4The Graduate School The Graduate School is a dedicated facility which supports the postgraduate community. The School provides a programme of research training, conferences and events throughout the year and administers activities and projects to enhance the student experience. The Graduate School administers research studentships, including Northumbria's three year studentship scheme for full- time PhDs. A key responsibility of the School is the arrangement of research degree examinations and awards. The Graduate School The Graduate School Northumbria University 5th floor, Wynne Jones Building Ellison Place Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST Tel: ( 0191) 227 4060 Fax: ( 0191) 227 3989 Email: graduateschool@ northumbria. ac. uk Final Year Conference 2009

www. northumbria. ac. uk5 Enhancing the Student Experience The Graduate School continually collaborates with Northumbria's research community to ensure that mechanisms for feedback from research students are in place that will inform our programme delivery and help us to establish and maintain best practice, in order to provide a world- class student experience. Since October 2007, the Graduate School and the Students' Union have jointly operated the Postgraduate Research School Representatives system, ensuring that students' opinions are represented at key research committees and development groups. In 2008 and 2009, Northumbria has taken part in the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey ( PRES), a national survey administered by the Higher Education Academy. To date, the results of the 2008 survey have been used to identify training needs for students and supervisors, improvements to research facilities, and processes to support opportunities for teaching. Northumbria's excellence in supervision and skills development is evidenced by the results of the PRES 2009 survey. One of our key objectives in 2009 was to encourage feedback from part- time students, and examples of Northumbria's support for part- time students include block delivery of Professional Doctorate taught modules, online support systems, time-management training and advice on becoming a balanced researcher. Similarly, we ensure that international students receive the support and training they need early in their programme. Approx 88% of international students agreed that " their supervisors make a real effort to understand the difficulties they face" and that " since starting their research they have improved their ability to learn independently" ( source: PRES 2009). Northumbria also participates in the International Student Barometer ( ISB), an independent survey run by The International Graduate Insight Group ( i- graduate), which is now the largest study of international students in the world. Results show that " 90.9% of Northumbria's international research students were satisfied with the quality of the learning spaces, the highest of all research students from any University taking part in the survey" and that " social activities and facilities were highly rated by Northumbria international research students, with Northumbria in the top 15% of all universities taking part in the survey." ( source: ISB, autumn 2008). Training, Conferences and Events Northumbria's extensive programme of training, conferences and events provides support to students throughout their programme, as well as opportunities for networking and to gain the transferable skills required by employers. Northumbria's Training Programme includes sessions from introductory to advanced levels covering: . research methodology . literature reviews . academic writing and publishing . ethics and governance . compulsory sessions designed to support students to complete their programme milestones successfully. As part of Northumbria's commitment to giving their PGR students the best possible start in their research, Northumbria was the first University in the region to run the Vitae Effective Researcher Course. Postgraduate Research Representatives Seated from left to right: Huipu ( Polly) Jia, Wasiu Popoola, Carla Cesare, Sameem Mohamed Aboobucker, Matthew Sutherland, Jelisaveta Mihajlovic, Elizabeth Orme, plus Lisa Burton and Richard Buckley from the Students' Union