Support during your degree

Doctoral Academy Hub

You are welcome to contact us by phone or email where we'd be happy to answer your query or make an appointment with you in-person.

Your supervision team

You will be allocated a supervision team, led by a Director of Studies (DoS), which will include at least one other supervisor. Your DoS will have already supervised other research students through to successful completion and will be able to guide you academically as well as assist you in navigating the milestones that form part of your research degree.

Your supervisors will be chosen on the basis of the knowledge and expertise relevant to your individual research interests and/or methodological approach. Depending on the nature of your research project, there may be scope to add additional members onto the team. One or more members of the team can also be external to UWE Bristol, if necessary.

Your relationship with supervisors

Whilst the project and overall responsibility belongs to you, your supervision team are there to support you along the way. You will develop a pattern of working which works both for you and your supervision team and which will vary from time to time.

You'll find this way of studying considerably different to taught study and will find that your relationships with academic staff and supervisors will change over time and along with the level of progress you're making in your degree.

Your college

As well as being part of the Doctoral Academy community, you will also be a postgraduate researcher within a specific college, school or department.

Depending on the nature of your research, you may become a member of a research group or centre situated within a given college.

As a researcher, you will also have the opportunity to become part of the wider research community at UWE Bristol through your contact with academic colleagues and other postgraduate researchers.

Dedicated library support

You will have access to materials and support from librarians specialising in research and knowledge exchange, such as help from subject-specific librarians, training sessions, and the Researcher Zone – a dedicated space for UWE Bristol research staff and postgraduate researchers.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will receive a regular newsletter from the Doctoral Academy. This is how we will keep you up-to-date with policy changes, skills development, and wider university support, news and events.

The College Research Degrees Committee (CRDC) and Doctoral Academy Committee both have PGR representatives as members. If you have a PGR issue you would like to raise, please contact your representative.

If you would like to become a student representative, please contact the Doctoral Academy or find out more about being a student representative via The Students' Union at UWE website.

The Doctoral Academy Sub-Committee (DASC) oversees the policy and strategy development for postgraduate research and has representatives from services and colleges across UWE Bristol as well as representatives from within the research student body.

The Committee champions research student matters within UWE Bristol and addresses concerns or issues affecting our students as well as showcasing their achievements and highlighting their impact within the wider research community.