Student supervision

The relationship between the student and the research supervisor is most important to the student’s successful completion of a graduate degree. The university has an established policy with regard to supervisor appointments, responsibilities and conflicts. Visit the Graduate Academic Calendar and Course Catalogue for more detailed information.

Supervisor-student Conversation Starters

The relationship between you and your student is most important to their successful completion of a graduate degree. Our conversation starter document is designed to complement the Graduate Academic Calendar’s section on roles and responsibilities of supervisors and students. The conversation starters are suggested to help align expectations of supervisors and graduate students (adapted from the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies).

Download Supervisor-Student Conversation Starters

Forming a supervisory committee

A supervisory committee for a graduate student in a thesis-based program consists of the candidate's research supervisor(s) and at least one other Ontario Tech University faculty member (master's level student) or two other Ontario Tech University faculty members (PhD candidate). The committee's chair may be someone other than the student's research supervisor. Learn more about the supervisory committee. Please contact the graduate program office in your faculty for assistance with the forms.

Helpful resources from the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies

• Evidence-based pedagogies for supervisors
• Guiding Principles for Graduate Student Supervision
• Graduate Studies: A Practical Guide

Please forward any questions on graduate student supervision to gradstudies@ontariotechu.ca.