Postgraduate Prospectus 2011

vi.vii.viii.Natural Environment ResearchCouncil (NERC): UK and other EUstudents in geography and earthsciences, biological sciences andphysics only. Please contact therelevant department.Engineering and Physical SciencesResearch Council (EPSRC): UK andother EU students in computerscience, mathematics, physics andbiological sciences only. Pleasecontact the relevant department.Science and Technology FacilitiesCouncil (STFC): UK and other EUstudents in physics only. Pleasecontact the relevant Department.• Self-financingo Self-financing means that you or yourfamily intend to pay your fees directto the University.• Private Sponsoro A private sponsor might be youremployer or local church, for example.5. Your qualifications• If your qualifications are from outsideof the UK, please give the EXACT titleof the qualification as it is known in thecountry where it is offered. Please donot try to describe it in terms of the UKsystem.• If possible, please enclose originalcertificates/transcripts or copiesauthenticated by the awarding body forall university-level qualifications that youhave obtained. An authenticated copyis a photocopy marked with the stampor seal of the awarding institution,attested as a true copy of the originaland signed by an appropriate officer ofthat institution.7. ReferencesWe will not consider your applicationuntil we have received your references.You must obtain the references from yourreferees, we will not contact referees onyour behalf. Delays in communicatingdecisions to applicants are often causedby failure of referees to respondto requests for information. Pleasenominate referees who are in a position toreply to such requests.Please ensure all references meet thefollowing criteria, the reference should:• Be written on letterhead paper. Emailedreferences will only be considered ifthey are sent directly from the referee’sofficial work email. We do not acceptreferences from yahoo, gmail or hotmailaccounts, for example.• Be signed and dated by the referee.Email references that meet the abovecriteria are the exception.• Contain the contact details and positionof the referee.• State your name, address and the courseyou have applied for.• State how long the referee has knownyou and in what capacity.• State your qualification, date achieved,results/predicted results.• Address the issue of your suitability forthe course you have applied for.Academic referees should be able tocomment on your academic backgroundeither at initial degree or Masters level.References for non-graduates, a workbasedreference may be submitted fromyour current or previous employer.How many references should youprovide?• One reference is required forapplications to Masters courses otherthan those listed below.• Two references are required forapplications to:o All research courses (both should beacademic references);o The MBA (one reference should beprofessional/work based);o All Masters courses in the Departmentof International Politics; ando The Masters courses in ArchiveAdministration, Records andInformation Management, andInformation Governance andAssurance (one reference should beprofessional/work based).10. Disability / MedicalConditions / AdditionalRequirementsEven if you have previously beenassessed by the University, please declareyour condition on your postgraduateapplication.We are collecting this information toensure that support needs are identifiedand assess what support the Universitycan provide. This information does notform part of the selection process, andwill be treated confidentially. Please enterthe code most relevant to you in the boxin Section 10. If appropriate please givedetails of any special requirements oradditional support needs you may have.51 Dyslexia53 Autism55 You have mental health difficulties56 Wheelchair user/mobility difficulties57 Deaf/hearing difficulty58 Blind/partially sighted05 You require personal care support07 You have an unseen disability e.g.diabetes, epilepsy, asthma08 You have two or more of the abovedisabilities/special needs96 You have a disability not listed above11. Criminal ConvictionsIn order to protect our students and staffwe are required to ask if you have anyrelevant unspent criminal convictions.What is a relevant conviction?‘Relevant’ means: offences against theperson, whether of a violent or sexualnature; offences involving unlawfullysupplying controlled drugs or substanceswhere the conviction concerns commercialdrug dealing or trafficking; offencesinvolving firearms, arson or terrorist acts.What is a spent conviction?Convictions that are ‘spent’ (as defined bythe Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974)are not considered to be relevant. Howevercertain programmes, for example teaching,are exempt from the Rehabilitation ofOffenders Act and different rules applywith regards to criminal convictions.The University may ask you to agree to acriminal records check as a condition ofan offer.Convictions (for offences similar to thoseset out above) made by courts outsideGreat Britain are considered unspent. Ifthis applies to you, tick the box “yes.”How will the University handle myapplication if I declare a relevantcriminal conviction?• If you tick the box “yes” you will notbe automatically excluded from theapplication process.• The information concerning criminalconvictions will be passed on toappointed persons at the University. Inline with best admissions practice, theywill consider your application separatelyfrom your academic merits. Duringthis consideration, they may ask you toprovide further information about yourconviction. If they are satisfied, yourapplication will proceed in the normalway although they may add certainconditions to any offer they make.Otherwise they will notify you of theirdecision.• Failure to declare a relevant criminalconviction may result in expulsion fromthe University.All information concerning criminalconvictions is treated sensitively,confidentially and managed inaccordance with the Data ProtectionAct 1998.