Postgraduate student life

Postgraduate students are often attracted to the beautiful environment of the South West as well as the research profile of the University and its excellent facilities and postgraduate provision. Here in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, we aim to make each postgraduate student feel welcome and part of a vibrant, exciting community which is continually achieving in its field.

With both campuses situated in the South West of England, you will benefit from the stunning locations and close proximity to the beautiful coast and countryside of Devon and Cornwall that helps provide a laid back place to study and live.

Postgraduate support and resources

All postgraduate students are allocated a personal tutor or a supervisor to guide you throughout your postgraduate degree and we deliberately create a policy of openness and approachability. You will have access to computer laboratories with particularly good facilities, including specialist software and excellent computer graphics to support your studies. Furthermore, you will have access to your own workstation within communal postgraduate laboratories and are encouraged to use the common room and kitchen facilities to maximise contact with our world-class researchers.

Clydesdale House on Streatham campus is the base for the Postgraduate Centre; a purpose-built facility which combines study and recreational areas and is a popular meeting place for postgraduate and international students. The centre has recently been refurbished, and now has a new cafe and bar area.

Postgraduate social facilities

Within each degree discipline, there is a society enabling students to get to know one another outside of academic work time. Postgraduate students are encouraged to join the Physics Society - PhySoc. Social meetings and events are organised throughout the academic year and provide excellent opportunities for getting to know your fellow students and having fun!

We regard the international context as very important to our postgraduate community. Therefore postgraduate students from overseas are encouraged to join the International Society. This organises cultural and social events to welcome international students to Exeter as well as to build bridges between the British and international students’ communities.

Postgraduate students are also often invited to attend conferences and subject-specific seminars in order to not only assist in postgraduate study but to also provide opportunities to interact with experts in their field of interest.

Within each academic building there are communal social areas to meet and socialise with your fellow postgraduates. In particular, our students use the library in the Physics building for meeting and working with fellow students. Furthermore, the social area in the physics building provides relaxed seating and a variety of food and drink specifically for physics and medical imaging students whether you are working in the building all day or simply passing through between lectures.

Your voice as a student

Our academics and students develop strong working relationships over the course of a degree programme, a factor we feel is important to your success.

SSLC: Student-Staff Liaison Committees

Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) are student-run forums for suggestions and feedback to and from the College staff. SSLC's are fairly informal committees, chaired by one of the student representatives, which meets about once a term to discuss a wide range of issues and developments.

SSLCs include representatives from each year and each programme. Their job is to provide a point of contact for the students on their programmes.

MACE: Module and course evaluation

Feedback from students is requested for every module. Module leaders receive this feedback and are required to respond to the scores and comments received via the Annual Module Review process. The responses are subsequently shared with students.

University life and student support

You can find out more about facilities and support available for postgraduate students at Exeter on the Postgraduate Study website. You can also find out more about what life is like for students on the Streatham campus, together with information about Exeter in the location section of the Postgraduate Study website and the visiting us pages of the University website.