits you pass affects whether you progress and finally graduate but it has no direct effect on your degree classification.

We will base your degree classification on all the modules you took, i.e. all 360 credits for a BSc degree or all 480 credits for an MSci degree. This includes any modules you have failed. For a BSc degree, marks for modules taken in the first, second and third developmental years will be weighted 1:3:6 respectively. For an MSci degree the weighting is 1:3:6:6. (Developmental year relates to progression through a study programme and hence the number of credits passed, not to the number of calendar years of study.) The resulting College mark will be on a percentage scale.

If applicable, Essential Mathematical Skills (EMS) does not contribute to the minimum numbers of credits required either for progression from one year to the next or for obtaining a degree, although you must pass Essential Mathematical Skills in order to progress into second year.

During a year out, you cannot attend lectures or exercise classes. You may occasionally consult your advisor or seek information from a lecturer, but we can offer only very limited advice and assistance.

Borderline Policy

Examination boards may use a borderline policy when making recommendations for final degree classifications. Please refer 'to the relevant edition of the Academic Regulations' which outlines the relevant policy for the year you started your programme of study.

Award and progression information for Queen Mary degree can be found at http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/.

MSci Degrees

If you are an MSci candidate and you fail to pass the required number of credits at the end of the MSci degree programme then you may opt to resit failed examinations next year or transfer to a BSc degree, in which case modules taken in your final year will not count towards your degree class.

We will assess you by a mixture of exercises, coursework, in-term tests, project reports, presentations, quizzes and end-of-year exams/assessments; see module details for how we assess each module. For some of our modules, the assessment of exercises is summative, which means that it is intended to evaluate your performance and to measure your understanding of the set learning objectives of the module throughout the semester. Summative assessments will contribute marks directly to your final result for the module and will take different forms. Each module will be different so the relevant module organiser will explain this at the beginning of the module. This information will also be available on the relevant module QMplus module.

Certain modules will also use formative exercises, which means that it is intended to help you learn and does not contribute marks to your final result for the module. Formative exercises give you practice for the tests and exams and so are just as important as summative assessments that contribute marks directly to your final result for the module. If you work hard on all the formative exercises then you will do better in your tests and exams.

For the timely and effective administration of support, the School wishes to use the following markers of student engagement. This is to ensure that students are well supported and given every opportunity to progress with their studies and to achieve to their fullest potential whilst here.

MARKERS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

ATTENDANCE

All undergraduate students are expected to attend all scheduled taught sessions including lectures, practical classes, group work, workshops, tutorials, computer lab sessions, problem-solving classes, exercise classes, project meetings, and other events associated with the modules for which you are registered as part of your programme of study. If you are absent from Queen Mary for more than a day or two then please always let your Advisor or Student Support Officer know (preferably by email) at the earliest opportunity. Attendance is important; failing to attend usually leads to failure in assessment. Reading lecture notes or watching QReviewed or recorded lectures is not a satisfactory substitute for attending lectures. 

In-person Timetabled Teaching Sessions (lectures, tutorials, seminars, IT labs etc):

This is monitored through the CampusM system.  To be recorded every week of Semesters A and B, with the exception of the non-teaching weeks in Week 7. 

Key Points:

The CampusM Attendance Recording solution is accessible through the QMUL mobile app, available on the Apple Store or Google Play. You can download the app here.

• "Record my attendance" will be displayed as a live tile on the mobile app for activities requiring check-in.
• The "Record my attendance" and "Attendance monitoring" tiles will be visible only to students involved in modules.

Access via Web:

• Campus M can also be accessed via the web using the following URL: CampusM. 

Clarification on Usage:

• This will be used for all your timetabled activity unless you are told otherwise.

Student Guidelines:

• Click on the "Record my attendance" or the live tile for the Student Check-in page.
• Enter the One Time Pass Code.
• Submit to check-in. Note: You can only check in during the activity.
• You will be able to see your own Engagement Score via the App for each of your individual modules.

Support and Assistance:

Online:

We will also monitor your activity via QMplus e.g. accessing QReviewed lectures, accessing lecture notes, completing quizzes etc.

International students on a student visa:

The UK Border Agency monitors overseas students attending UK Universities (international applicants). Since April 6th 2010 the licensing system for educations institutions has changed, currently Queen Mary is a Highly Trusted Sponsor. In order to maintain this status we have to ensure that we have acceptable systems in place for monitoring student attendance and reporting non-attendance. If we cannot demonstrate that our systems are satisfactory we may in future be required to monitor student attendance more closely.

For regulatory reasons all international students on a student visa, within the School of Mathematical Sciences are required to follow the School’s Student Engagement Framework.

Deregistration from programme of study

Should you not meet programme requirements for academic engagement outlined above, you may be de-registered from your programme of study. You will be given warnings before de-registration occurs, and you will have the right to represent your case to School of Mathematical Sciences.

Students undertaking industrial placements

The Placements Co-ordinator maintains records of students undertaking industrial placements and reports the location, start and end dates of placements for sponsored (formerly Tier 4) Students to the Immigration Compliance Team in Registry Services.

The standard contract between the university and the placement provider requires the provider to notify the Placements Co-ordinator immediately if a student is absent without authorisation.

Students on placements are required to maintain a log-book of their activities every week.

If a student fails to submit a log book entry or if their absence is reported by the placement provider the Placements Co-ordinator will issue a warning to the student. If a student fails to submit their log book entries for two weeks in a row or is absent for more the one week, then this will be reported to the Director of Student Engagement, who will contact the student to arrange an interview either in person or by phone to discuss the issues above. If the student fails to submit log book entries or attend their placement for a further two weeks, they will be de-registered.

The Placements Co-ordinator will visit each student’s placement location once to ensure that the student is undertaking the placement agreed in the contract with the provider. This is to make sure the work undertaken is as described and that the provider is discharging their responsibilities (ensuring health and safety, etc.).

