Welcome to Your Research Degree
All that you need to get started is right here
The Graduate School is excited to welcome our new postgraduate research (PGR) students.
We have put together a list of information to help you get started in the first few weeks of your new academic year. You can also find the contact details for the Graduate School, so if you have any other questions, please get in contact with us. The team are looking forward to meeting you at one of our many events we hold throughout the year.
Communication
Your @myport Gmail account is the main method of communication that the University, including the Graduate School, will use to communicate with you, so make sure to check it regularly. Or you can set-up email forwarding, so you can send and receive your @myport emails via another mail client (including @port accounts).
University Email
Registration
Your postgraduate study at Portsmouth begins each year with registration. After you have registered and completed an ID check, you'll be able to apply for your student card, which gives you access to the University Library. Find out more about what you can use your student card for.
If you are a returning student you will need to re-register for your course each academic year.
Induction
The Graduate School’s 'Getting started with your research' introduction event is designed to provide you with:
- An opportunity to meet other research degree students.
- Introductions to the key personnel involved in the Graduate School.
- An understanding of what is different about doctoral level postgraduate study and how to prepare for it.
- An introduction to the Graduate School Development Programme and events.
We run induction events throughout the year in-person here in Portsmouth for full-time (FT) and part-time (PT) campus-based students and online for distance learning (DL) students.
- October In-Person (2 days for FT and PT - details sent in September)
- October Online (3 hour evening session for DL - details sent in September)
- February In-Person (2 days for FT and PT - details sent in January)
- February Online (3 hour evening session for DL - details sent in January)
- April (1/2 day hybrid FT, PT and DL - details sent in March)
After induction, you will find resources, links and recordings from the event on the Graduate School Hub Moodle site, including the Induction Checklist. As part of your induction arrangements you should work with your supervisor to complete the PGRS Induction Checklist (Moodle login required), to make sure you have all the information you need.
Your faculty and/or department will also organise local welcome events.
If you require more details about induction, please contact the Graduate School at graduate.school@port.ac.uk.
Induction Catch-Up
After each induction the Graduate School will run Induction Catch-Up sessions designed to give you a chance to ask us any further questions you may have, and to re-connect with fellow postgraduate researchers who are also new to the University. Find further details about these on our Eventbrite page.
Postgraduate Researcher Training
As a postgraduate research degree student, you'll attend research and professional development workshops and training as part of the Graduate School Development Programme (GSDP). The GSDP offers online and in-person training, workshops and special interest groups covering topics such as research design, academic skills and career development. They're delivered by our expert tutors, and support students at all stages of their research degrees.
If you are a full-time PGR student, you’ll need to undertake the equivalent of 10 days (annually) of research development activities, or 5 days (annually) if you are part-time. Attendance at GSDP workshops, online training and any other research and professional development you undertake can all be recorded as part of your development activities in Skills Forge.
For more information about the training and development opportunities available to you, visit our Graduate School Development Programme page.
Graduate School Development Programme
Graduate Students Professional Development (GProf)
The Graduate Students Professional Development (GProf) course provides a six-part introduction to teaching and learning in Higher Education (HE), and is mandatory for postgraduate students involved in any teaching activity in the University. Experienced and qualified teachers from other sectors should also undertake GProf for an introduction to processes and practices at Portsmouth. Postgraduate students who are not teaching, but are interested in learning more about teaching and learning in HE are also welcome to attend.
Postgraduate students are permitted to teach after they have attended the initial GProf Orientation session, but must then complete the full course.
For more information about GProf, including how to register, please visit the GProf Moodle page.
Skills Forge
Skills Forge is a web-based system that allows you to book onto GSDP workshops and record online and external training and development activities, and conferences you attend as part of your training and development. You can also record supervisory meeting minutes, notes and actions, which your supervisory team can also view.
Visit Skills Forge, or view our Student Guide to find out how to use Skills Forge.
Moodle
Moodle is the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This is where you will find resources and workshop recordings (where available) from GSDP workshops, along with on-demand workshops that you can undertake in your own time and at your own pace. You will also find information and links to other online training and development opportunities. Access the Graduate School Hub on Moodle, using your UoP username and password to log in.
