Welcome to the first issue of agent newsletter for the new recruitment cycle 2009-10. A big thank you to everyone for working so hard to ensure that our students received the best advice and information to enable them to start their studies at Bath. This week we have been busy welcoming new students for our orientation and induction. We are aware that we are still waiting for a small number of students to arrive so please keep us informed of these. The last date they can commence their studies with us is stated on their visa letter as 19 October 2009. Thank you also to all those of you who applied to take part in our agent conference in November- we are very much looking forward to welcoming you.
This issue of the agent newsletter focuses on developments in both Postgraduate and Undergraduate so please read the guidance carefully. We are pleased to roll out new materials and ways of working to streamline our operations for the coming year.
With Best Wishes from the Recruitment Team,
Andy, Jo, Virginia and Zoe
What does Bath have to offer?^
Bath offers high-quality programmes in the areas of Science; Engineering; Humanities; Social Sciences and Management. And has long been a popular choice for students from all over the world. Currently 27% of our 13,000 students are from outside the UK. Bath has just been ranked 10th by the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, published in September 2009, which amalgamates UK newspaper rankings produced by The Independent, The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Times to produce one easy to use reference for university rankings.
What makes students choose Bath?^
Strong on employability
The Sunday Times ranks Bath second in the UK for the percentage of students in graduate level jobs; and eighth for highest graduate starting salaries. The employability of Bath students is due in no small part to the fact that nearly 60% of undergraduates spend one year on an industrial or business placement, and our links with industry are remarkably strong. We have an excellent Careers Advisory Service and students are encouraged to make use of this throughout their time at Bath. The service offers a programme of visits from employers to the university, and in 2007/8, we hosted visits from over 170 employers. We also offer specific services with international students in mind, which include workshops to enhance CV's and job interview techniques.
Popular with head teachers
The recent Sunday Times University Guide 2010 demonstrated again strong recognition of Bath’s qualities among school Head teachers and Principals, saying: “Bath is hugely popular with head teachers, who this year rank it seventh in the UK. This survey shows that Britain’s leading academic schools recognise Bath’s ability to give students an excellent education as well as providing a range of opportunities to broaden their experience of university life.” At Bath, Graduate employment levels are high and few students drop out - Bath’s non-completion rate of 5.5% is well below the anticipated level of 6.8%.
Focused on positive student experience
At Bath, we are proud of the support we provide to our international students. We prioritise orientation of new international students and work hard to ensure they settle in and integrate well with the wider student community, and are equipped to get the most out of their time at Bath. Our new Student Services Centre opened in September and provides a focal point for all students’ support needs, such as; disability advice, funding advice, health and well-being, immigration and visa advice, as well as referrals to other services. The Student Services Helpdesk in the building handles all initial enquiries, and offers students the chance to make appointments for further advice from specialist Student Services teams.
New Postgraduate brochure^
We are delighted to tell you that our new Postgraduate brochure is ready! This has been produced as a replacement for the hard copy postgraduate prospectus which won’t be printed this year. It’s a 24-page brochure aimed at all prospective students (home, EU and International) and focuses on the following themes; - Research; Learning; Employability; Resources; Support; Community; Living; Money; How to Apply. The centre pages features a list of postgraduate courses offered at Bath. The aim is that students will find the brochure a useful introduction to Bath and its key strengths, and be encouraged to visit our website to find out more.
The brochures should be particularly useful to you as agents at events, exhibitions, and meetings with students.
New mailout^
We are getting ready to send you a mailout of Bath materials for use in your offices. The major difference this year is that we no longer have a hard copy postgraduate prospectus, but we will send you our new 24 page brochure for postgraduate students, which focuses on the benefits of postgraduate study at Bath.
The standard mailout will consist of -:
- 10 undergraduate prospectuses
- 10 postgraduate brochures
- 5 x School of Management MSc brochure
- 5 x School of Management MBA brochure
- 5 x School of Management BSc brochure
- 2 x Foundation Year brochures
- 2 x English language centre brochures
- 2 x Accommodation leaflets
- 2 x campus and city maps
The standard mailout will be dispatched out to your offices by the end of October. If, for any reason, you require slightly more or less of any of these pleased advise us by Friday 9th October to GRAHAM WATON, email: g.waton@bath.ac.uk and we will do our best to meet your needs.
You can also access both prospectuses online at the following link - http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/
Postgraduate applications open from 19 October^
IMPORTANT: Applicants for 2010 should apply online starting 19th October 2009
We are upgrading our forms and introducing a new applicant tracker system so 2010 application will not be active until 19 October onwards.