PARTICIPATION IN OTHER FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

You are expected to participate in a range of activities (with or without the allocation of marks) that help to inform teaching and learning during the learning process. Examples of such activities are subject related quizzes and exercises linked to module materials on QMplus.

MARKS FROM SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

You are expected to participate in a range of activities assessing the outcomes of a learning process. Marks allocated from such summative assessments, e.g. week 7 tests, coursework, and examinations, contribute to your overall module grade and degree classification.

OTHER STUDENT ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

You are expected to participate in a range of formal or informal activities that signify continued engagement with your programme of study. Examples of such activities are scheduled meetings with your Advisor and group work.

ACTION FOLLOWING IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS WHO MAY REQUIRE SUPPORT AND POSSIBLE DEREGISTRATION FROM PROGRAMME OF STUDY

Actions taken by the School of Mathematical Sciences are designed to support students to engage or re-engage with their study programme. The underpinning principles are that the School, once it has admitted a student to a programme of study, has a duty of care to that student, whilst in turn the student has a responsibility to engage with the available support. In such cases, support will be designed by the School around the needs of the individual student.

There will be three main checkpoints each semester that are designed to check students level of engagement using a portfolio of engagement data, which includes lecture attendance, tutorial attendance, weekly/fotnightly coursework submission and participation in formative/summative assessments.

If you are identified as approaching or falling below the minimum requirements of engagement set by the School an email will be sent to your Queen Mary email account alerting you to this and outlining the support mechanisms available to you to deal with the issues that may be contributing to this. These include mandatory meetings with the Student Support Officer and your Advisor. 

Once you are identified as in need of support in order to re-engage with your studies, you will be invited to attend a mandatory meeting with your Student Support Officer, Education Services Manager, Director of Engagement and your Advisor to discuss any issues that might be affecting your studies, and for the provision of encouragement and advice (with possible referral to Queen Mary support services if necessary). This meeting is designed to help you put a study plan in place to re-engage with your programme of study. If you miss this meeting you will be required to attend a mandatory meeting with the Deputy Director of Education. The first port of call is your Advisor, who in turn may liaise with the Student Support Officer. In exceptional circumstances, a senior member of the School team, such as the Director of Education, may be involved in this process.

Tuition Fee deregistration

When you enrol or re-enrol at the start of each academic year you agree to Queen Mary’s Tuition Fee Regulations, https://www.qmul.ac.uk/tuition-fee-regulations/ , which set the deadlines for paying tuition fees. Failure to pay your tuition fees by these deadlines may lead to your deregistration from your programme of study, under College Ordinance C3

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/governance/council/charter/ 

Queen Mary is a diverse community of over 25,000 students and staff. With a variety of faiths and beliefs represented on campus, we are committed to tolerance, understanding and co-operation, as well as to ensuring as far as possible that our policies are consistent across all needs. Many religions and beliefs require their members to pray at specific times during the day, or have special festivals or spiritual observance days. We recognise therefore that students at Queen Mary often strike a balance between their educational and religious commitments.

One of Queen Mary’s fundamental aims is to provide an education that is judged internationally to be of the highest quality. It would be both impractical and inconsistent with our aims as a university to suspend teaching for reasons of religious observance, but we will accommodate students’ religious commitments where we reasonably can do so. This may include providing learning materials (potentially including QReview recordings) online and permitting students to attend classes at different times where there is availability.

Students are expected to stay engaged and up-to-date with their studies throughout their time at Queen Mary. We will take religious commitments into reasonable account when reviewing students attendance, but we expect students to plan their studies so that they can submit coursework on time.

The following procedures apply in the event that a special festival or spiritual observance day would result in absence from a scheduled assessment.

In the case of an in-class test or assessment, students may request permission in advance from the Education Services Team (maths@qmul.ac.uk) to be absent on that occasion. The Education Services Team (maths@qmul.ac.uk) will consider whether reasonable adjustments can be made, for example by permitting late submission or rearranging the test. It is important to submit requests well in advance, in case reasonable adjustments cannot be made.

Please Note that you cannot be absent during term time without written agreement from your advisor or student support officer

Absences

Students cannot be absent from Queen Mary University of London during term-time without obtaining written agreement in advance from the School of Mathematical Sciences.

If you are unable to attend any scheduled teaching or Advisor meetings then please notify the School of Mathematical Sciences of your absence via email prior to the scheduled activity -  maths@qmul.ac.uk. 

You need to include the scheduled teaching activity/s and/or meeting/s you are missing including the reason for your absence. A member of the Education Services Team will notify you if your absence has been approved.

In advance of deregistration you will be sent a formal, written warning and a specified period in which you must improve your engagement, attendance, participation, or submission of assessment before deregistration from your programme of study occurs.

Further information can be found in the Academic Regulations (point 2.57 onward).

If you are absent for more than 5 weekdays you may be asked to provide supporting documentary evidence such as a letter from your GP.

Extenuating Circumstances

All extenuating circumstance claims or queries should be directed to the Education Services Team.

Extenuating circumstances are defined by Queen Mary as:

Circumstances that are outside a student’s control which may have a negative impact on a student’s ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as to cast doubt on the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the student’s achievement.

Extenuating circumstances are usually personal or health problems. Health problems include your emotional wellbeing and mental health, as well as your physical health. Extenuating circumstances do not include computer problems, misreading your exam timetable, planned holidays or events, or local transport delays.

In order to be valid, the extenuating circumstances must be:

•     unplanned;

•     outside of the student’s control;

•     such that there has been a negative impact on the ability to undertake or complete any assessment;

•     cast doubt on the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the student’s achievement.

Queen Mary operates a fit to sit policy, which covers all assessments including coursework and exams. If you sit an exam or submit a piece of coursework you are deemed to be fit to do so. In such instances a request for extenuating circumstances will not normally be considered. If you do not feel you are well enough to attend an invigilated exam then you should not attend and should submit a claim for extenuating circumstances instead. You will need to attend a medical consultation within three days of the date of your exam that you missed. Similarly if you get sick during an exam and have to leave you will need to attend a medical consultation within three days.