Academic Support
The University’s Academic Skills (ASK) team has many resources to help you when approaching academic tasks, including offering personalised 1-to-1 tutorials which are fully confidential and tailored to help improve on what matters to you most.
In order to support students whose first language is not English and help them to succeed in their academic programmes, the University offers In-Sessional English (ISE) classes and workshops, relevant to your knowledge and level of study. Find out more information on ISE programmes on the English Language Development website.
The Additional Support and Disability Advice Centre (ASDAC) supports students who disclose a disability or require additional support for their academic studies.
Research Degree Guidance
The administration of your Research Degree, including regulations, reviews, examination and changes to your research degree, are looked after by our Research Degrees team in the Department of Student and Academic Administration (DSAA). The Research Degree Guidance MyPort page contains links and information about important aspects of your research degree, including the Research Degrees Operational Handbook.
Research Degrees Operational Handbook
Stages of Your Research Degree
During your research degree you will need to complete certain stages that are relevant to your particular research degree. The Graduate School provides support for many of these, and you can find full details about them in the Research Degrees Operational Handbook, and further information via the links below:
- Major Review
- Annual Review
- PGR Examinations: thesis and viva voce examination
Research Ethics
Before you can collect any research data you will need to complete the Ethics Screening Tool, and if required, you will need to submit an ethics review to your Faculty Ethics Committee (or an external ethics committee). Find further information about Research Ethics, including the Ethics Screening Tool and templates and forms.
Research Culture and Community
The Graduate School is home to a community of more than 1,000 research degree students across our 5 faculties. Come along to our events and meet other PGR students, share your research and find out about the amazing range of research projects taking place across the University. The University Research Seminars are another great way to interact with researchers from the University and beyond, to discuss and debate the latest ideas, and are open to all PGRs.
Research Community
As a postgraduate research student at the University of Portsmouth, you are part of a thriving research community which is supported by the Graduate School. Networking with other postgraduate researchers is a valuable way to share thoughts, ideas and knowledge across disciplines. We encourage you to attend Graduate School events and GSDP workshops to meet other like-minded PGRS to enhance your research network.
Our Research Culture Network offers the opportunity for postgraduate research students across the University to find and support fellow PGRS and develop collegial, research and other networks.
Graduate School Events
The Graduate School holds various events throughout the year to enhance your research degree experience, including the Festival of Doctoral Research, Research Culture Drop-Ins and other special interest events. More information on these events can be found on our Graduate School Eventbrite page.
University of Portsmouth Research Seminars
The University’s research seminars bring together researchers from the University of Portsmouth with academics from around the world to discuss and debate the latest ideas. Seminars are open to all postgraduate research students.
PGR Society
If you're interested in meeting students from across the University, and enhancing cross-faculty Research Culture, then you are invited to join the PostGraduate Research Society (PGR Soc). The group, made up of over 120 students from all five faculties, from all over the world and different stages of a research degree, are bound together as a community by one shared characteristic - being on the research journey together. Since our creation over the summer, we have hosted a range of in-person and online events (social and academic) and are in the process of organising a PGR Ball in June 2024.
If you're concerned about asking that "stupid question" or worried about being disconnected from the University of Portsmouth community, then PGR Soc is the place for you! Boasting a WhatsApp Community with a number of groups, you're welcome to look at our UPSU page for more information on joining the Society.
Library Resources for Researchers
The University library website has a dedicated section for support for researchers, with links and resources designed specifically for those undertaking research.
IT Help
Our IT Support team are always on hand to help with managing your university account, and their IT Help pages have guidance on the University VPN, studying anywhere, accessing software including Zoom, and much more.
Resources for Postgraduate Researchers
We know that PGR students do not always feel comfortable contacting their supervisors about a query that is not related to their research, so if you are unsure about who to contact - other than your supervisor - if you have any queries or concerns, we have put together a handy list of PGR resources.
You can also find lots more information about University services via MyPort, including guidance and support for health and wellbeing, international student support and careers support.
If you cannot find what you need, please get in touch with us at graduate.school@port.ac.uk.