Dear overseas partners,
Welcome to the May 2020 issue of the University of Bath Agents' Newsletter.
We hope you are all safe and well.
Due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this edition of the newsletter is vitally important to make sure you are updated with all the latest news from the University of Bath
There are a number of important updates detailed below, including our continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new English Language tests, a pre-sessional update and our latest digital events.
Please look at the table of contents below to make sure you don't miss an important update.
As always please share this information among your teams and with all those involved in counselling prospective students.
If you have any questions or require further information, please email j.m.vittles@bath.ac.uk.
Coronavirus update^
The continued disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic means we are all facing challenging times. At Bath, we have taken many preventative measures to protect our community and we want to reassure you we are doing all we can to help students who are due to start studying in September 2020.
We have provided as much guidance as possible on our website, and have split the information into Undergraduate and Postgraduate. You can read the information for Postgraduate Offer-Holders here and the information for Undergraduate applicants here. We have provided as much information as possible and will update this guidance as the situation develops.
Please also refer to our COVID-19 topic page for updates relating to all aspects of our response to the pandemic.
How we've supported the community during the COVID-19 pandemic^
28,000 pieces of PPE made at the University of Bath
Staff from the University of Bath’s Faculty of Engineering & Design have now made 28,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospitals, pharmacies, care homes and GPs in and around the city.
Working from a lab on campus, the team making the vital equipment have completed their 20,000th face shield, which alongside 8,000 eye protectors will help to protect medical staff in the area from coronavirus.
You can read the full story here.
Bath scientists join rapid-response project to find treatments for COVID-19
Scientists at the University of Bath are developing optical fibres and building endoscopic devices designed to access the tiny airways deep within a person’s lungs, as part of a major project that aims to find effective treatments for patients with Covid-19. Read the full story here.
Mathematics of COVID-19
Staff from Maths at Bath are involved in research which is very relevant to the current situation, and the department is involved in many initiatives to support the current crisis. You can explore the lecture series here.
English language requirements changes^
We are now accepting an a number of additional tests for 2020 entry including, Duolingo, IELTS Indicator and TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. Further information can be found on our dedicated webpages below.
Undergraduate courses – Full details of the new tests can be found on each course page in the online prospectus under ‘Entry Requirements’.
Masters and Research courses – please see our dedicated webpage
We are also offering the Password skills test, which will be administered by the University. If you have any students interested in taking this test please ask them to register here and we will follow up with further information.
Undergraduate admissions latest^
The Admissions team are all working remotely and therefore there is no option to contact us by telephone but we are all available via email. Please continue to contact us should you have any concerns or questions via admissions@bath.ac.uk or uginternationaladmissions@bath.ac.uk.
We can advise that regular communications are being sent to the applicants via email, many thousands have been sent in the past few days providing reassurance and advice with regards the process being adopted by Bath when considering the many challenges we are all facing, including cancellation of exams, school closures, the delay in receiving results, lack of English tests etc. We hope this communication will provide valuable support.
The Admissions Team have successfully managed to gather some information from around the world with regards international qualifications but should you have local information about when results may be available, or how the qualifications are being awarded etc that you feel would be helpful to us, please do let us know on uginternationaladmissions@bath.ac.uk.
We are aware that this information is subject to change but any guidance would be much appreciated in order for us to plan and reassure your students.
Pre-sessional update^
We have recently welcomed students onto the online 20-week Pre-sessional English (PSE) programme which started on the 20 April. Initial feedback from students has been positive. Students appreciate the small groups, greater flexibility and blended style which combines independent learning, group projects and live sessions with a teacher.
The 10-week and 5-week Pre-Sessional English programmes (PSE) will also be delivered online from 6 July–11 September 2020.
10-week Pre-sessional English (online) Programme 6 July - 11 September 2020
5-week Pre-sessional English (online) Programme 6 August - 11 September 2020
Summer PSE application updates
Applications for the PSE are open as usual and students will be enrolled on the appropriate online PSE programme. Any existing offers will be automatically transferred to the online programme.
We have updated our webpages with details of the course content and teaching, application and entry information and further FAQs for our partners.
