Postgraduate ProsPectus - Aston University

SUPPORTING YOU
Aston University has a wide range of services to
support and help you during your postgraduate studies
There is a wide range of support on offer to Aston postgraduate students to ensure your
time here is a success in academic, social and personal terms. The close-knit community
on campus helps to ensure that our students know where and who to turn to if they have
issues or concerns. This support is available whether you are living on or off campus.
Academic support
Personal Tutor system
All campus-based postgraduate taught students will
be allocated a named personal tutor, who will be a
member of academic staff from Aston University.
Personal Tutors are there to help discuss academic
and, in some cases, personal issues.
Learning Development Centre
The Learning Development Centre (LDC) brings
together a range of services to support learning
including advice on writing for assignments and
research, a maths support centre staffed by specialist
tutors, programming support and general study skills
guidance covering exam and revision techniques,
presentations, working in groups and much more.
Located on the first floor of the Library, the LDC
provides a range of online resources and equipment
for student use, such as wireless internet access,
laptop computers and bookable audio visual student
support equipment to support group work and
presentations. Expert advice is also available for
students using or requiring adaptive software and
technologies.
English language support
International students can benefit from free English
language support tutorials provided by the Centre
for English Language and Communication at Aston
(CELCA). The tutorials are one-to-one and last for one
hour. Our friendly and supportive staff can help to
improve your accuracy and fluency when using spoken
and written English; teach you how to write academic
assignments and improve your pronunciation.
The number of hours available to each student will
depend on individual need and is subject to availability.
The Postgraduate Mentoring Scheme
The Postgraduate Mentoring Scheme supports the
integration of first year postgraduate students by
matching them with highly experienced postgraduate
student mentors who are further along in their studies.
Mentors are available throughout the year and offer
advice, guidance and practical tips on life as a
postgraduate student at Aston University.
For more information email: pgmentoring@aston.ac.uk
Student volunteering and outreach
Volunteering looks great on a CV and can help give
you skills that employers look for. Aston’s Outreach
Office supports student volunteering and outreach
initiatives.
JobShop
The JobShop is based in the Students’ Union.
All term time work offered to Aston students is
advertised here as well as unskilled work for
vacation periods. Skilled vacation work is handled
by the Careers and Employability Centre on the first
floor of the South Wing. The JobShop follows the
university policy that paid work must not detract from
academic work, with a recommended maximum
number of weekly hours during term time.
Personal support
The Hub Advice Zone
Based on the ground floor of the Main Building, staff
at the Hub Advice Zone reception desk will provide
you with information, give you a leaflet or application
form or arrange for you to see a specialist adviser.
The Hub desk also acts as the reception, and makes
appointments, for the Counselling Service and the
Disability and Additional Needs Unit (DANU).
The Hub is the place to visit for queries which range
from council tax to counselling; disability support to
academic advice; student finance to student visas and
work visas.
Advice & Representation Centre (ARC)
The ARC is the Student Union’s independent
representation centre. Contact the ARC if you need
representation at hearings or if your query requires
advice which is independent of the University. The ARC
also manages Aston ‘Studentpad’ the best source of
non-campus accommodation for Aston students.
Counselling service
Accessed through the Hub, the Aston University
Counselling Service is a well-established, professional
service, staffed by qualified and experienced
counsellors. Meeting with a counsellor offers the
opportunity to talk about a range of issues that may be
affecting you personally or impacting on your studies.
Counsellors do not tell you what to do. Their role is to
help you understand your difficulties and to identify
ways of coping with or resolving them.
University Health Centre (Halcyon Medical)
The University provides a full confidential health
service from our modern Health Centre based in
Boots the Chemist, opposite Marks and Spencer,
less than a ten minute walk from the campus. All
treatment is given under the NHS and students
are encouraged to register at the start of term.
Our team of male and female doctors and nurses
offer a full range of medical advisory services and
there is emergency cover at all times for registered
students. All students on courses of six months or
more are eligible to register with the Health Centre.
During term time and open weekdays, a Student
Health Centre, run by Halcyon, operates from the
Health Clinics Building as does a dental surgery
(open all year) and an optician (open term times).
Security and safety on campus
Aston’s team of fully trained and friendly security staff
ensure the safety and security of the Aston University
community. Our campus is safe and friendly and
covered by extensive CCTV and security patrols.
Crime on the campus is very low (the lowest of any
Midlands university) and our security measures and
friendly atmosphere aim to keep it that way.
Contact
T: +44 (0)121 204 4007
E: thehub@aston.ac.uk
F: 0121 204 4739
W: www.aston.ac.uk/current-students/hub
International students – student visas
We welcome international students and our highly
regarded, free visa advice service will help you to
make a Tier 4 visa application to link you to your
Aston University course. We will not be able to
enrol you if you have a Tier 4 visa for a different
university/college so please make sure you apply
in plenty of time. We recommend about 2-3
months before your course is due to start.
If you are making an application from within the
UK you should speak to an International Student
Adviser in the HUB first; we will be able to help you
with the process and submit your visa application
for you (if you do not send the application through
the Hub you may not be able to enrol on your
course).
Aston is a Highly Trusted Sponsor and holds a Tier
4 sponsor licence. For information about how the
International Student Advisers in the Advice Zone
at The Hub can help you with your visa application
please see www1.aston.ac.uk/currentstudents/hub/issu
select visa advice and then
student visas.
Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS)
Aston University is normally able to issue you with
a Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS) to
enable you to make one Tier 4 application, to cover
both your pre-sessional and your main course,
when your pre-sessional course is for 12 weeks
or less.
If either your pre-sessional course lasts for
more than twelve weeks, or your main course is
conditional on you successfully passing the presessional
course, the CAS can only be issued for
the pre-sessional course. A second CAS will be
issued when you are in the UK for you to extend
your Tier 4 visa for the main course and our advice
team will help you with the application.
Aston University has an experienced team of
International Student Advisers who provide free
visa advice to help you make a perfect Tier 4
application for your Aston University studies.
For more information visit:
www1.aston.ac.uk/
current-studentshub/iss/visas
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