Welcome to the School of Natural Sciences

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the School of Natural Sciences and are committed to providing the best student experience possible.

Welcome to the University of Manchester, and the School of Natural Sciences (SoNS)! The School is in the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), and is made up of five departments:

• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Department of Materials
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Physics and Astronomy

You can find a full breakdown of the Departments in FSE here.

Timetable and Registration

From Monday 22 September, your Departmental Welcome programme will begin for your area of study. There will be a range of activities to help you make friends, meet your lecturers and settle into University life. It is important that you make arrangements to attend all of these sessions. They should automatically appear on your personal timetable which can be accessed once you complete registration. The School will also share a PDF copy of the timetable with you via email nearer the time.

Some classes may appear on your online timetable for week 1, the first week of teaching, but don't worry if there are only one or two - the full timetable should appear sometime during Welcome Week.

Please ensure you have activated your IT account to enable you to access University systems. You will then need to register as a student. We strongly suggest you do this before arriving in Manchester. You can start to register online from the 1 September and we recommend that you register as soon as possible.

Canvas

Canvas is the University of Manchester’s new central learning environment. Throughout your time studying at Manchester, you will use Canvas to navigate your course, access course materials, lecture recordings, submit assignments, and more. You can read more about Canvas, including how to access it, here.

School of Natural Sciences Virtual Hub

On Sharepoint you can find the SoNS Virtual Hub where you will find an extensive list of useful information and resources, including wellbeing support and how to request certain documents. You will need to log in with your new University username and password.

Introductory online modules

There will be some important compulsory online modules for you to complete in the first few weeks: Health and Safety; Academic Malpractice; and Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA). These will be made available to you via Canvas.

There are also some non-compulsory modules which will help you prepare for the transition to your studies at the University of Manchester; Essential Transitional Module and My Learning Essentials.

Communications

In September, your Welcome programme timetable will be sent to you via email and will also be available on this page. This will include information about the activities you must attend.

Before you arrive, information may be sent to your personal email, your student email, or both. Once term starts, checking your student email regularly is vital. You will receive important info via email, as well as regular student newsletters. You can also follow us on Instagram for updates.

University accommodation

Many of you will already have arranged your university accommodation. If this isn't the case, or if you need any help or advice, you should contact the University Accommodation Office by email at accommodation@manchester.ac.uk

Student Support in the School of Natural Sciences

You can get support from the Student Support Hub in the Alan Turing Building (map ref: 46). Our friendly team will aim to resolve your query or refer and signpost you appropriately. If we can't answer your question we will find out who can!

Student Engagement and Attendance System (SEAtS)

At the University of Manchester, we use a system called SEAtS to log attendance at teaching sessions, such as lectures and seminars. SEAtS is a useful tool that helps you manage your attendance, stay on top of your academic schedule, and helps us support your wellbeing. As a student, logging into SEAtS for the first time is a straightforward process that involves a few simple steps, including downloading the SEAtS app. Find out how here.

Useful resources

We have collected several tools you need for your studies and essential resources, including your timetable, Canvas, the library, and the Student System. Access the systems here.

See you in September!

The Welcome period can be a challenging and exhilarating time, where you will be meeting both academic and support staff and will be able to participate in a range of social events.

You'll need to absorb and process a great deal of information in a relatively short period of time, so try to be as prepared as possible before you arrive by reading any information we send, activating your IT account, registering as a student, familiarising yourself with support available, and getting in touch if you have any questions.

We look forward to meeting you soon!