To submit an extenuating circumstance request you must log a claim through the online extenuating circumstances task on MySIS (https://mysis.qmul.ac.uk/) and following the instructions there. Claims must be submitted by the relevant deadlines which are noted below or on the key date’s chapter of this handbook. If you have any queries please email maths@qmul.ac.uk.

Your claim must be accompanied by relevant supporting evidence (for example medical certification, death certificate, police report and crime number, or other written evidence from a person in authority). Please note that although accompanying documentation can be submitted after the claim, claims without any evidence cannot be considered except in the limited cases permitted for self-certification, below. It is in your best interest to provide evidence and supporting documentation that is as comprehensive as possible.

You are entitled to self-certify on up to three occasions each academic year; each self-certification can cover a period of up to seven calendar days. This means completing and submitting the Queen Mary self-certification form in place of independent evidence. Please note that self-certification does not mean automatic approval of a claim – The School of Mathematical Sciences will consider it in the normal way and will need to be satisfied of the validity of the claim, and satisfied that it justifies the outcome. Any claims beyond those three must be accompanied by evidence, as described above.

When you submit an extenuating circumstance claim you will receive a formal acknowledgement, you must keep this safe for the duration of your studies. All claims must be received by the relevant deadlines which are noted below or on the key date’s chapter of this handbook.

All extenuating circumstances claims are kept confidential until they are considered by the School of Mathematical Sciences Subject Examination Board. All proceedings of the subcommittee are strictly confidential, and will not normally be discussed at the full examination board meeting.

It is your own responsibility to submit any claims for extenuating circumstances, not that of your tutor or staff member. Please ensure that if you have what you believe is a valid case, you complete the submission process in accordance with the set guidelines and deadlines.

It is not possible to make a retrospective claim for extenuating circumstances, specifically once you know your results. Therefore claims submitted after the deadline will not be considered by the examination board. Please refer to the full guidance notes on extenuating circumstances from the Advice and Counselling service or online at https://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/guides-and-forms/student-advice-guides

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES CLAIM DEADLINES

You must submit claims as soon as possible and at the latest by:

Claims submitted after the relevant deadline will not be considered.

• Please refer to the full guidance notes on Extenuating Circumstances from the Advice and Counselling service.

Missed Examinations

Note that if you attend an examination but later tell us that you were ill during the examination we cannot normally grant you an approved EC. If you feel ill before an examination then it may be best not to attend the examination but instead to seek medical advice and submit a medical certificate.

Retaking the Year

If you expect that you might not meet the hurdle to progress, but have extenuating circumstances, you may be able to retake the year. In order to be considered for a retake, you must inform the Student Support Officer about your extenuating circumstances before the end of the Main examination period, i.e. before you know any of your examination results. You must demonstrate that significant extenuating circumstances have been present for much of the academic year, which, for example, have led to your missing large parts of Semester A or B. Normally, extenuating circumstances covering only parts of the revision period or the examination period are insufficient.

• For further information please see the full guidance notes on Extenuating Circumstances from the Advice and Counselling service.

You should provide the Education Services Team with a one-page summary detailing your case. Summarise briefly any extenuating circumstances affecting the current year and, where appropriate, refer to extenuating circumstances forms you submitted earlier. For recent occurrences that have not been covered by previously submitted extenuating circumstances forms, you should also submit a new extenuating circumstances form. The Education Services Team will be able to advise you on whether a request to retake the year might be successful. If you want to go ahead with a retake request, you need to complete a Queen Mary Retake of Academic Year form, which is available from the Maths Office or Student Enquiry Centre, room CB01 in the Queens' Building. Hand in all completed forms to the Maths Office.

Interruption of Studies or Withdrawal

If you decide to withdraw from Queen Mary, either temporarily or permanently, you should discuss the matter with your Advisor and read the Your study web site. If you decide to proceed, you must complete an "Interruption of study" or "Withdrawal from Queen Mary" form, which is available from the Maths School Office or the Student Enquiry Centre or the Your study web site. Then take the form to the Education Services Team, who will want to discuss it with you before agreeing to sign it. Further information can be found here - 

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/study/withdrawing/index.html

If you wish to interrupt, i.e. withdraw temporarily, then you must do so by the set deadline stated on the interruption form. Interruption of studies is normally for one complete year but, in exceptional circumstances, the period may be up to two years. Please contact the Education Services Team to discuss this further, If you interrupt your studies then you lose the automatic right to enter examinations for modules that you took before you interrupted, and we will not allow you to enter for any examination in which you would be the only candidate. Further information can be found here - 

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/study/interrupting/index.html

If you are looking to interrupt your studies or withdrawing from your studies you need to contact the Education Services Team to discuss both procedures. Interruption of Studies or Withdrawal forms can only be authorised by the Education Services Team.

Marking of assessed work in mathematical sciences is normally objective and specified down to a level of around 1–2% for an exam or around 5% for a test or coursework exercise. We award marks for knowledge (e.g. reproducing definitions, theorems and proofs), understanding (e.g. applying definitions and theorems and constructing proofs) and technical ability (e.g. completing calculations correctly). We normally award partial marks for partial answers, such as partly correct knowledge, partial understanding or partly correct calculations.

All elements of assessment will include an indication of the allocation of marks to questions or sub-questions (although not necessarily at the level of detail used to mark the work). All assessment will follow the Queen Mary Code of Practice on Assessment and Feedback.

Feedback can consist of grades, written comments, verbal comments and discussions. The relevant module organiser will make it clear what type of feedback will be provided in each module.

To view your marks for assessment, log-in to MySIS (your personal area of SIS) with your usual computer log-in, where they will be listed. These marks are provisional and subject to change until they are agreed by the appropriate subject examination board. MySIS will indicate whether the results are provisional or confirmed. Guides on checking your results on MySIS are available on the Student Enquiry website (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/provisional-results/index.html).

