A Guide to Postgraduate Study 2017: Newcastle University

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Newcastle University
Postgraduate Study 2017
Studying with us
3.
Spring term
Alongside compulsory modules,
many courses offer a range of
optional modules enabling you
to tailor your study to a particular
field of interest. These modules
are often undertaken during the
spring term.
You will break for the Easter
vacation around April, but will be
expected to continue your studies
as you prepare for formal
assessment in May/June.
4.
Summer term
Many of the more formal
timetabled elements of your
course will decrease in frequency
as you concentrate on planning
for and writing your research
project/dissertation.
The dissertation is normally
between 15, 000–18, 000 words
and provides the opportunity
to put all of the skills and
knowledge you have acquired
over the previous months into
practice.
We appreciate the research project
is a big undertaking so we provide
ongoing support via our research
study skills modules and expert
academic supervision. You will
normally hand your research
project in around August/
September.
5.
Graduation
Graduation normally takes place
in December and is a great chance
for you to celebrate your successes
with family and friends.
Once you have graduated,
you automatically become an
alumnus of Newcastle University
and join a worldwide network of
over 180,000 graduates, living in
over 200 different countries and
independent states around the
world. This network helps you stay
connected wherever you go and
whatever you do after graduation.
As an alumni we continue to
support your development and
future career aspirations with a
wide range of lifelong services and
benefits including:
• access to the Careers Service
for up to three years after
you graduate
• ‘Rise Up’ business support
to help you develop your ideas
and launch a new business
• a calendar of global events
and networking opportunities
Taught Masters’ courses
are normally studied
on a full-time basis over
12 months and typically
run fromSeptember to
September. This means
the pace and intensity
can seemquite different
to your undergraduate
degree.
Teaching is normally
delivered via a mixture
of lectures, seminars,
group work and
(depending on your
subject choice), lab-
based sessions, technical
skills development
and practicals.
Each course is divided
into a series of modules,
with eachmodule
having its own formal
assessment method
which can be an exam,
essay, presentation,
group work, or
combination of all
of these elements.
You will also undertake
a final dissertation/
project at the end of
the course.
1.
Arrival and
induction
Term typically starts in September,
although a small number of our
taught courses start in January.
Having arrived at your
accommodation and registered
as a student, you will spend the
first couple of weeks familiarising
yourself with the campus, study
environment and meeting your
academic colleagues and fellow
students before term begins.
Your University induction will
include a comprehensive
overview of the facilities including
the libraries, wellbeing services,
and IT support. You will also be
given the opportunity to attend
some school and subject
inductions, so that you can start
to get a real feel for the learning
environment and meet your
colleagues. Have a look at our
arrival website to find out more
The Students’ Union also runs
a postgraduate welcome week,
giving you the opportunity to meet
2.
Autumn term
Most timetabled classes run
across the autumn term and
you will normally be undertaking
compulsory modules which
focus on building core skills and
knowledge in your chosen subject.
You will break for the Christmas
vacation, but will typically be
working across the holiday period
preparing for exams and written
assessments in January.
What to expect
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