phd supervision agreement

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Graduate School of Life Sciences

Training and supervision agreement (tsa).

The Training and Supervision Agreement (TSA) is a standard agreement between the PhD candidate and the supervisory team and is approved by relevant PhD programme coordinator. The TSA is a contract designed to ensure proper training and supervision throughout the PhD journey.

According to Utrecht University regulations it is compulsory to upload your TSA form electronically onto Utrecht University's PhD tracking system, MyPhD , within three months after starting your PhD track. Approval from all members of your supervisory team, your PhD programme coordinator, and a faculty representative is required through the system. They will receive e-mail notifications once you have uploaded the form. Ensure to complete the form in consultation with your supervisory team and your PhD programme coordinator before uploading it.   The TSA form contains detailed information about the content.

Please note that during your PhD journey, you do not need to register the courses you have completed in MyPhD. While MyPhD includes a section for course registration, this can cause confusion. The courses you enter there are not reviewed by anyone. (You may enter them for your own records if you wish, or if your supervisors would like to see them in the system). We recommend that you save your course list and certificates digitally, so you can submit them to your PhD programme coordinator when applying for the Training Certificate.

Download the form here:  Training and Supervision Agreement (TSA) (docx)

The TSA form contains

• the name of the PhD programme  that you have been admitted to;
• the names of your supervisory team  and your mentor(s) ;
• divisie of supervision tasks and meetings
• your Individual Training Plan (see below for more information), detailing your intended training activities such as thematic and general training and research-related meetings;

Individual Training Plan

As part of the TSA, you complete an Individual Training Plan. It details your intended training activities such as thematic and general training and research-related meetings. By following these trainings you will build your PhD Training Portfolio.

The Individual Training Plan can be adjusted during your PhD journey. It is a dynamic document and can be adjusted during the annual PhD progress meeting.

Discipline-specific educational activities

Discipline-specific training is provided by each of the PhD programmes  of the GSLS. They offer the opportunity to attend courses and meetings (e.g. seminars, master classes, journal clubs, PhD retreats) organised by the programme itself, related research institutes, or (inter)national research networks/schools. The PhD programmes are tasked with organising these courses and meetings and fostering an engaging and inspirational community of PhD candidates. For further information or guidance on completing the plan, please reach out to your PhD programme.

General educational activities

General training in professional competencies and skills are available via the  PhD Course Centre  of the GSLS or Utrecht University (e.g.  Development Guide  including  Career Services ). The  PhD Competence Model can be helpful to select training that fits the competencies of your interest. Key competencies are  Research Skills & Knowledge ,  Responsible Conduct of Science ,  Personal Effectiveness ,  Professional Development ,  Leadership & Management ,  Communication  and  Teaching . These competencies are valuable to prepare you for both academic and non-academic futures. The  PhD Course Guide  offers an overview of available training ordered by competence.

When you make your Individual Training Plain, please take the following requirements for the PhD Training Portfolio into account to be sure that you can apply for a GSLS Training Certificate  at the end of your PhD.

Requirements for the PhD Training Portfolio

• Accumulate at least 5 European Credits (ECs) per full-time equivalent year of research appointment, totalling at least 15 ECs for a 3-year appointment or 20 ECs for a 4-year appointment. If your PhD is part-time or of a different duration, you can calculate the credits proportionally. However, a minimum of 15 ECs is required to receive a GSLS Training Certificate.
• A minimum of 40% of the total credits must be from discipline-specific educational activities within your PhD programme or other relevant programmes or institutes.
• A minimum of 20% of the total credits must be from general educational activities.
• A maximum of 20% of the total credits may come from symposia/conferences where you are an oral or poster presenter.

According to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) 1 credit = 28 hrs and 1.5 credit = 1 week.

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Supervision agreement

This document is meant to stimulate joint reflection about how the PhD student and their supervisor(s) can and want to work together. It does not need to be submitted anywhere. The supervision agreement should be regarded as a living document that can be amended as things change. Your mutual working relationship and personal needs or preferences will evolve over time after all, which means that it is important to continue to engage in dialogue. This way your mutual expectations will remain compatible.