Mark ranges and their corresponding grades broadly mean the following.

100–70%, A

Excellent knowledge base with perceptive understanding of mathematics. Able to calculate quickly and accurately. Outstanding comprehension and clarity of expression. Has the potential to operate effectively and independently as a mathematician.

69–60%, B

Good knowledge base and understanding of mathematics. Able to calculate quickly and accurately in most situations. Good comprehension and clarity of expression. Has the potential to operate effectively under supervision as a mathematician.

59–50%, C

Adequate knowledge base and understanding of basic mathematics. Able to calculate accurately in some situations. Acceptable comprehension and clarity of expression. May not have the potential to operate effectively as a mathematician.

49–40%, D

Limited evidence of understanding or ability to apply basic mathematics. Limited ability to calculate quickly or accurately. Limited ability to construct a logical argument. Poor comprehension. Explanations lack precision and clarity.

39–0%, F

Does not show evidence of understanding or ability to apply basic mathematics. Unable to calculate quickly or accurately. Unable to construct a logical argument. No comprehension. Explanations lack meaning.

To view your marks for assessment, log-in to MySIS (your personal area of SIS) with your usual computer log-in, where they will be listed. These are marks are provisional and subject to change until they are agreed by the appropriate subject examination board. MySIS will indicate whether the results are provisional or confirmed. Guides on checking your results on MySis are available on the Student Enquiry website (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/provisional-results/index.html)

Exam Script Viewing and feedback

The School of Mathematical Sciences will hold exam script viewing sessions after each main exam period. These sessions give students a chance to view their exam script and get some feedback from an academic member of staff and get some valuable feedback and comments to enable improvements in future assessments.

These sessions are only for feedback and not for students to argue marks as there are no grounds of complaint or appeal against academic judgement.

Please see also Teaching and learning and Writing reports and documents.

Exercises

For most of our modules, we set exercises approximately once a week or fortnightly (depending on the module) to illuminate the previous week's teaching. You must attempt these exercises in your own time, write out neat solutions and hand them in if required; the module organiser will tell you, usually in a lecture early in the semester. (We also refer to these exercises as "coursework".) Doing the exercises for each module is compulsory.

Depending on the module, we may:

• "correct" or write comments on some exercises to provide you with feedback to help you learn;
• not look at any of the exercises.

We will provide "model solutions" in QMplus (and possibly also in other ways) to most of the exercises that we set, which you should use to learn how the module organiser would solve the problems. If your solution is different then it may still be correct, although the model solution may be better (e.g. more elegant, more succinct or more sophisticated). Some module organisers will go through common mistakes in tutorials to provide more in-depth feedback.

There are normally weekly exercise classes in which you can get help, although higher-level modules may not have exercise classes.

Feedback on weekly/fortnightly courseworks will be provided after one week usually on the module QMplus page or during tutorials/exercise classes.

Further writing support can be found on the following links below:

http://www.library.qmul.ac.uk/subject-guides/   

Assessments

The main types of assessment that you will encounter as Mathematical Sciences students are:

• tests;
• courseworks
• written examinations;
• project reports and presentations;
• computer tests;
• Practical assessments

Tests are short examinations held during the semester, usually near the middle. Tests normally contribute a small weighting to the overall mark for a module.

Courseworks are short assessments held throughout the semester and usually submitted on a fortnightly basis. Courseworks normally contribute a small weighting to the overall mark for a module.

Final written examinations take place during the main and late summer examination periods and normally contribute a larger weighting to the overall mark for a module.

Resits for Mathematical Sciences modules are typically assessed by synoptic reassessment. This means that the resit mark is based purely on the resit examination, and takes no account of any coursework marks or in-semester tests. There are occasional exceptions within Mathematical Sciences, and these will be clearly indicated. Resits for some (but not all) modules offered by other Schools are assessed by standard reassessment, which means that every item of assessment (coursework, reports, examinations) must be taken again. If you are not sure how your resit mark will be calculated, you should contact individual module organisers for further details.

A project involves writing a report that carries most of the marks and also giving a short presentation that may increase your marks if you do it well.

To get full marks in any assessed work (tests or exams) you must normally not only give the right answers but also explain your working clearly and give reasons for your answers by writing legible and grammatically correct English sentences. Mathematics is about logic and reasoned arguments and the only way to present a reasoned and logical argument is by writing about it clearly. Your writing may include numbers and other mathematical symbols, but they are not enough on their own. You should copy the writing style used in good mathematical textbooks, such as those recommended for your modules. You can expect to lose marks for poor writing (incorrect grammar and spelling) as well as for poor mathematics (incorrect or unclear logic).

If you take modules taught by other Schools then you may have to write assessed essays, computer programs, or laboratory reports.

Feedback for larger coursework or projects will be given in a reasonable timescale and feedback will always be provided in a timeframe that allows students to learn for subsequent summative assessment.

Queen Mary defines plagiarism as: “Presenting someone else’s work as your own, irrespective of intention. Close paraphrasing, copying from the work of another person, including another student, using the ideas of another person without proper acknowledgement or repeating work you have previously submitted – at Queen Mary or at another institution - without properly referencing yourself (known as ‘self plagiarism’) also constitute plagiarism.”

 

Academic Misconduct Policy

Plagiarism is a serious offence and all students suspected of plagiarism will be subject to an investigation. If found guilty, penalties can range from failure of the module to suspension or permanent withdrawal from Queen Mary.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it by appropriate referencing of sources. The recommendations below can help you avoid plagiarism.

• Be sure to record your sources when taking notes and cite these if you use ideas or, especially, quotations from the original source. Be particularly careful if you are cutting and pasting information between two documents and ensure that references are not lost in the process.
• Be sensible in referencing ideas – commonly held views that are generally accepted do not always require acknowledgement to particular sources. However, it is best to err on the side of caution to avoid plagiarism.
• Be particularly careful with quotations and paraphrasing.
• Be aware that technology is now available at Queen Mary and elsewhere that can automatically detect plagiarism.
• Ensure that all works used are cited appropriately in the text of your work and fully credited in your reference list or bibliography.
• See the next chapter for guidance on referencing.
• If in doubt, ask for further guidance from your project supervisor, module organiser or advisor.

