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 Message

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:

Seacole Building, City South Campus (Room numbers start with SCT)

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!