Welcome to the University of Leicester Graduate School

You are joining one of the UK's largest and most vibrant postgraduate communities and, along with over 1,200 other postgraduate researchers, you will benefit from being a member of a University that combines a strong and proven track record of successful postgraduate support together with an internationally regarded research reputation. The Graduate School is at the heart of our postgraduate community providing support to postgraduate researchers across the University's four Colleges.

This Handbook will help you make the most of your time here and I hope it will be of value to you both now as you start your degree right through to your final year as you look towards submitting your thesis and sitting the viva examination. The Handbook describes the academic and other support services available to you as well as containing important administrative advice. There is also an introduction to the Graduate School's Researcher Development Training programmes through which you will develop the skills you need to become an effective researcher and successfully complete your degree together with transferable skills that will be of use both during your time at the University and in your career beyond.

You can find an electronic copy of this Handbook, together with much other useful information, on the Graduate School website. Postgraduate researchers are encouraged to visit the website regularly as it is updated weekly with details of relevant University and external events, conferences, training courses, and other news.

I want your experience at the University of Leicester to be productive, successful, and enjoyable. I hope that this Handbook will help you as you explore the range of opportunities available to our postgraduate researchers – but if you have any questions about the information here, or have a suggestion for something we should include in future editions, please do get in touch.

You can email the Graduate School at graduatedean@le.ac.uk

Best wishes,

Prof. Sarah Hainsworth

Graduate Dean