Academic Advisors

All first year undergraduate students joining Alliance Manchester Business School are allocated an Academic Advisor. Your Academic Advisor is there to help you develop key academic skills throughout your first year and provide guidance throughout your studies on matters of an academic nature.

They will also take an interest in your professional development and during a one to one meeting with your Academic Advisor each semester, you will have the opportunity to discuss your academic performance and your future career goals.

Your Academic Advisor will provide you with a reference for an internship or placement (if required). You may also feel it appropriate to discuss personal worries or problems with your Academic Advisor, however please note that depending on the circumstances, your Academic Advisor may refer you to the Student Support and Guidance team to discuss these in more detail with them.

First-year students

As a first-year student on an AMBS undergraduate programme (except for those studying BSc Accounting / BSc Business Accounting / BSc ITMB), you will meet your Academic Advisor in a fortnightly seminar as a formal part of the BMAN10780 Academic and Career Development Course. This course is designed to support you in your transition to University and will enable you to develop a working partnership with your Academic Advisor.

Your Academic Advisor will provide you with feedback on a practice essay which will then lead onto you submitting an assessed essay for BMAN10780. This feedback will help you prepare for other coursework throughout the year. Your Academic Advisor will also have discussions with you about your Personal and Career Development Plan (PCDP), which forms another assessed component of the BMAN10780 course. Seminars will help you to prepare for your career beyond University, including support in CV writing, developing interview skills and presentation skills.

BSc Accounting – first-year students

As a first-year student on BSc Accounting you will meet with your Academic Advisor on a regular basis throughout the first year as part of the BMAN10760 Auditing and Professional Accounting Practice 1 course. Through this course, you will receive support to develop your academic skills, such as essay writing and also to develop the skills needed to succeed in a career in accounting practice.

Your Academic Advisor will provide you with feedback on your professional development journal and have discussions with you about your Personal and Career Development Plan (PCDP), and your CV. Workshops will focus on understanding and developing the skills required by employers, such as delivering presentations and report writing.

BSc IT Management for Business – first-year students

As a first-year student on BSc ITMB you will meet with your Academic Advisor through the BMAN11030 Academic and Professional Practice course. This course will support your transition to University and help you to develop independent research and academic skills. Your Academic Advisor will provide you with feedback on a practice essay which will then lead onto you submitting an assessed essay for BMAN11030. This feedback will help you prepare for other coursework throughout the year. The course is also designed to enhance your employability and aid professional career development. You will receive support in CV writing, interview skills and presentation skills, and there will be opportunities for you to engage with employers. Your Academic Advisor will also have one to one discussions with you about your Personal and Career Development Plan (PCDP).

All students will remain with their Academic Advisor throughout the full duration of their studies, however, a change to your Academic Advisor would occur if a member of the academic team is leaving or going on maternity leave etc. Students are able to request a change of Academic Advisor at any time and we would ask for feedback as to the reason why such a change is required. Please note that requests for changes to Academic Advisors may or may not be granted, at the discretion of the School.

Returning second-year students

You will have the same Academic Advisor as in the first year unless otherwise advised. Throughout the second year, students will meet formally with their Academic Advisor twice and will also receive email communications (additional meetings can be requested if needed). Attendance at these sessions is compulsory and will be monitored.

Meetings and email communications with your Academic Advisor will include the following (as well as additional support emails throughout the year):

Semester 1 Weeks 2 - 3

An individual meeting will take place to renew your relationship with your Academic Advisor and discuss various start of year processes including course unit selection, additional support, career discussion, feedback etc.

Semester 1 Weeks 9 - 10

Your Academic Advisor will email you prior to the Christmas holidays / semester 1 exam period.  This will provide an opportunity for you to raise any issues you would like to discuss or to arrange an additional meeting.

Semester 2 Weeks 5 - 7

The opportunity of a meeting with your Academic Advisor will be made available for you to discuss any semester 1 marks and issues regarding your academic progression.

Semester 2 Weeks 11 - 12

Your Academic Advisor will email you prior to the semester 2 exam period. This will provide an opportunity for you to raise any issues you would like to discuss or to arrange an additional meeting. You might also want to request a reference from your Academic Advisor at this time, for an internship or other work experience.

Returning final year students

You will have the same Academic Advisor as in the second year unless otherwise advised. Even though we appreciate that your final year is an extremely busy time for you, there is an expectation that you will continue to meet with your Academic Advisor during the year, especially as this is a key person for providing you with an academic reference.

As this scheme should have allowed you to build a good relationship with your Academic Advisor throughout your first and second year, we anticipate that if you want to arrange additional meetings to discuss any academic-related issues with your Advisor then you will arrange this on an individual basis by contacting them directly.

Meetings and email communications with your Academic Advisor will include the following (as well as additional support emails throughout the year):

Semester 1 Weeks 2 - 3

An individual meeting will take place to welcome you back and to discuss your final year of study.

Semester 1 Weeks 9 - 10

Your Academic Advisor will email you prior to the Christmas holidays / semester 1 exam period. This will provide an opportunity for you to raise any issues you would like to discuss or to arrange an additional meeting.

Semester 2 Weeks 5 - 7

The opportunity of a meeting with your Academic Advisor will be made available for you to discuss your semester 1 marks and sources of support as you approach graduation.

Semester 2 Weeks 11 - 12

Your Academic Advisor will email you prior to the semester 2 exam period. This will provide an opportunity for you to raise any issues you would like to discuss or to arrange an additional meeting. You might also want to request a reference from your Academic Advisor at this time, for a graduate job and/or postgraduate study.