It should be noted that failure to properly credit other students’ work on group assessments or group presentations can also be classed as plagiarism. 

Also the use of ghost writing (e.g. essay mills, Chegg, code writers etc.) and generally using someone external to the institution to produce assessment is an assessment offence.

Any assessment offence investigations will follow the QMUL Academic Misconduct Policy.

Turnitin statement for the school of mathematical sciences

Turnitin is a web-based plagiarism detection system used by most universities in the UK. This section describes how Turnitin is used within the School of Mathematical Sciences and the data it creates about your work.

HOW TURNITIN WORKS

A Turnitin assignment is set up by a member of staff on QMplus. You then access this assignment online and upload your work before the due date. Turnitin will analyse the submitted work to identify text matches with other sources and will compare the work against:

• the current and archived web;
• previously submitted work;
• books and journals.

For each piece of submitted work Turnitin provides two things:

• a similarity index, which indicates the percentage of the submitted paper that Turnitin has identified as matching other sources;
• an originality report, which shows each of these matches in more detail, including the source(s) that Turnitin has found.

HOW TURNITIN IS USED WITHIN THE SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Turnitin is used on all summative coursework, project modules and various assignments that contribute towards your final grade. Turnitin will not normally be used on the following:

• short assignments (under 500 words),
• contributions to online discussions,
• exercises submitted on paper,
• exams,
• short multiple choice tests on computer programs.

For those assignments where Turnitin is used, all submissions to that assignment will be submitted to Turnitin.

How we use the information provided by Turnitin:

• Only academic staff will make a judgement on whether plagiarism has occurred in a piece of work. An academic may be guided by the originality report but Turnitin itself does not make the judgement.
• We do not use a threshold percentage to identify whether plagiarism has occurred and may review any originality report in detail.
• Turnitin will highlight matching text such as references, quotations, common phrases and data tables within work that has no plagiarism issues at all. Those interpreting Turnitin reports will discount such matches and so initial percentages are often irrelevant.
• Where it is suspected that plagiarism has occurred in a piece of work, the originality report may be submitted to the Head of School and possibly to an Assessment Offences Panel for further investigation.

How we use the information provided by Turnitin:

• There will be an opportunity for you to see a Turnitin report on your work before Turnitin is used on your assessed work.
• To help you understand what the report is telling you and what it looks like, please ensure you have followed the guidance on the E-Learning Unit’s website (http://www.elearning.capd.qmul.ac.uk/guide/interpreting-your-originality-report/).
• No other student will be able to see an originality report on your work
• You may find it helpful to resubmit your work after reviewing the originality report and you will generally be given one opportunity to do this. Where this is the case, the idea is to use the report to help you identify any potential issues you may not have spotted before, and not to change individual words to avoid a match. Be aware of the referencing (next chapter) and plagiarism guidance (at the beginning of this chapter).
• If you have a question about your originality report that is not answered by the material linked to in 2.4.3 above, please direct these to your module organiserin the first instance.

Other things you should know about Turnitin:

• Turnitin stores a copy of most work submitted to it in its repository. This does not affect the ownership of or any copyright in the original work.
• Staff may configure a Turnitin assignment such that copies of submissions are not stored in its database. This will be done for all test-runs or any ‘dummy’ assignments used for training or demonstration purposes
• Staff on your course will ensure that no commercially or otherwise sensitive documents are stored in Turnitin’s repository.
• You cannot opt out of having your work scanned by Turnitin, but if you believe that your work should be deleted after it is scanned you should contact your lecturer.

You will have a chance to view your Turnitin report after you submit the final version of your assignment; for guidance please see the E-Learning Unit Turnitin page.

The next chapter will provide useful information including examples of proper bibliographies and of referencing techniques in the style favoured by the school for all media commonly used by students, e.g. books, journal articles, websites, films, DVDs.

This guidance is about how to reference published work such as books and research articles in documents such as project reports. You should follow the recommendation below unless you have a good reason not to (such as being given different instructions by your module organiser). There is no single referencing style used preferentially within the mathematical sciences literature.

REFERENCING

Different publications use different referencing styles; you should choose one and use it consistently. What is most important is to provide enough information that the reader can find the document you are referencing. You must always include the author and document title, and you must include the publication date of a printed document and the date when you last accessed an online document. See the next chapter for more specific guidance on referencing.

Recommendation

You should use either the Harvard (author, date) or Vancouver (numerical citation) referencing style, as described below. If your module organiser does not tell you which to use then you can choose. Queen Mary Library will only offer support for these two referencing styles, so if you wish to seek advice from the library then you must conform to one of these styles. Both styles are used below as illustrations, although you must use only one referencing style consistently throughout any one document.

Harvard referencing style

Originating at Harvard University within the discipline of Biology during the late 19th Century, Harvard referencing is widely accepted in a broad range of scientific publications. The Harvard system’s author, date method helps to ensure a reader familiar with a particular field is likely to recognize a citation without having to check in the references section. This characteristic is particularly helpful within scientific disciplines whose works are commonly known by their date of publication.

Vancouver referencing style

The Vancouver referencing system is a numeric citation system used in biomedical, health and science publications. It was first defined in 1978 at the conference of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) in Vancouver, Canada, hence its name. It is also known as the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. It is used extensively in the physical sciences.

Guidance

You should use the version of the Harvard or Vancouver style applied by the guide to referencing, Cite Them Right (Pears and Shields, 2016), which is currently available from QMUL Library in print format. It offers a standard and up-to-date source for constructing citations and references in the Harvard and Vancouver referencing styles. Cite Them Right (1) also provides guidance on referencing and citation more generally, including how to avoid plagiarism. See also Find It! Use It! Reference It! QMUL Information Literacy Skills 2018/19 on QMplus.

