The Doctoral College is responsible for Doctoral Researchers (also known as Postgraduate Researchers or PhD students) and their recruitment, progression and development. It replaces the Graduate School and brings together the functions of the former Graduate School and the Research Student Office.
The College will deliver the ‘Educating for Success’ strand of the CALIBRE framework, the research component of the University’s Building Excellence strategy, ensuring the quality of programmes and the overall doctoral experience.
It will bring significant benefits and enhanced profile to Doctoral Researchers, which reflects their contribution to the University’s research capability, and will provide a closely integrated doctoral experience – a ‘one-stop-shop’ for admissions, development and preparation for future careers.
Doctoral Researchers will have access to a wide range of training, development and funding opportunities, events across both the Loughborough and London campuses, and automatic membership of Research Professional. They will also continue to have dedicated study and social space in Graduate House.
A brand new website will be unveiled to coincide with the launch, providing a wealth of information and resources relevant to doctoral research.
Professor Andrew Dainty, Director of the Doctoral College, commented: “I am delighted to announce the launch of the Doctoral College as part of our annual Summer Showcase event.
"We are creating a special affiliation and identity for Doctoral Researchers at Loughborough through the College, which also underlines a set of structural improvements to our postgraduate programmes that will benefit current and prospective students alike.
“It will support researchers through every step of their research journey, through extensive training, collaboration and partnership.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Allison said: “Our postgraduate community is built on a foundation of academic excellence and an environment where students form enduring professional and personal friendships that are integral to their intellectual development and future careers.
“Our postgrads are essential to our research endeavour and their contribution is a key part of both their and our success. The launch of the new Doctoral College is an important development in Loughborough’s outstanding doctoral experience.”
For further information, visit the Doctoral College website.