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Postgraduate study

Postgraduate students are expected to participate in the daily life of the Department, interacting with their supervisor and other members of staff and students, attending seminars and lectures, and assisting teaching through tutorial work. Office accommodation and computing facilities for postgraduate students are provided within the department.

Choice of degree

The main postgraduate degree here is the PhD, normally lasting for 3 years and in some cases 4 years. An MSc, usually extending over one year, and an MPhil, usually extending over 2 years, are also available. These degrees (MSc and MPhil) are however not the norm. They providealternatives for students who have started on a PhD and discover that it is not what they had imagined.

Each of these degrees is done 'by research'. There is also provision for part-time study for each degree, taken over a longer period. Part-time study is available only to students who would be eligible to pay tuition fees at the 'home' (i.e. UK/EC) rate, although there is provision for 'split' degrees in which the student spends only part of their time in Aberdeen.

The PhD is examined by thesis and oral examination: the thesis must contain a significant original contribution to the subject. The MSc is examined by dissertation and oral examination. The MPhil degree is examined in a similar manner. Note that it is not possible to do an MSc in the Department entirely by coursework.

Supervision of Study

Each incoming student is assigned a supervisor, who is a member of staff with particular expertise in the subject area of the thesis or dissertation and will guide the student's research. Typically, the student spends time each week in discussion with his or her supervisor. The supervisor also recommends lecture courses and seminars which the student should attend.

The department offers a range of lecture courses for first year postgraduate students, some of which may also be of interest to more advanced PhD students.As of2007/08, the departmentis part of the new EPSRC funded Scottish Mathematics Training Centre. The Centre involves all the major mathematics departments in Scotland with postgraduate programmes. Its role is to deliver a series of MSc level courses which, in pure mathematics, comprises courses in Algebra, Analysis, and Geometry/Topology. The mode of delivery is by means of video-conference technology. New postgraduate students would normally be expected to take all three courses, but provision is made for those with sufficient background.

Students in later years will spend most of their time working under the direction of their supervisor.

Monitoring and Experience

The university operates a formal 'structured management framework' for monitoring the progress of research students. The details are adapted by each Department to make it more relevant for the needs of its own students. This involves students and supervisors returning comprehensive six-monthly reports which are forwarded to the University Postgraduate Office. Research students take part in seminar activity and each is expected topresent at least one seminar per year. They are also encouraged to attend meetings at other centres and to participate in appropriate conferences and short courses.

At the beginning of their postgraduate studies, new students attend a three day induction course arranged by the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. During the session, between two and three days each session are spent on short courses arranged at the College level dealing with communication skills, IT skills, career options, etc.

Postgraduate students are given the opportunity to gain classroom experience and develop teaching skills by doing some tutorial work each session. Currently two unpaid tutorials per week during the semester is what we expect from our PhD students. If there is more tutorial work to do, we pay for it at a very decent rate.

Financial Support

From a financial or funding perspective, candidates for PhD study at Aberdeen come in three categories:

  1. UK residents (it is enough to have been a UK resident in the three years before the PhD start date);
  2. Residents of EU countries other than the UK;
  3. "Overseas" students, i.e., none of the above.
  1. EPSRC will normally pay for your tuition fees and will cover your living expenses. (If you wish to know what the current stipend is, search in http://www.epsrc.ac,uk under headings such as “postgraduate training” .) All you need is good academic qualifications.
  2. EPSRC will normally pay for your tuition fees but will not cover your living expenses. In such cases, the University may however be able to provide a stipend for you. Alternatively, we may be able to advise you on where to apply for external support. Obviously, this is something for you to think about well before the intended PhD start date.
  3. If you are in the third category, non UK and non EU, then it isessential to think about ways in which your PhD study here could be funded. Funding for studentships is sometimes available through research grants obtained by members of staff. Such opportunities are advertised separately when they occur. In some years a small number of Aberdeen University scholarships are available for suitable candidates. The support provided is similar to that given by the EPSRC (i.e. reasonable support for living expenses and fees equivalent to those paid by home or European Community students). Competition for these scholarships is intense.You may also apply for an overseas research studentship which covers the difference between home and overseas fees. However, this assumes that your application for PhD study here has already been accepted. Application forms for te ORS, available from December onwards, are sent automatically to all eligible students with their letter of acceptance to do a PhD. The closing date is February 14. The Department itself has neither scholarships nor teaching assistantships.

In all cases, it is advisable to apply early, and in the first instance through the department atthe address given below.

Accommodation

The University has accommodation available at reasonable cost with a guarantee of accommodation for the first year for overseas students, provided they apply for it before September 7 of the year in which they require it. This accommodation includes self-catering flats. Further details on accommodation and also on English language courses are available from Dr Stephen Theriault.

Applying to join us

Further enquiries about postgraduate study, and requests for an application form should be addressed to

Dr Stephen Theriault
Department of Mathematical Sciences
University of Aberdeen
Meston Building
Aberdeen AB24 3UE.

email: s.theriault@maths.abdn.ac.uk

You are very welcome to send an email asking for further information.