Every new student is appointed a Director of Studies, or a 'DoS' as they are often called. Your Director of Studies will be an academic member of staff from your main area of study who will help you with any concerns or problems affecting your studies. He or she will provide academic advice on your degree programme and can also act as a pastoral adviser. You should feel free to contact him or her about anything that concerns you about your life at Edinburgh university and in the city, which may affect your study.
Responsibilities of the Director of Studies :
- Provide you with academic guidance on course choices and advice on any study difficulties that you may be having with your course.
- Offer advice or support when personal or health problems are affecting your studies and give you information about where to find further help.
- Where needed, act as your advocate on departmental and course matters.
- Invite you for a meeting in addition to one during Freshers Week to discuss your progress and future course choices or career options.
- If requested, provide you with a reference for a future employer or further degree programme.
- Be available within one week of your request for contact, or provide you with an alternative in case of my absence.
Responsibilities of the Student :
- Attend meetings with your DoS when requested to do so.
- Inform your DoS promptly of any problems that are affecting your studies to ensure that they can support you adequately. (If there has been a problem with an exam or with course work, this needs to be done before the Board of Examiners or Mitigating Circumstances Committee meets.)
- Provide your DoS with information, such as a copy of your CV, before asking for a letter of reference.
- Check your e-mails regularly for communications from your DoS. If you do not use your University e-mail address it is vital that you arrange for University emails to be forwarded to your regular address.
- Inform your DoS immediately if you change your address, e-mail details or phone number.
- Be aware of the various regulations that apply to you, the University Codes of Practice and the support provided by the University as outlined in the Student Handbook.
Meeting Your Director of Studies
You should first meet your Director of Studies in the two weeks before the first semester begins. Normally, you will have the responsibility of making an appointment for this first meeting. You can contact your Director of Studies at any time during the semester to arrange another meeting. Some issues can be resolved without a face-to-face meeting, in which case you might wish to e-mail your DoS. Whatever you discuss with your Director of Studies remains confidential.
Detailed Advice
It is possible that the questions you bring to your Director of Studies require detailed responses. In most cases they will provide the answers. However, there may be occasions where your Director of Studies refers to you another source of support. This might be a University support office, the Advice Place, the Careers Office or a study support advisor, for example.
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