After induction - what you need to know next
We hope you have found your Doctoral College induction programme useful and feel equipped to start your research degree. This is an overview of what you need to do in your first few months, and the requirements after induction.
The first month
By now you should have done the following:
- Registered and completed your ID check
- Completed the Doctoral College Induction programme
- Familiarised yourself with your local school or faculty resources, and attended any required training or inductions (including health and safety)
- Scheduled and attended your first supervisor meeting
- Started the PGR-Supervisor agreement
- Started your training plan
- Completed the IT induction
You might find it useful to go through the Induction Checklist again, now that you are more familiar with the expectations of your first year. If there is anything that you are unsure about, please contact your Graduate School.
After your first month
After the first month we hope that you will start to feel more settled and to make progress in your project, however it can take time and there are always people to help if you are having any difficulties. For more information about the resources and support services available please see the Postgraduate researcher support and wellbeing page of the For Students website. You can also discuss any concerns you may have with your supervisor, Director of Postgraduate Research Studies or your Graduate School.
You can help your research degree to run smoothly by keeping on top of your progression requirements:
- Keep your supervision meeting records up to date. If you are having any problems, it is important to record them in your meeting notes.
- Complete the AITT and ethics training; this should be done in your first six months and is part of your training plan. You should also start to discuss your plan for ethics review with your supervisor.
- Review and update your training plan; take time to find and attend the training that will help you to progress in your research. For doctoral candidates, your progress against your training plan will be reviewed at transfer. For more information on how to access training, please see the Postgraduate training and skills page of the For Students website.
- Your First formal progress review is usually due around the mid-point of your first year. You will receive an email from your Graduate School with more information about what is expected in your school or faculty.
- Your Data management plan should be in place by Transfer for doctoral candidates, or equivalent milestone for other programmes, so start work on it in advance. The library offers training and a template.
- Transfer: if you are doing a doctoral degree, this is one of the main events in your studies. Your Graduate School will send you details of what to prepare, and you can also read the Transfer page on the For Students website and re-visit our video resources.
- For Masters by Research: your examination entry process is due three months before you plan to submit, so put a reminder in your diary!