Welcome 2025 Students

Start Date

Welcome Week will take place between Monday 15 September and Friday 19 September 2025.

The Doctoral Research College (DRC) Team will contact you with further information regarding the induction information for your course. The Research Degree Induction event will take place on Monday 8 September 2025.

Once your programme has commenced, we expect you to engage with your studies in person, as required.

International Students

We expect all international students to engage with the University from Monday 8 September 2025.

The final deadline to arrive in the UK to complete enrolment will be week 4 (w/c 6 October 2025).

Please check the guidelines on entering the UK from your country or territory before planning your journey.

Timetables

Course Leader

Professor Jenny Harding

Welcome to Birmingham City University and the start of your life as a postgraduate research student, a valued member of our vibrant research community. We recognise fully the commitment that you have made by choosing to study with us for a research degree, and we understand the support that you will need from our academic staff in faculties, our wider research community and our professional services teams to enable your success.

At BCU, we are committed to distinctive, original and rigorous research which discovers new knowledge and which delivers real-world benefits to society. Through your research and advanced practice you will discover new insights and know-how. By sharing your research outcomes effectively through publication, conference attendance and public and business engagement, your research has the potential to deliver meaningful societal, cultural and economic benefits on a local, national or even global scale. Increasingly, our research findings are being applied by others to address national and global challenges, through interdisciplinary research teams and international collaborations.

In the last UK-wide exercise to measure research quality, REF2021, 93% of our research was recognised internationally for originality, significance and rigour, of which 19% was judged world-leading. Our submission to REF2021 demonstrated how our research has been growing in volume and quality, and included 310 staff submitted to 14 subject areas. This is more than double the number of staff assessed by REF2014, as more of our academic staff engage in impactful research of internationally recognised quality.

We are continuing our journey to further improve the quality and impact of our research; to grow our research community and enhance our research culture. We look forward to the valuable contributions that you will make.

We hope that you will enjoy being a part of our diverse and expanding research community and find your research degree programme to be a rewarding and challenging experience. In addition to gaining a much deeper understanding of your chosen subject area and discovering new knowledge, you will also develop a wide range of transferable skills that will set you up for your professional life beyond your PhD.

Please take the time to read the information in these Welcome pages, and the links therein, as it will help you settle into the University.

We wish you the very best of luck with your studies.

Prof Jenny Harding
Director, Doctoral Research College

Course Location

Your course will mainly be taught in:

Millennium Point, City Centre Campus (Room numbers start with MP)

Student Support Centre

Visit us at The Research Hub

Located on our City Centre Campus, The Research Hub is your dedicated space as a Postgraduate Research student.

Whether you’re looking for a place to focus, connect with fellow researchers, hot desk, or share your work, the Hub is here to support you throughout your research journey.

You’ll also find the Doctoral Research College (DRC) Team based in the Hub - we’d be delighted to welcome you! If you ever need guidance, have questions, or simply want a friendly chat, we’re here to help.

Research Hub opening hours:

• Monday to Friday – 7am to 7pm
• DRC staff available: 9am to 4pm

For more information about the Research Hub and other dedicated PGR spaces at BCU, visit our dedicated Research Hub page.

Supporting your transition

During Welcome Week, you’ll get to meet our Student Ambassadors as soon as you walk onto campus. They’ll be there to support you with finding your Student Support Centre, collecting your ID card and guiding you in the right direction, and for a friendly hello!

First day on Campus

We look forward to welcoming you to Birmingham City University!

You must have your ID card visible at all times when on campus, so if you have received yours before your first day, ensure you bring this with you. If you enrolled late you will need to collect one on campus during your first few days. Please remember that your ID card is for your use only. You must never let anyone else use it.

To complete your enrolment, you will need the following:

• Passport (or other form of photo ID if you are a UK/EU student)
• Original qualification documents if applicable (you will be emailed a list of the documents we need to see once you have completed your online enrolment)
• Visa (international students only)

What else? The rest is up to you! You will find a shop, café, pub, computer access and water fountains on campus, but we do recommend you bring the following on the first day:

• Laptop, if you have one
• Notepad and pen
• Reusable water bottle
• Snack
• Money

And remember, the weather in Birmingham can be changeable!

Leadership

Your research degree programme will be supported by a number of people and departments across the University.

As a postgraduate research degree student at Birmingham City University, you will be a student of the subject in which your research study is focused, and your supervisory team is the primary point of contact for all academic issues. Academic and progression processes will be overseen and authorised by the appropriate research degrees committee.

Postgraduate Certificate

As you will be aware from your application and offer letter, all new research degree students are expected to attend and complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice during their first year of the PhD, DHealth or DBA programme (or during the second year of your EdD programme).

This course lasts one semester and aims to support you in developing the skills and competences required to successfully complete higher degree research. It is intended to complement the guidance and support you will receive from your research degree supervisory team, who will be the key part of your development as a researcher.

The course aims to:

• Assist you in developing your individual research project through a structured programme
• Prepare you to carry out academic work for your research degree
• Introduce you to the research skills, practices and procedures that are essential for your postgraduate research study
• Provide an opportunity for you to explore a range of theoretical and practical research issues and their application
• Foster a supportive environment in which you can develop a specific area of research interest into a viable research proposal

The course serves to develop the wider research student community at Birmingham City University and enable participants to share any concerns that they may have and mutually support one another. It is important that you attend the programme both to gain the knowledge required to carry out your research degree, but also to make contacts with researchers in other fields.

Successful completion of this programme is required in order to progress on the degree and attendance is compulsory for all new research students.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice is delivered via subject specific sessions as well as common sessions (involving the wider research student community).

More details on the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice will be provided at your induction.