Find out how you are represented as a doctoral student throughout your studies.

Staff and Student Liaison Committees

Staff and Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) allow students to have their say on their programme, department and resources. They are the best way for you to input into the wider University on academic issues.

Each Faculty and the School has an SSLC where all Postgraduate (PG) research programmes are represented. Some departments also have a PG or Doctoral SSLC. All SSLCs are made up of elected Academic Representatives (Doctoral Reps) and staff members.

If you have an issue you would like raised at an SSLC, you should do this via your Doctoral Rep.

Academic Representatives (Doctoral Reps)

Academic Representatives (Doctoral Reps) are doctoral students elected by their peers to represent you at a programme level. They are your first point of contact should any issues arise on your research programme. Their role is to gather feedback, ideas and issues and take them forward to the relevant Staff and Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs).

Find your Doctoral Repr.

Contact: academicreps@bath.ac.uk

Faculty Representatives

Each Faculty and the School has an elected Doctoral Faculty Rep who are doctoral students elected by their peers to represent you at a Faculty and School level. They work closely with the Academic Representatives (Doctoral Reps) and The Students’ Union (SU) to collate issues to raise at Faculty/School Doctoral Studies Committees (F/SDSCs). They are also members of The SU Doctoral Executive Committee which meets with The SU’s Postgraduate Officer.

Find your Faculty Representative.

Contact: supostgrad@bath.ac.uk

The SU

The Students’ Union (SU) represents the interests, opinions and welfare of all students to the University of Bath and other external bodies. The SU ensures that there is a strong connection between student opinion and how academic departments and the University are run. To find out more about all the ways The SU represents your student voice go to www.thesubath.com and click on the voice tab .

Within the SU, there is an elected Postgraduate Officer who is elected annually during the Officer elections in the spring. This is the highest level of representation for doctoral students. The Postgraduate Officer is a member of Faculty/School Doctoral Studies Committees (F/SDSCs), the Board of Studies (Doctoral) (BoSD) and the University Doctoral Studies Committee (UDSC), as well as a number of other university committees to represent the postgraduate student voice.

Contact: SU Postgraduate Officer or The SU.

The SU also has a Doctoral Exec made up of elected doctoral students who represent the doctoral student voice in and to the SU and to the University on the wider doctoral experience.

The SU also supports the student-led Diversity and Support Groups who represent their students to The Students’ Union (SU), the University and external organisations.

The Doctoral College

The Student Engagement Team supports all aspects of your student experience, including representation, community building, wellbeing and events. They work closely with the Student’s Union (SU) and academic representatives to ensure that your views are heard.

The Student Engagement Team:

• attends Doctoral Staff and Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) to monitor issues and ensure that they are reflected in college priorities
• ensures that you are aware of latest developments in the College and, where appropriate, are involved in projects
• uses the feedback you provide through the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) to help shape new initiatives.
  

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to improve your research experience, contact the team at doctoralengagement@bath.ac.uk.

Independent representation for students

The SU Advice and Support Centre

The SU Advice and Support Centre provides independent and confidential advice on academic issues where you may need individual representation such as complaints, mitigating circumstances, appeals and disciplinary procedures including academic misconduct.

The University Independent Advisor for Postgraduate Research Students

Occasionally, you may encounter problems in connection with supervision or other issues. Where these cannot be resolved at department or School level, or where you consider this route inappropriate, you should contact The University Independent Advisor Service.

They provide independent and confidential advice to postgraduate research students. Consultations are treated in strict confidence. They will never disclose your details or do anything on your behalf without your permission.