PhD Study Rooms

This page contains information about the Department's current policy regarding PhD study room allocation. This policy is reviewed regularly and may be modified from time to time as discussed and agreed by the Staff-Student Liaison Committee for Research Students.

Common Rooms

All research students have access to the Resource Room (4.201) and to the Department's Social Space (4.305A), as well as to the Postgraduate Common Room.

PhD Offices

Applications

Students who need a workspace in one of the Department's PhD study rooms should set out a short case (about 150-200 words in length) outlining the reasons for their request and submit this by e-mail to the Assistant Director of Research Students. Students who are undertaking a PhD by Supervised Research are entitled to apply for a space in a study room at the start of their first year; students who are undertaking a PhD via the Integrated (New Route) Programme are entitled to apply when entering their second year. Workspaces are normally only available to full-time students.

If the number of students who have submitted a plausible case for office space does not exceed the number of desks available, keys will be handed out to those students who have requested a space.

If the number of applications exceeds the number of available desks at any point during the year, students' names will be put on an ordered waiting list. Applicants will be informed via email as soon as a space becomes available. Students who are waiting to be allocated a desk can request a key for one of the lockers in the Resource Room.

Guidelines

To allow the current system to operate smoothly, students are requested to adhere to the following guidelines:

Once a student has been informed that office space has become available, they should collect their key from the Graduate Administrator within three weeks. If this is not possible for some reason, they should let the Graduate Administrator or the Assistant Director of Research Students know. Failing this, the space will be allocated to the next person on the waiting list.
When collecting a room or locker key, students will be asked to pay a deposit of £5. This deposit is paid back when the key is returned.
If a student who has been allocated a desk is holding a locker key, they should return this key when collecting their office key, since lockers are intended for the use of students on the waiting list.

The PhD office situation is reviewed regularly, and the Department will continue to seek ways to increase PhD office space. It may be necessary to supplement the above policy (e.g. by giving priority to students within their minimum period and/or completion year, or to those living off campus). If a change in policy becomes necessary, students will be invited to express any preferences they might have among various options.
In order to allow us to make the best possible use of the available office space, students who have a workspace in the Department are asked to return their keys to the Departmental Graduate Administrator in the following circumstances:

When they no longer need a workspace in the Department;
When they are away from the University for three months or more, e.g. because they are taking leave of absence or because they are carrying out fieldwork;
After they have passed their PhD examination.

Office users who return their keys because they are spending between 3 and 12 months away from Essex will get their places back on their return. In their absence, their places will be made available, on a temporary basis, to students on the waiting list. Desk spaces of students who are spending more than 12 months away from Essex cannot be held in reserve; on such occasions, students are asked to re-apply for office space on their return.

PhD study rooms are not equipped with computers as standard. However, we will place used machines in study rooms as and when PCs become available. Such Departmental computers are for the benefit of all office users; they do not belong to any specific person, even if they are placed on a desk normally used by a specific person. Likewise, desks do not 'belong' to specific people.

PhD study rooms are not equipped with printers as standard. There is a networked printer in the Departmental Office for the use of research students. This printer is linked to a PC in the Resource Room (4.201), from where all research students can send print jobs.

Printed documents can be picked up from the Departmental Office during opening hours, and students are asked to sign out their printed documents. Each research student has an allowance of 1,000 pages per academic year. This allowance cannot be carried forward from one year to another. Any surplus printing will be charged at a rate to be specified from time to time by the Head of Department. The current rate is 5p per page.

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