Centre for Graduate Studies
The School's Centre for Graduate Studies was officially opened by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester, Professor Martin Harris, on 10 October 2003. The opening ceremony was attended by staff and students of the School and invited guests, including Cyril Poulopoulos, Director of the Alliance Française; Marcello Cavalcaselle, Italian Consul; Hans-Ulrich Tanner, Swiss Consul and Fernando Lopez from the Instituto Cervantes.
Two hundred thousand pounds was invested in the conversion of one of the School's most distinctive spaces, the School's Reading Room, into its new Centre for Graduate Studies. The space is highlighted in Pevsner's Manchester, which describes the 'Corbusian external stairs and a curving rooftop pavilion containing a library, the interior of which is an exciting space with big circular rooflights and very narrow window slits on one side only'. Care was taken to enhance those features while providing state-of-the-art facilities for postgraduate study, including 30 work spaces with pcs, locker spaces for 132 students, as well as 8 additional work spaces.
In his opening address, Professor Steve Parker, the former Head of School, highlighted a number of developments in recent years which have led to an unprecedented rise in the numbers of students pursuing MAs and PhDs in the School. The School now offers an impressive breadth of specialisations at MA level and attained record levels of AHRC funding. The Vice Chancellor expressed admiration for the expansion and development of modern languages at Manchester, at a time when many other universities are experiencing difficulties in this area. He congratulated Professor Parker and the School on their achievements.
For further information or for access to the Centre for Graduate Studies, please contact the Postgraduate Office:
Zhenya Purves: Postgraduate Support Officer
Email: zhenya.purves@manchester.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 8050
Fax +44 (0)161 275 3031