Key Activities

Key Activities for Postgraduate Research Students

Throughout your research degree, you can expect to engage in a range of key activities, including Registration and Induction.

In this section, you can also find advice on completing your Learning Agreement and can explore the faculty training available to help you develop essential research skills. You can also find out how to obtain approval for your project proposal.

As part of the Code of Practice, you must keep meeting records and confirm your attendance as evidence that you’re engaging with your studies.

You can also find guidance on your Annual Progress Review and the final PGR Examination.

Further information for International Students

International students may need to renew their visa during their studies or to seek advice on their visa options.  Further information on specific issues that may affect PGR students holding Tier 4 visas can be found at Visa Issues.

PGR Employment within the University

If you are a research student who wishes to take up employment on campus, you may find the following information helpful:

The Postgraduates who Teach policy which provides an overarching framework for Postgraduate Research and Postgraduate Taught Students undertaking teaching, demonstrating and other teaching-related activities carried out on behalf of Newcastle University.

The Policy on Student Employment outlines how students are able to engage with work opportunities on campus. The policy outlines that full-time students are normally limited to 20 hours of employment per week. Research students are able to work additional hours during holiday leave periods. There is a FAQ page that may also be helpful. 

There are linked policies that Supervisors and research students should be aware of:

PGR Holiday Entitlement Policy (PDF: 33KB) - please see page 2 of this policy for further information on employment within the University

Policy on Postgraduates who Teach (PDF: 665KB)

Student Visa Holder

If you are subject to student visa conditions you are restricted to working no more than 20 hours per week under the terms of your visa throughout your entire degree.

If you wish to take up paid employment of more than 20 hours per week (on or off campus), this is only possible during an approved holiday period.

You must discuss your employment with your Supervisory Team and should ensure that you do not put your degree programme submission and completion at risk, due to the employment undertaken. The normal holiday entitlement will apply and therefore you should not normally undertake employment of more than 20 hours, for more than one month.

If your Supervisory Team is supportive of the employment in excess of 20 hours per week, you must submit a ‘Student Notice of Absence form’ (on S3P) for the duration of the employment, so that this period will be classed as annual leave and make you eligible to work full-time (i.e. more than 20 hours per week).

Further information is also available here.