However, we advise you to use Cite Them Right Online, which contains clear guidance on the Harvard and Vancouver referencing styles.

• You can choose a source to reference from a drop-down menu or by using the search facility.
• Cite Them Right Online shows you how to create the reference in the style you need.
• There are examples to copy, and a 'You try' box so you can build your reference on screen.
• You can check these against a correct example.
• You can then export the prepared reference straight into your coursework.

You can find more information about Cite Them Right Online on QMplus.

Acknowledgement

This document is based on one written by

References

Harvard-style reference

Pears, R. and Shields, G. J. (2016) Cite them right: The essential referencing guide. 10th ed.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Vancouver-style reference

1. Pears R, Shields GJ. Cite them right: The essential referencing guide. 10th ed. Basingstoke:
   Palgrave Macmillan; 2016.

If you are a student from abroad studying at Queen Mary for a semester or a year then please see the information for incoming study abroad and Erasmus students on the School web site. Most of the information in this handbook is also relevant to you, but you will not formally be following one of our study programmes and your adviser is our study abroad coordinator.

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/erasmus/index.html

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/exchange/index.html

If you are a Queen Mary student who would like to study abroad for one semester or the whole of your second year then please see the information about the International exchange programme and Erasmus+ exchange programme on the Queen Mary web site. Please note that we require you to achieve a first-year average mark of at least 60 in order to be sure that you can cope with the academic demands of studying abroad.

queen mary student's union (QMSU)

Queen Mary Students' Union (QMSU) is a democratic membership organisation that is the voice of all Queen Mary students. The Union ensures that the College and the wider community are listening to what students want and works to improve students’ experience. The Union is led by students across Queen Mary. Every Queen Mary student is automatically a member of the Union and has a say in how it is run through elections and their representatives. QMSU also offers advice and support to every Queen Mary student.

The Union provides a number of student-run activities, like sports clubs, societies, student media and volunteering, as well as student-led events and services at Mile End and Whitechapel including a sport and fitness centre and several shops and venues.

Careers and Enterprise

Looking for part-time work or an internship? Need help with your CV or a job interview? Want to find out about your options when you graduate? Thinking about starting a business?

The QM Careers and Enterprise Team provides a range of services that enable you to develop your employability skills, access work experience and graduate job opportunities, network with employers and decide on your next steps after graduation.

Students in every School are able to participate in a diverse careers programme. This might include in-curriculum lectures, lunchtime workshops, professional career options panels, 1-to-1 careers guidance, application feedback appointments and mock interviews. This is supported by a wealth of careers information online. 

There are over 100 employer-led events on campus a year, from fairs to skills workshops. These offer you the chance to network with recruiters and get training on self-presentation skills for the recruitment process. We also provide a range of paid work experience opportunities, from real life consulting projects via QConsult to part-time or full-time internships via QInterns, as well as taster programmes that give you understanding about different sectors and employers.  

For those who are aspiring entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs, our enterprise programme supports students in setting up their own businesses via seed funding, 12 week Incubator programme, events, bootcamps and 1-to-1 careers guidance.

Get the latest news on social media, search jobs on our online jobs board, read our jobs blog or website for advice and insights and use our practice interviews and psychometric test software.

You can:

·         Book an appointment for one-to-one careers guidance. Book by phone (020 7 882 8533) or in person up to a week in advance, or drop by on the day – we may have appointments free. We are also able to offer all our appointments to run remotely.

·         Find out more about the world of work from employers and former students at our careers events www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/events/.

·         Attend workshops on job applications, interviews, assessment centre techniques and a range of graduate skills – from leadership to commercial awareness www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/events/. 

Find a range of part-time, and full time job vacancies on our website www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-experience/.    

Use our work experience hub to find out about internships, temporary work or local work experience placements www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-experience/.

Faith at qmul

Queen Mary welcomes over 25,000 staff and students on its campuses in London and is committed to encouraging religious understanding, freedom of speech and open social interaction. 

Queen Mary is proud of its diverse multicultural population. With a variety of faiths among staff and students, our facilities are designed to be places where people of all faiths are welcome to use the spaces for contemplation, reflection, meditation and worship.

Music

Music is central to cultural provision at Queen Mary. Music at QMUL can help if you are interested in applying for music scholarships, joining an ensemble, taking up tuition or simply attending one of the many musical events organised by Dr Paul Edlin, Director of Music. Please, visit Music at QMUL for further information.

Volunteering

There is a range of volunteering opportunities available to Queen Mary students through Provide Volunteering, a scheme that offers students the chance to get involved in the local community, with charities and organisations in Tower Hamlets and across London. Provide Volunteering gives students the opportunity to make a difference, develop valuable skills and get involved in their local area. Full information is available at Queen Mary Students' Union Volunteering.

Student enquiry centre

We provide support to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students and we can help with a wide variety of queries. If you are not sure about something or do not know who to contact, ask us!

We are located on the ground floor of the Queens’ Building, CB01

Contact

Student Enquiry Centre Online (accessed via MySIS - http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/sec-online/)

Email: studentenquiry@qmul.ac.uk

Telephone: 020 7882 5005

Bursaries, Grants and Scholarships

Student Loans

If you have applied for funds from Student Finance then you will receive the first instalment once you have enrolled fully for the academic year. If your payments do not arrive and you cannot remedy the problem with Student Finance yourself, please contact the Student Enquiry Centre,  http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/. They will be able to assess for any actions needed by Queen Mary and advise you of the next steps.

Bursaries

Queen Mary Bursaries are assessed using the household income information provided to us from Student Finance.

If you do not wish to take out student funding, such as loans, but still wish to be assessed for a Queen Mary Bursary you will still need to apply for a household income assessment, full details on how to do this are on the Advice and Counselling Service website.

Full details of the Queen Mary Bursary, including eligibility, amounts and payment dates can be found on our website - http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/finances/bursaries-grants-scholarships/qmul-bursaries/

Queen Mary Financial Assistance Fund

If you have exceptional or unforeseen costs or you are in financial hardship you could be eligible for help from the Financial Assistance Fund.  The fund is there to help any eligible student who has a particular financial need but we cannot meet every application we receive and we cannot always meet all of the costs that you might apply for. Full details, guidance and an application form can be found on our website - arcs.qmul.ac.uk/QMFinancialAssistanceFund

Contact

Email: bursaries@qmul.ac.uk

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/finances/bursaries-grants-scholarships/

Dean’s Benevolence Fund

Students in the School of Medicine and Dentistry in financial difficulties may apply for grants or interest-free loans or a combination of both. Priority is given to students in good standing who need short-term assistance to help them complete their studies.

Contact Kate McFarlane (k.mcfarlane@qmul.ac.uk) 

Telephone: 020 7882 2124

Advice and Counselling Service

The Advice and Counselling Service offers confidential, professional support services to all Queen Mary students. We have helpful advice and guidance for financial, immigration and other practical issues as well as emotional and mental health support on our website (welfare.qmul.ac.uk). You will also find information there about our services and contact details.

Financial, Immigration and Welfare Advice

Our Welfare Advisers can advise you on solutions and options relating to financial, immigration, practical and welfare issues. We provide specialist advice and support on all aspects of student finance (loans, grants, bursaries), hardship funds and welfare benefits. We can help you plan your budget and find out how to reduce your spending. If you are an international student we can advise you on your immigration rights. We can advocate on your behalf if you need help resolving an issue, for example with Student Finance England or the UK Home Office.

We offer dedicated support for students who no longer have contact with their family (estranged), and students who have experience of local authority care, and students from a refugee background. We also provide support for students experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage.

Counselling

Life can seem like a struggle at times, and it is normal to sometimes feel a bit low or anxious. Sometimes, though, emotional and psychological issues can become too challenging, and may have a negative effect on your studies and well-being. Our Counsellors can help you to make sense of difficult experiences and feelings by providing the opportunity to think and talk reflectively, which can bring relief and meaningful changes.

The first step is meeting confidentially with one of our Counsellors to discuss what type of support might be most useful to you. This might be short term counselling, group therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or a referral for longer term support or specialist services outside Queen Mary  / in the NHS. For many students, just one or two sessions can really help. Our Counsellors are all highly experienced in working with students, and all types of issues.

Mental Health

We also have a mental health team who can advise and support you to manage a mental health condition while you are studying at Queen Mary. Our Mental Health advisers can advise you about the local NHS and other support services available in Tower Hamlets and the neighbouring boroughs as well as offering a range of interventions to help you manage your mental health.  

Contacting the Advice and Counselling Service 

For more information about available services and contact details please visit the Advice and Counselling Service’s website:

www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk

Email: via website online form

DISABILITY AND DYSLEXIA SERVICE

The university’s Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS) offers advice, guidance and support for students with disabilities, including specific learning differences like dyslexia and dyspraxia, as well as mental health difficulties, from application through to graduation. The range of support that the DDS is able to provide includes:

•       Support and guidance in applying for the Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA)

•       Support for international disabled students

•       Liaison with staff in Queen Mary’s Schools regarding ‘reasonable adjustments’

•       Support in ensuring that course materials are fully accessible

•       Diagnostic assessments for students who think that they might have specific learning differences

•       Specialist one-to-one study skills support for students with dyslexia and other specific learning differences

•       Specialist mentoring support for students with mental health difficulties and autism

•       On-site DSA needs assessments

•       Access to non-specialist human support, e.g. note-taking

•       Access to assistive technology

•       Guidance in accessing examination concessions such as additional time

Contact

Telephone: 020 7882 2756

Web: www.dds.qmul.ac.uk/

IT Services

Our services to support students range from email and internet access, to state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities and high performance computing in support of research. There are a number of rooms around the campus that contain computers which students can use. You sign in using your Queen Mary username and password. In general, any computer you use will have all the applications that you need for your course available to you.

Your IT Account: Details of your Queen Mary username and password will be emailed to your personal address before you enrol.

The IT Service Desk is the first point of contact for all IT help, support and advice. You can Live Chat with the Service Desk 24/7https://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/about/contact/ , call on 020 7882 8888 or raise a ticket via the Self Service portal https://servicedesk.qmul.ac.uk/. Visit us in the Queens' Building on the Mile End Campus.  Should you require in-person support then please contact us via Live Chat and we can book you in. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7am-7pm.

Find an available PC on campus: an interactive map showing which rooms have empty seats http://availability.stu.qmul.ac.uk/

Print, Copy, Scan: There are printers located across campus to use, with all devices offering both copying and scanning facilities alongside printing. Wireless printing services are also available and more information can be found on the ITS webpage. The cost of printing and photocopying is automatically linked to your MyPrint account, which is linked to your student ID card. You are charged for printing and copying by clicks (1 click = 1 side of paper). The cost of a single side is 4p but drops to 3.5p when you print double-sided. All students will receive £10 each year through your MyPrint account to use for printing and copying.

The CopyShop: A quick, professional and cost-effective photocopying and printing service. We can print a range of items for you, including: Theses/Dissertations, Lecture notes, Posters and much more.

Book Scanning Service: The CopyShop offers students a professional scanning service. If you wish to retain a section of a publication for study use, the CopyShop produce a clear image without fingers tips, black areas and poor results for you.

We can also scan materials you wish to include in your research materials in the correct format you need, for example Research Posters for William Harvey Day….no more fuzzy images.

Wi-Fi: The wireless network you use to connect your devices is eduroam. Halls of residence are fully networked with Wi-Fi and a wired socket in each study bedroom. Access to e-mail, QMplus the online learning environment and other services relevant to your study at Queen Mary is available from the internet as a whole.