For a Word version of this document, click here

1. Practical info and access to facilities

• Is there office space available for the PhD student?
• Is the PhD student expected to work on campus on a regular basis? If you are a PhD student appointed to your supervisor’s project (e.g. a C1 project, or FWO research project) and you work remotely on a structural basis, you are entitled to an allowance (digital connectivity allowance + home office allowance).
• Is the PhD student expected to work on campus on a regular basis?
• What are the PhD student's working hours? What are the supervisor's working hours?
• What does the holiday scheme look like? What practical arrangements should the PhD student make when they wish to take leave?
• Are there other facilities the supervisor can give the PhD student access to? (e.g. online database, necessary software, …)

2. Meetings

• How often will you try to meet up? (once a month/week, approx. 6 times/year...)
• Who initiates contact?  
• How do you preferably meet up? (on campus, online, …)
• How long do the meetings generally take? (e.g. max 2 hours)
• How do you communicate about smaller issues/quick questions? (via email, the PhD student knocks on the supervisor's door, phone call, a shared document in which you bundle questions for an upcoming meeting…)
• When one of you sends an email, what is a reasonable amount of time before the other approximately replies? (e.g. 2 to 3 working days, a week...) Please note that neither the supervisor nor the doctoral researcher should feel obliged to check their inbox outside working hours (evenings, weekends, holidays or thematic leave such as parental leave). If one of you does send an email outside working hours, the other will not be expected to answer this email outside working hours.
• How do you decide what the meeting is about?
• What do you feel comfortable with regarding the use of social media for personal communication and outreach activities? (Avoid using texting, WhatsApp or similar communication means.) May visual material (e.g. photos of the supervisor, photos of the PhD researcher) be distributed online, and if so, in which way (which channels, tagged or untagged, …)?
• When do you schedule the annual performance interview ? (e.g. a month before handing in the progress report, always in November, …)

3. Feedback

• How independently will the PhD researcher work, and how substantial is the supervisor’s role (e.g. in terms of publications, detailed discussion of intermediate results, conference participation)? What work and supervision style works best for both of you? (Take into account that this is something you will likely decide on in the course of the first year. It is therefore useful to discuss this again after year 1.)
• How long will it generally take for the supervisor to give feedback on a text?
• How long in advance should the PhD student send any texts to be discussed to the supervisor? (e.g. at least one week, two weeks..)
• Are there any other people who will be involved in giving feedback? (e.g. co-supervisors, members of the supervisory committee, research support officers in case of funding applications, other PhD students who read each other's texts)

4. Authorship & publication strategy

If the PhD student and the supervisor prepare a co-authored publication, who will contribute what? Please note: all researchers affiliated to KU Leuven (including supervisors and PhD researchers) are expected to follow the KU Leuven policy regarding authorship.

Cf. KU Leuven criteria for (co)authorship

“Authorship must be reserved for individuals who:

       - the conception and design of the study; AND/OR         - the collection of research data; AND/OR         - the analysis and interpretation of research data;

2. AND make a substantial contribution to the drafting of the manuscript (e.g. article, paper or essay, book) and/or substantially to its critical revision;

3. AND approve the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication;

4. AND agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work by ensuring that all questions related to the accuracy and integrity of any part of the work are investigated and resolved with due care. In addition to being accountable for the parts of the work he or she has prepared, an author must be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for other specific parts of the work. Finally, authors must have justified confidence in the integrity of their co-authors' contributions.” 

• In case the PhD researcher makes a substantial editorial contribution to a scientific article (e.g. compiling the footnotes and/or the bibliography), could they also make an intellectual contribution that would allow them to meet the co-authorship criteria (see above)?
• Will the PhD student try to submit a single-authored publication (this is not common practice in all fields), and if yes, which role does the supervisor still play? (Please note that if the supervisor provides sufficient input, they are entitled to co-author the publication, see criteria above).
• Have you talked about which dissertation format you will aim for (monograph or bundle of publications, see explanation )? If you're going to prepare a bundle of publications, it’s important to set clearly defined goals (which publications you will submit where and when) right from the start. 
• Have you discussed what kind of publication strategy might be best for this specific research project? E.g. which journals may be suitable, are there specific parts of the project (e.g. case studies) that you will try to turn into publications, what Open Access model is most suitable?
• How much scientific output is desirable and feasible (number of publications, number of conference participations, outreach activities, …)?
• Is a (long/short) research stay desirable and feasible, taking into account (i) the objectives of the project (e.g. is it necessary to gather data at another institution?), (ii) the financial situation (are there financial means available to fund the stay? What if an application for these funds is rejected?), (iii) the personal situation and ambitions of the PhD researcher (are there, for instance, circumstances which would complicate a stay, does the PhD researcher consider this an added value?).

