Undergraduate admissions
Full details of all our degree programmes are available in the undergraduate prospectus.
Once you have found a programme you are interested in you may want to find out about what it's like to study at Sussex and the best way to do this is to pay us a visit. If you haven't already made a UCAS application, you might like to come along for one of our open days, campus tours or mature student drop-ins. For more information, see our information for campus visitors.
Undergraduate Admissions Days
Once you have submitted a UCAS application, and received an offer from us, we will invite you to one of our Admissions Days. These are a great opportunity for you to visit Sussex and find out more about the University, our facilities and your degree programme - and to give you a taste of what you can expect from your time here.
You will be shown around the campus, meet members of faculty and current students, as well as visiting your individual department where there will be various talks, tours and demonstrations. The days are designed to be interesting, informative and enjoyable and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Family and friends are welcome to come with you and share in the day, which also includes refreshments and a buffet lunch.
This year's Admissions Days will take place on:
Wed 22nd April 09
(N.B. Not all departments will take part in all of the days, so you will be invited to the one which is most appropriate for you.)
For more information on the School of Science and Technology's Admissions days please email us on scitechmao@sussex.ac.uk
Postgraduate study and research
Details of MSc, MPhil, DPhil in each department
Master's programmes (MSc)
The School offers 22 Master's degree programmes for scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
SciTech Master's programmes equip graduates for significant positions in industry, commerce and the public sector, or as an entry point into research.
Research for the DPhil or MPhil
The School is home to those working at the frontiers of artificial intelligence, computing, digital communications, embedded systems, mechanical engineering, pure and applied mathematics, physics, and astronomy.
The School offers many opportunities for research centrally within these subjects and for activity that crosses subject boundaries both within the School and across the University to the life sciences, humanities and social sciences.
Departments and research groups
The School comprises the departments of Engineering and Design, Informatics, Physics and Astronomy, and Mathematics. The research activity of the School and its departments is organised into research groups, which are focal points for faculty, research staff and graduate students with common research interests. Typically, these groups hold regular meetings, often on a weekly basis and with outside speakers, to discuss ongoing or published research and to plan future objectives. Many research groups have strong links with particular taught Masters degree programmes.
The list of research groups indicates the range of current research activities of the School.
Student support/welfare
Student support is provided by a personal tutor for taught Master's students and by a supervisor and thesis committee for research students. These members of faculty are assisted by the School's student welfare office which is overseen by the director of student support. The School is the focal point for a wide range of activity, and the informal atmosphere enables students to get to know each other, and the research teams, very quickly. Our policy is to try to provide desk space for research students near other members of the research group within which they will be working.
Training and academic activities
Every week during term time there is a huge range of seminars with both internal and external speakers. Some of these seminars are School or University-wide; others are focused on the interests of individual research groups.
All science postgraduates are eligible for training in generic skills such as time management, project management, science writing, interview techniques and communication skills. Tutors are members of the University and specialist external consultants. The training programme is organised by the Science Postgraduate Support Group (SciPS), which makes no charge to the student.
As part of their research training many research students take courses in their first year, often drawn from courses available to Master's students. For example, in the autumn term there is a course on research methods, an introduction to the methodology of scientific research, which all Informatics research students are expected to attend. In the spring term these students are advised to attend the Advanced Technical Communication course, which covers technical writing, the organisation of reports and effective oral presentation. Similar opportunities are available in the other departments.
Some departments and research groups in the School organise annual residential conferences for all their research students, providing an excellent opportunity to present work and meet other students. Students are also encouraged to present their work at national and international events of various kinds and some financial support is available to fund this.
Social activities
Graduate students within the School organise many of their own activities. There is a student committee whose members welcome and look after new students, and arrange social functions such as parties for students and staff. They also represent student interests on the relevant University committees. A variety of games is organised on an informal basis within the School, such as soccer, squash and badminton.
Research/industry links
Research is motivated by social, economic and industrial needs. Strong links have been developed with local and national industry - not least because most practical problems requiring research also demand an interdisciplinary approach. Relationships with industry are exemplified in the University's developing technology park, where several of the companies are involved in research areas pursued by the School of Science and Technology.
Professional engineering standards are of particular concern to the School, and are regulated by the professional bodies. Our involvement is reflected in the senior positions held by our members of staff in engineering institutions such as the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
Sources of funding
In addition to awards available in all schools, such as Overseas Research Student Awards (ORS), the School of Science and Technology currently receives financial support for research from over 35 industrial companies, together with support from governmental and charitable organisations, such as the EPSRC (including CASE awards), ESRC, PPARC, BBSRC, and the Nuffield Foundation. These funds are used to purchase equipment and to finance research personnel in the form of graduate students and research assistants. EU (non-UK) graduate students can apply for Marie Curie Fellowships in the Department of Physics and Astronomy or the Centre for Mathematical Analysis and its Applications.
If you are resident in the UK, you are eligible to apply for a studentship provided by one of the various research councils. These awards are allocated through the departments. See awards for graduate studies in the prospectus for more information.
Individual supervisors may also, from time to time, have specific funding for their research programmes and a limited number of bursaries financed by the School are also available to support well-qualified DPhil students. Students may gain extra financial support by assisting with teaching, though these opportunities vary in number from year to year.
Advanced Course Studentships, supplied by the EPSRC, are available for the Master's degree in Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems.
Full details of all programmes are available in the postgraduate prospectus.