- Application deadline is now 3 weeks before the course start date
- Applicants can now use scores from any University approved test to join the online PSE including those offered online (e.g. Duolingo) or a test which they have already taken (e.g. a non- SELT IELTS)
- Certificates are now valid for results achieved up to 30 months before the start of the course
- The Accommodation team will cancel any current bookings for University accommodation for the PSE students. If the situation improves and we can provide part of the pre-sessional course on campus, accommodation can be re-booked at that point
Further training is available for our partners if required. We also understand that many student cases are quite complex so please do contact our PSE Admissions Team for further information or to discuss any issues.
Looking Ahead
If the situation improves, we plan to offer an additional face to face (F2F) version of the 5- week programme on the University campus. This will allow some flexibility of movement between the online and F2F pathways for appropriately qualified students who wish to transfer.
The design of the online and F2F courses are closely aligned to allow students to move between the versions without losing any teaching and learning time. We will make a final decision on this by mid-June in line with the global situation, UK Government guidelines and University policy.
Further information and updates are available on our Pre-sessional English webpages.
Digital events^
Our next Postgraduate Virtual Open Day will take place on June 10 from 11am-3pm UK time (GMT+1), and we'd encourage any students interested in studying at Bath to register here. As always, we have many student ambassadors available to answer questions on the day alongside members of staff.
PG offer holder webinars
Over the past few weeks we have been delivering region-specific webinars for Postgradaute Offer Holders, these have included events for Indian, Thai, Taiwanese, Chinese and International offer holders. All offer holders from those regions were invited and have also been sent the recording of the webinars. If you'd like a copy of any of the recordings to share with your students please do contact us via email here.
UG Live Chats
We are hosting two live chats in June for students considering Undergraduate study with us who have yet to apply. These chats are a cahnce to ask any questions to our staff or student ambassadors.
To register for either of the chats, please click here.
Offer holders are invited to join the School of Management MSc Facebook Forum
Offer holders for the School of Management MSc courses are invited to join our Facebook Forum for the class of 2020/21. This is a great way to connect with other students who are planning to start a master’s course this year. We will host regular live chats and our MSc Admissions Team will be available to answer any questions. To join the group, offer holders will need to have accepted their offer and paid their deposit. Join the Facebook Forum here.
Course spotlights^
MA International Education and Globalisation
Courtney Chrzanowski, a student on our MA International Education and Globalisation course talks about her experience at the University of Bath.
The day in the life of some of our UG students^
Modern Languages BA
Watch our video below to see what a day in the life of a modern languages student at Bath looks like.
Social Work and applied social studies BSc
Watch our video below to see what a day in the life of a social work student at Bath looks like.
To share on your social media^
Please feel free to share any of the 'course spotlight' content above, in addition to the below.
- Recent graduate of the Professional Doctorate in Health course, Kunle, talks about his experience and why he decided on the professional doctorate route- https://vimeo.com/415958619
- Wondering how to pick your firm university choice, or what to consider when choosing which universities to apply to this September? Join three of our students, Sarah, Anthony and Mackyla, as they chat about how they chose a university. They talk about things they considered when choosing which universities to apply to and how they came to a decision on their firm and insurance choice. View here.
- PG student Alexandra explains how she's adapting to studying during lockdown in the UK - read more here.
- What is it like on placement during Covid-19? BA (hons) Modern Languages and European Studies student Emma writes (and sings!) about her experience - view here.
- PG student Flavia shows us what she's been doing to keep busy and strike a work/life balance since studying from home - read more here.
'My Bath Highlights' series^
Our new series of videos called 'My Bath Highlights' allows current UG and PG students to discuss their time at Bath using their favourite photos.
We think it’s a great way to show how much of an enriching and varied time our students have during both their studies and social life.
As always, if you'd like the MP4 video files from any of the above please contact us via email here.
Masters Scholarships^
The final application deadline for our Masters scholarships is 17 July 2020. Offer holders can make an application through their Application Tracker.
Further details about the scholarships and eligibility can be found on our webpages.
New partnership^
The University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency, to establish a collaboration in sustainable food technologies. The partnership will enable Bath to join forces with A*STAR’s research institutes for the production of alternative sources of food protein including cultured meat, lab-grown meat from animal stem cells that shows promise to address the global challenges of food security while reducing the environmental and ethical footprint of conventional farming and meat production.
Follow us on Social Media^
You can keep up to date with all the latest news from the University on our social media channels below
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Follow us on WeChat using the QR code above
Beautiful Bath^
Students may now be studying from home, but our campus remains open for essential staff and those students who have remained in Bath. We also have many students who have remained in the city in privately-owned accommodation.
Respond