Mobile app: Queen Mary’s mobile app is available as a native app for Android (version 2.3.3 or higher) and iOS (version 6.0 and above) devices. The app allows you to do a number of things on the move, including: check your course timetables, log into QMplus and your Queen Mary email, search for and renew library books directly from your phone.

Policies: The use of IT facilities is covered by University regulations prohibiting, among other things, software piracy and unauthorised computer use. IT Services policies are published here: http://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/governance/policies/index.html

The IT Services website contains information on a number of our services and includes a range of self-help guides http://www.its.qmul.ac.uk/support/index.html

Contact the IT Service Desk

IT Live Chat: www.its.qmul.ac.uk

Self Service: https://servicedesk.qmul.ac.uk/

Email: servicedesk@qmul.ac.uk

Telephone: 020 7882 8888 (24/7)

Residential Services

Housing Services and Residential Services

The team’s main responsibilities are:

Housing Services, based in the Housing Hub, Feilden House, Westfield Way at Mile End, manage halls applications, room allocations, room transfer requests, summer accommodation, residential fees as well as providing a comprehensive alternative housing service.

Residential Services, based at the Residences Reception, France House, Westfield Way at Mile End, look after you once you have moved into Queen Mary Halls and has three key areas you will interact with during your stay.  Residential Services is made up of 3 teams; Residential Operations, Residential Life and Residential Welfare and Support.

If you are a resident in College accommodation you should consult the Residents’ Handbook for comprehensive information on all hall related issues, and contact details for the relevant section of Residential Services: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/residences/handbook/.  

Contact Housing Services

Email: housingservices@qmul.ac.uk    

Contact Residential Services

Email: residentialservices@qmul.ac.uk  

www.qmul.ac.uk/residences  

Student Health Service

The Student Health Service (SHS) is a free National Health Service (NHS) providing a wide range of medical services. Registrations for the SHS can take place online, for all students living in inner London unless for clinical reasons. The SHS on campus is located in the Geography Building, Mile End (number 28 on map). If you cannot register with the SHS for clinical reasons or because you live outside inner London or if more convenient to register with a doctor close to where you live, you can find a list of local doctors through the NHS website. Queen Mary students who are not registered patients may be able to use the service in certain circumstances. Please, visit the Student Health website for further information.

Westfield Nursery

Westfield Nursery Queen Mary is based on the Mile End campus and provides full day care for up to 65 children per day aged three months to five years. The nursery prioritises students and staff at Queen Mary, but is also available to those outside Queen Mary. Practitioners are fully qualified and receive continuous professional training on early years practice.

It is open 48 weeks of the year, from 8.30 - 17.30 on weekdays. Early application is advised as demand is high and waiting time is usually six to twelve months. Please visit the Nursery webpage for more information and an application form.

Contact

Telephone: 020 7882 2782

Email: nursery@qmul.ac.uk  

Lost property

If you have lost something at Queen Mary, please contact the Security Control Room at your campus. If the item has not been handed in, the Security Team will assist you in completing a lost property report that can be referred to by your insurance company if you need to make a claim. We will keep your contact details and a description of the lost property on file in case the item is handed in later. Please see http://www.security.qmul.ac.uk for more details. 

Parking on campus

There are no parking facilities available for students unless you have special circumstances. Please contact Security Services if you think you have circumstances which require a permit at: http://www.security.qmul.ac.uk/parking/ or at the Security Control Room l;ocated on the Ground floor of the Queens Building.

SmokING ON CAMPUS

Only in designated areas, other than those areas which are clearly signed. QM is a smoke free campus. You cannot smoke in the QM halls of residence or any other QM building.

Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE)

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.

Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE) are part of the Library Teaching and Learning Service and are based on the Mile End Campus and online.  For more information on the services and resources available, and how to access them, visit https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/ .

Library

The Library Services department at Queen Mary provides staff, study environments and resources to support your learning during your time at university, both online and on campus.

• Getting help - we answer questions over webchat, email and at service points. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
• Developing your skills - we have a team dedicated to helping you with the transition to university level study. We offer individual appointments and workshops throughout the year.
• Study environments - we have three libraries, across our London campuses, at Mile End, Whitechapel and West Smithfield, each with a character and ambience of their own. These are supplemented by additional study spaces across the campuses.
• Information resources - we provide a rich, multi-disciplinary collection of books, articles and other resources in electronic and physical formats.

You will find up to date details of all library services on the website https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library

Archives & Special Collections

Archives & Special Collections manages institutional and personal archives dating from the 18th Century to the present day, as well as collections of rare or special materials.

Visits to the Archives Reading Room in the Mile End Library, are by appointment in advance. The Archives Reading Room provides silent individual study space in which to access and research using these collections.  For more information, see http://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/archives.

Senate House Library

As a student at Queen Mary, you also have full access to the study space and collections at Senate House Library in Bloomsbury. For more information see https://london.ac.uk/senate-house-library.

Contacts for Library Services

General:

Email: library@qmul.ac.uk 

Webchat: https://qmul.libanswers.com/

Telephone: 020 7882 8800

Academic Skills and Subject Support:

Website: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/

Website: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/subject-guides/

Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

The BSc in Mathematics with Actuarial Science (G1N3 & G1N5) provides exemption from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Core Technical Stage subjects CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, CT6, CT7, CT8 and CAA Modules 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Some of our other degree programmes can also provide some of these exemptions if you take appropriate optional modules. See professional accreditation and exemptions for full details.

London Mathematical Society
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications

We also have close relationships with the two major UK professional societies for mathematics and many of our staff are members of one or both societies. The London Mathematical Society was founded in 1865 and has a national and international membership of around 2,300 professional mathematicians. The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications was founded in 1964 and awards the Chartered Mathematician, Chartered Scientist and Chartered Mathematics Teacher designations.

All of the above societies support their fields in many ways, such as producing journals, organising conferences, engaging with government and promoting public engagement.

Charterd Institute of management accountants