The below applies to all post-graduate research students:

All full-time research students are expected to devote 40 hours per week to their research study and related activities.  Most of the time you should work at your base campus since this maximises your opportunities for beneficial interaction with other researchers and academic staff.  At the discretion of your supervisors, Director of Institute, Faculty Lead for Research Degree Studies or the RGS, you may be permitted to work on your research study and related activities away from the University campus (e.g. at home) for one or two days per week.  This permission may be withdrawn if there are concerns that you may not be devoting sufficient time to your studies, or if there are concerns about your academic progress.

Part-time research students are expected to devote 20 hours per week to their research study and related activities.  They must attend the University as required for any taught components, research training, supervision meetings, progress meetings and assessments.

At the discretion of supervisors, some supervision meetings may be held by Skype or equivalent.

Students who are registered to pursue research studies at an approved location away from the University are expected to attend the University for six weeks each year.

Additional Information for International Students:

International students who require a visa to study in the UK must comply with engagement monitoring procedures the University is required to conduct and report to UKVI (United Kingdom Visas and Immigration).  There is more information on the International Office web site at http://www.beds.ac.uk/international/international-student-support/visas-and-immigration/faqs-current-students

The main way you demonstrate engagement with your studies is by attending supervision meetings and submitting written work for feedback.  Many students establish a rhythm of submitting work one week, attending a supervision tutorial the next week, submitting work the following week, and so on.  However, some students will have weekly supervision tutorials and at certain points in your study (such as during data collection) you may see your supervisors less often.  It is important that you upload a brief record of each supervision meeting on RGS Online: this should take less than five minutes.

The second strand of demonstrating engagement with your studies is to have your ID barcode scanned and sign a register each week.  You can do this at the RGS office, in your Faculty office or at any SiD desk that has a barcode scanner. 

Attending the induction programme, researcher development workshops and other training sessions, seminars and the University’s annual staff conference, or equivalent activities provided by other research-focused organisations, are additional ways of demonstrating engagement and development as a researcher.