Alliance Manchester Business School (Postgraduate research)
Welcome to postgraduate research at Alliance Manchester Business School (Alliance MBS).
Welcome messages
Checklist for starting your programme
In the coming weeks before you join us, please take a few moments to go through the following checklist to make sure all the essentials are covered.
Remember if you are externally sponsored (i.e. not by AMBS or the University/ESRC/EPSRC/RADMA, family, or friends), please make sure that you send an official letter detailing your sponsorship to reach us as soon as possible if you haven’t already done so. The letter must provide the details shown below:
| UK/EU sponsors | Overseas sponsor |
| Official letterhead paper with contact details | Official letterhead paper with contact details |
| Addressed to The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL | Addressed to The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL |
| Your full name | Your full name |
| Your programme of study | Your programme of study |
| Your year of study or the range of years the sponsorship will apply | Your year of study or the range of years the sponsorship will apply |
| Statement that tuition fees (and amount) will be paid upon receipt of invoice | Statement that tuition fees (and amount) will be paid upon receipt of invoice |
| Contain a VAT/Company registration number | If you have overseas government funding, the letter should be from the relevant London Embassy. |
| Purchase Order number (if required) | Purchase Order number (if required) |
If you need a Student Visa to enter the UK for your studies, you should by now have received your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement from us.
If you have not yet received your CAS or a message from our team about this, please get in touch straight away.
We know that sometimes applying for a visa can be a lengthy and perhaps daunting process, and so we would like very much to make sure that you have this important document as quickly as possible.
When you travel to Manchester, please ensure that you bring your original documents of the qualification(s) detailed in the ‘Offer Documents’ section of your CAS with you.
Some banks may allow you to open a bank account before you arrive in the UK, but others will want you to wait until you arrive in Manchester, and your registration is complete so it's important to check with them as to what their policy is.
For more information and guidance, please see set up a bank account.
Registration opens on 1 September.
Please register as soon as the registration window opens and before 30 September.
You will find instructions on the registration process, along with other tasks you may need to undertake (such as activating your IT account) on the Welcome website.
For those of you who will be in receipt of University-administered funding, you must open a UK bank account in order to receive your stipend payments in a timely manner.
For payments to be made to you on time beginning in October, you will also need to enter those bank details against your student record.
This can only be done after you have completed registration.
When you have completed registration and are ready to enter your bank details, please follow the instructions provided on the Student Support website.
The delivery of the programme will have a very different start this year, and so ahead of commencing your MRes or PhD journey on 19 September, we encourage you to start thinking about the courses you would like to take as part of your research training in your first year with us.
To access the course outlines running in 2022/23, visit information for offer-holders.
Please find welcome guide for September 2025 starters at Humanities Doctoral Academy - New Postgraduate Researchers - Welcome and Induction page.
Our PGR handbook is available at Postgraduate research handbook - The University of Manchester.
If you have any questions about your offer, please contact hums.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk. If you have questions about the programme, please contact Hums.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk.
Before starting your course, visit the welcome pages, where there are a few practical things we need you to complete in your first few weeks to get things started.
You can also view a list of steps that AMBS encourages you to take before starting your course.
The AMBS PhD & MPhil Doctoral Programmes Handbook and the DBA Programme Handbook are one of the main sources of information about your programme, studies and available support throughout your degree.
We recommend saving the handbook as a favourite, or adding it to your bookmarks, to give you easy access whenever you need it.
At The University of Manchester, students have the opportunity to engage with a number of groups and organisations that should make the transition to University more enjoyable.
Find out more about just some of these opportunities below.
- Student societies are student groupings based on your interests. It can be whatever: there are already Student Societies on board games, Disney, magic, flight simulation, sports or anime. AMBS students have also a host of their own societies.
- Why not test Academic English workshops in taster sessions during the welcome week? Regardless of whether you do, you can sign up for free workshops at any point during your studies.
Manchester is steeped in culture and history. Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a vibrant and exciting location. Find out more about Manchester by reading the resources below:
At The University of Manchester, students have access to a wide range of support services, designed to help with a variety of matters.
- Humanities Doctoral Academy – Each Faculty has a doctoral academy offering dedicated and streamlined end-to-end support to postgraduate researchers, from recruitment and admissions to your final thesis and graduation ceremony. The doctoral academies help to create and sustain a research culture in which you can excel and reach your full potential. You can get in touch with the team at hums.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk.
- Students' Union
- Disability Advisory and Support Service
- Counselling and Mental Health Service
- Central University Student Support services and resources
- Careers Service
Manchester is a truly multicultural university, welcoming more than 44,000 students a year from 170 countries to our friendly campus community. We recognise that our international students may have specific requirements, so we offer additional help to make sure that your transition to living here is as smooth as possible.
For more information on life as an international student at The University of Manchester, visit the following pages:
- Our Student Immigration Team offers support and advice to international students.
- Travel and Visas - some key information you need on travel guidance, support and visa information.
- Accommodation Guarantee
- International Society
- Multicultural Manchester
The University offers a range of support for students from backgrounds and communities currently under-represented in higher education:
- Tailored support for specific communities, eg care experienced students, estranged students, commuter students and disabled students.
Our students offer insights on their experiences at The University of Manchester in the resources below.
Students at The University of Manchester have access to support from a number of sources.
- Programme Support - AMBS Doctoral Programmes team will be your first point of contact for most queries, and they can point you in the right direction. The team’s main role is to guide you through general programme-related queries, such as course unit selection and timetabling but they can signpost you to the most relevant team if necessary. You will meet the team during your programme welcome. You can contact the team at ambs-pgresearch@manchester.ac.uk.
- Humanities Doctoral Academy - Each Faculty has a doctoral academy offering dedicated and streamlined end-to-end support to postgraduate researchers, from recruitment and admissions to your final thesis and graduation ceremony. The doctoral academies help to create and sustain a research culture in which you can excel and reach your full potential. You can contact the team at hums.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk.