Before You Arrive

Before you arrive in Durham you will receive your CIS (Computing and Information Services) username and password. For courses starting in October, please contact our Learning and Teaching team at maths.teaching@durham.ac.uk or by phone on 0191 334 3050 if you have not received these by the middle of September.

With these you will be able to access Sharepoint, our internal pages for registered students only, where you can find information for our PGT and PGR students, as well as about the Department more generally.

Once you have your CIS username and password you can enrol with the University. You can find detailed instructions explaining how to do this on the PGT Checklist for New Students and PGR Checklist for New Students pages

For PGT students, we recommend that you do the following before arriving in Durham:

• Familiarise your self with the Mathematical Sciences Handbook, which contains information about the Department, our staff and key contacts, teaching and learning policies, assessment policies, progression regulations and student support.
• Read your course booklet and information on how to make the most of our online materials on Blackboard. Your course director and lecturers will use Blackboard to communicate with you, and you can find all the information about your modules here.
• Register for your optional modules. You can find detailed instructions explaining how to do this on the PGT Checklist for New Students. Note that the Department needs to approve your choice of optional modules before they are confirmed. Descriptions of modules can be found in the Faculty Handbook, and more information about all the modules offered by the Department of Mathematical Sciences is provided on our module description pages.

Once Term Begins (for PGT students)

Lectures, tutorials and practicals

Week 1 of term starts on the first Monday of October. Lectures start right away, so make sure you are familiar with the timetable and room locations by this point. More information can be found on Sharepoint here.

Tutorials and practical classes begin (with some exceptions) in week 2. You will be allocated to specific tutorial groups at the start of term, so please be aware that these classes will not appear on your timetable until then.

Academic Advisors

We hope that one of the highlights of your time studying Maths in Durham will be interacting with the academic staff, who are hoping to share their passion for the subject with you.  

One particularly important person is your academic advisor, who will be the Course Director for your chosen course. You will meet your academic advisor in the first week of term.

Over the year, they will be able to help you with your module choices, provide academic guidance, and can often provide you with a reference towards the end of the course. You can find more information about what to expect from your academic advisor here.

Further questions?

We are all looking forward to meeting you in the Department of Mathematical Sciences in October. If you have any other questions, then please feel free to contact the Department and we will help you:

• Email: maths.teaching@durham.ac.uk
• Main office phone: 0191 334 3050

Once you arrive in Durham, you are also welcome to come and talk to us in person in the Maths Office, MCS 2093. We are located in the Mathematical and Computer Sciences building on the second floor. If you reach the second floor by the main stairs then go straight ahead and you'll see the sign for Mathematical Sciences Reception on your right.