5. Funding situation 

If this is a funded PhD, is there enough funding available to appoint the PhD student for four years? 

If there is no funding available for a regular four-year PhD trajectory, can you (and are you able to) apply for funding? (In case you are considering applying for an FWO PhD fellowship, take note of the eligibility criteria .)

Are there 'consumables' funds available? If so, what can these be used for, and how does this work?

6. After the PhD

What are the PhD student's expectations regarding their career after the PhD? To what extent is the supervisor able and willing to play a part in this (e.g. by giving advice or information regarding perspectives within and possibly outside of academia)? It’s best not to leave this conversation until the last year.

Has the PhD student considered possible non-academic career perspectives after the PhD? More information on career perspectives after the PhD can be found here .

7. Administrative and teaching tasks

In which kinds of administrative or teaching activities will the phd student be involved please take note of the following:.

• Fully funded PhD researchers are expected to spend up to 20% of their time on administrative or teaching-related tasks (cf. terms of employment of PhD scholarship holders at KU Leuven , section 4.2). How a PhD researcher spends this time is determined by the supervisor, in consultation with the PhD researcher.
• Yearly invigilation ( only mandatory for funded PhD researchers, more info here ) also counts towards this 20%.
• The PhD researcher should in principle be able to complete these tasks within regular working hours. It is therefore important that the supervisor discusses this task in time, so that the PhD researcher is not obliged to work in the evening or during the weekend.
• PhD students who receive no or limited funding are never obligated to take up administrative or educational duties, but may do so if they wish (e.g. out of personal interest, or for the sake of their CV).
• If there are no teaching opportunities in any of the courses taught by the supervisor, and the PhD student does feel like gaining some teaching experience, which opportunities are there for the PhD student to be involved in teaching a different course?
• If the PhD student is involved in teaching activities, can they be valorized? (e.g. can the PhD student be indicated as medewerker ‘employee’ in the programme book? See explanation )

8. Other expectations and/or questions

• Does the PhD student have any other expectations regarding the supervision? (e.g. that the supervisor will introduce the PhD student to other researchers in their network, that they will inform the PhD student if interesting conferences are announced, …)
• Does the supervisor have any other expectations?
• Are there any other questions you'd like to address?

If applicable:

9. the role of the co-supervisor(s).

• Would it be useful to bring in a co-supervisor (for methodological or content-related reasons)?
• To what extent will the co-supervisor be involved in the supervision (e.g. taking part in meetings, giving feedback on texts, answering questions, co-authoring publications, being cc'd in emails, ...)? It may be useful to discuss this supervision agreement with the co-supervisor(s) to clarify their role.

10. Are there personal circumstances that may affect the collaboration?

Only discuss this if you feel comfortable doing so!

• On the side of the PhD student (e.g. health issues, financial situation, family situation, … ).
• On the side of the supervisor (e.g. health issues, temporary leave due to pregnancy/sabbatical/.., upcoming retirement, upcoming stay abroad...).
• How will you deal with these circumstances?

11. Special points of attention for self-funded PhDs

• How much time does the PhD student have at their disposal to work on the PhD project? (e.g. only during weekends, 1 day a week, full-time, one month a year...)
• How much time do both of you expect it to take before the PhD can be completed? What would be a realistic timeframe? (Please note that it often takes at least 6 years to complete a PhD if the PhD researcher works on the project part-time.)
• Have you discussed the option of putting the PhD ‘on hold’ in case the PhD student is unable to spend time on the research project for a considerable period (e.g. more than 8 months, more information here )?
• Is the supervisor convinced that the description of the research project is currently precise enough and feasible? (Many self-funded PhD students have indicated that they are not sure whether their research project is too broad or too narrow or ‘just right’. The supervisor and PhD student should discuss this on a regular basis in order to avoid a waste of time on irrelevant research activities: is the PhD student still ‘on the right track’? PhD students should voice their concerns in time: don't wait too long if you're hesitating about something.)

