Department of Physics and Astronomy

Academic and Personal Support

Academic and Personal Support

In addition to your MSc course convenors and the School office, you can also get valuable information, advice and support from the Student Centre. They can help you with many issues including:

  • Personal concerns affecting study progress or well-being
  • Funding and finance including scholarships, bursaries and hardship funds
  • Sources of help to improve academic performance – identifying obstacles to learning
  • Understanding university systems and regulations in relation to assessment, services, complaints, conduct, and discipline.
  • Progression, intermission and withdrawal processes - discussion and support
  • Referrals to other professional services on campus
  • Exceptional circumstances help  

If you don’t know who to talk to or who to ask – start at the Student Centre.

The Student Centre is located in Bramber House, University of Sussex, BN1 9QU

T 01273 876767
E
studentcentre@sussex.ac.uk
 

Study Skills and Resources

Make use of the websites and information on this page in case you need additional support for your MSc course.

Turnitin

Turnitin is an online ‘text matching’ tool that compares a student’s work to a huge database of other files and shows where there are strong similarities. It is often referred to as plagiarism detection software.

Skills Hub

The University’s guide to study skills gives advice on writing well, including hints and tips on how to avoid making serious mistakes. Visit the Skills Hub and make use of the resources there. You will also find helpful guides to referencing properly and improving your critical writing skills.

Referencing

Please visit the following webpages for advice on how to reference properly in your essays or dissertations:

Skils Hub on referencing

Workshops and drop in are avaialble for support with referencing along with other academic matters.

Academic Development Support

Visit the The Sussex Centre for Language Studies for further support if you are an international student.

This support is available free of charge to all full-time international/overseas students completing a full degree. Here they offer support with academic cultural differences; learning styles; what is meant by plagiarism, argument and critical analysis, as well as looking at English for academic purposes.

The Sussex Centre for Language Studies Institute runs free ‘English Language for Academic Study' sessions for International students, including in-depth guidance on referencing. There is also advice on how to reference using the Harvard, Vancouver, Numeric and MLA referencing styles.

Important

If you are dealing with difficult circumstances, such as illness or bereavement, do not try to rush your work or hand in something which may be in breach of the rules. Instead you should seek confidential advice from the Student Centre. Visit the Student Centre webpages for more information.