Starting a research degree is probably one of the most important decisions you've made in your life. Research is absorbing and challenging, and the process of writing a thesis will seem a steep learning curve at times, and routine at other times, but it will be rewarding. You’ll be working on unresolved problems, which are by their very nature challenging!

It’s a big change from taught courses. You will be more in control of your own programme, and will need to take control of your life and study programme from the start.

Where you live

Amongst the issues involved in taking control of your total programme will be making sure that you have a suitable home environment to study in. You may have facilities provided within your School for study, and you will have full access to the library, but these may not be open when inspiration seizes you at 1 a.m. or when you need to get a great bulk of notes written up in a small chunk of time.

If you are going to be living in university accommodation, you’ll have an excellent base for study;  you might need to give it more thought if you are going to be working from privately rented accommodation or from your own home, particularly if it is a noisy and busy environment. It's worth setting up an area dedicated exclusively to study at home, and introducing any (legal) measures you can from the start to persuade other people that this area is inalienably yours and not subject to the usual household conventions of shared access!

Accommodation contacts:

Accommodation Office

Also see this page for more information Postgraduate Accommodation

What you'll be doing as a research student

The main thrust of what you'll be doing is researching and writing your thesis. If you are a full-time student, this will be the equivalent of a job, so you should plan to spend 35-40 hours a week on it; as a part-time student, think in terms of 15-20 hours a week. You will also be undertaking generic research training for the equivalent of two weeks a year. This will include training in time and research project management, in academic writing for research students and various electronic research skills training as well as subject-specific training in your School.

The supervisor/student relationship is the key academic relationship which you will have during your research at Swansea University. Overseeing your research will be two supervisors: a main supervisor and a second supervisor. The role of your main supervisor is to give guidance on the direction and the academic standard of your research, and usually you will have the same supervisor throughout your degree.

To find out more about postgraduate study at Swansea, log onto out online Postgraduate Brochure, or for a snapshot of postgraduate life, check out our Research Faculty Newsletter.

Don't spend all of your time in Swansea working, though! You need a life outside study, and Swansea provides some great opportunities for socialising and enjoying yourself.

For socialising, check out the Students' Union Ents web pages. Ents' brief is to organise your social lives while in University. This is where you'll find everything you need to know about events, bars and Club nights. For more about the wide range of activities and services offered by the Students' Union, visit their web pages.

Take a look at the Student Development Centre Societies List, where you will find a huge range of societies, and look into Sport Swansea for information about our superb sports facilities - and Olympic standard swimming pool.

Finding Help

If you need advice or help, your first port of call might well be Student Services. They can advise you about a huge range of issues You can download the Student Services Brochure in English or Welsh, or drop into Student Services Reception on the ground floor of the Keir Hardie Building.

We have a thriving community of overseas students, who are welcome at the International Office. You can download the International Office Handbook here.