For MA in Interpreting and Translating:
Please apply on line through the main Bath application . Only one reference required now and all documents should be uploaded online. The ONLY document which should be sent to the Department directly is a passport photograph. Please tell candidates to check the application guidelines at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/esml/int-trans
For MBA:
This is now also online only. It is a separate form at: http://www.bath.ac.uk/management/courses/mba/apply_now.html
New country web pages and student profiles^
Over the summer, we have redeveloped our country-specific web pages to feature information relevant to students, such as; entry requirements; in-country visits; scholarships and student profiles. We hope you and your students will find this useful, please feel free to submit feedback on the pages if you wish.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/international/country/
New schools counsellor newsletter^
We have introduced a newsletter for our School Counsellor community across the world which launches today. The aim is to give more in-depth information on Bath and what it has to offer, as well as updates on new developments relating to our courses and our campus. There will be two editions of this newsletter each year, in October and February. We hope this will better inform both students and schools
MA in Education – pathway for practitioners in International Education^
Our MA in Education has a specialist strand in international education, and is taught by recognised experts in the field. The programme is designed to meet the needs of those who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of issues relating to education beyond the national context. Depending upon your interests, you can focus on issues relating to educational practices in different national systems, on international schools and/or on other issues cutting across national contexts. Examples of units offered include; Educational Enquiry (in International Education); Education, Globalisation and Change; Leading and Managing International Schools; Multilingual and Multicultural Education; Second Language Acquisition.
Whilst all programmes are offered on a full-time basis, we also offer an extremely flexible part-time mode; you can attend part-time, study by distance learning, undertake an intensive study week at a Study Centre (either UK based or overseas) or at the Department's Postgraduate Summer School held in July OR undertake a combination of all modes. For more information, please refer to our
website: http://www.bath.ac.uk/education/postgraduate/ma/
Spotlight on Chemical Engineering^
What is Chemical Engineering?
There are numerous definitions of Chemical Engineering, but the one on Wikipedia serves very well: “Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the application of physical science and life sciences with mathematics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms. In addition to producing useful materials, modern chemical engineering is also concerned with pioneering valuable new materials and techniques - such as nanotechnology, fuel cells and biomedical engineering.”
What types of job do Chemical Engineers have?
There can be involvement in: fundamental or applied research, product design, plant management, economic analysis, construction, commissioning & decommissioning, operation, safety analysis, process development, pollution control & prevention, consultancy, technical sales & marketing, management, business & finance, and education. Chemical Engineers work from design and construction to commissioning and production.
What products do Chemical Engineers make?
Chemical Engineers are involved in a broad range of industries. Some examples include: plastics, bulk chemicals, fine & speciality chemicals, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, synthetic fibres, clean water, energy, oil products, advanced materials, fertilisers, food, confectionery & dairy products, beer & other beverages, and artificial organs.
Where do Chemical Engineers work?
The largest employer of Chemical Engineers is the Oil and Gas Sector (about 20%); Chemicals & Allied Products employ about 17%; Contracting Companies are at 12%, the same as Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare; Business & Finance are at 10%; Consultancies employ 8%; Energy (gas, coal and nuclear) employs 6%; Food & Drink is at 5%; the Water industry at 4%; Process Equipment Manufacturers employ 4%; and the remaining 3% work in the Education Sector.
What do Chemical Engineers earn?
Chemical engineering graduates in the UK or Ireland can expect to earn an average starting salary of £26,000 – ranking third only to Medicine and Dentistry. The 2008 IChemE Salary Survey (http://www.tcetoday.com/salarycalculator/) suggests graduates are most likely to begin their career in the oil sector, where average starting salaries are £31,000. It doesn’t take long for salaries to grow in UK chemical engineering. The average wage for chemical engineers aged 25–29 is £33,700, rising to £47,500 for those in their 30s.
Why study Chemical Engineering at Bath?
Bath’s Chemical Engineering graduates are in great demand, with employment rates around 10% above the national average. Since our first cohort of students graduated in 1971, we have always had a very close relationship with industry and commerce. The majority of our students undertake one-year industrial placements, and we are continually improving our courses, placing a strong emphasis on design, to meet the changing needs of industry, as well as the background sciences (physical chemistry, chemistry, biochemistry), to reflect the changing nature of Chemical Engineering as an inderdisciplinary topic. Our students also have the opportunity to take a 6-month research project placement in a university abroad. Our well-established and highly respected MEng and BEng programmes have recently been updated and have received the highest possible level of Professional Accreditation from the Institution of Chemical Engineers. This means that employers of our graduates have given us the strongest possible endorsement.
Each year we welcome about 70 new undergraduate students from more than 10 countries. About 25% of our students are international, joining us from China, Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. We also have students from mainland Europe, including France, Germany and Sweden.
In terms of research, we have a broad range of interests, with teams working on issues as diverse as waste water treatment, nanomaterials, hydrogen production and storage, sustainable chemical technologies, regenerative medicine, drug delivery systems and "intelligent" materials.
We think of Chemical Engineering at Bath as a friendly, close-knit and hard-working community where everybody can participate and contribute to our success.
Quote from a recent external examiner
“The challenging Design Project, the Product Design course, and the Biomedical Engineering module are innovative features that produced some excellent work, amongst the best that I have seen at any University.”
Professor Nigel Slater, University of Cambridge (2003 – 2007)
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