12. Special points of attention for joint/double degrees

• Who takes the initiative to inform themselves about the administrative steps to be taken at KU Leuven regarding the defense (at least 6 months before the planned defense date)?
• Is it clear for both of you which components are obligatory at KU Leuven? (e.g. progress reports, Scientific Integrity module, Digital Scholarship module) (If not, please contact the research support officers )

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Supervision agreement

The doctorate is one phase of scientific qualification, in which supervision from an experienced scientist within the framework of the required independent scientific activity is very important for creating and further developing research competencies. Thus leading scientific organisations recommend that doctoral candidates and supervisors to make a supervision agreement. A supervision agreement based on a personal talk between the doctoral candidate and supervisor in which both agree on the broad process for the cooperative doctorate and the form of the supervision. A part of the agreement can also be individual measures, resulting from the specific situation of the doctoral candidate, for example agreements for work-family balance. 

The talk between the doctoral candidate and the supervisor fulfils the important function of mutually aligning the expectations in respect of the cooperative proposed dissertation. Thus it is recommended to make a supervisory agreement close to the start of the proposed doctorate and to successively substantiate and adjust the time plan and work plan.

Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt has created a supervisory agreement based on the DFG (German Research Association), Wissenschaftsrat (The German council of Science and Humanities) and acatec (National Academy of Science and Engineering) recommendations. You can find these in the "Download" field on the right side of this page. 

Please contact us via

[email protected]

Mentoring agreement (English)

Guideline for supervision of cooperative doctoral procedures (German)

Sample template for feedback interviews (German)

Leibniz PhD Network

We represent the interests of all doctoral researchers of the leibniz institutes.

PhD Supervision Agreement finalised – and ready to be spread

During the GA 2017 in Rostock, a group of people that deeply cared and was concerned about working and supervision conditions at Leibniz institutes founded the working group PhD Agreement within the Leibniz PhD Network. Founding members were Saskia Ripp (IDS Mannheim) and Rosa Grote-Gálvez (BNITM Hamburg) as working group organisers and leaders, Carolin Dittrich (MfN Berlin), Gregor Jatzlauk (FZ Borstel), Wietje Nolte (FBN Dummerstorf), Kerstin Pawletko (HPI Hamburg) and Carlo Marzini (DSMZ Braunschweig). 

Challenge accepted: Let’s get some work done

We had noticed that the working conditions and supervision standards for doctoral researchers at Leibniz institutes widely differ, especially between the individual sections. 

The working group PhD Agreement   therefore aimed at providing guidelines that will help to improve, align and ensure equal rights and rightful supervision standards for all doctoral researchers within the Leibniz Association. 

We began by asking ourselves, how to start that challenge of drafting a template that will provide minimum standards for the working conditions and supervision of doctoral researchers across all institutes and sections. In the beginning, we gathered all possible information available. We were digging through existing supervision agreements of Leibniz institutes, which have very different forms (binding or recommending), lengths and contents. We also analysed the supervision agreements of many universities and tried to filter out those topics which seemed to be useful for our goal of standardising supervision conditions for doctoral researchers of so many different fields. We also consulted various bodies, e.g. from trade unions and associations in the education sector (such as GEW, ver.di Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung, UniWiND).

Luckily, the 2017 Leibniz PhD Survey helped us to identify some of the most pressing issues that needed to be translated into an agreement. Regular exchange with the supervisors, constructive feedback and also the possibility to bring in their own ideas were shown as important for the satisfaction of doctoral researchers during their PhD. 

At that time 48% of the doctoral researchers within the Leibniz Association considered quitting their doctorate, due to the lack of career prospects, financial uncertainty and none or insufficient scientific results. Additionally, only 33% received information on career prospects within and outside of academia. The estimated average duration of doctoral studies was 3.8 years, while funding is mostly limited to 3 year projects. 

If you are interested in the most recent numbers, check our recently published 2019 survey report

The Making of a PhD Supervision Agreement Template 

Getting closer to the core of the matter, we realised that there is so much inequality between institutes that we were overwhelmed with the sensation of bridging between all of them. With the PhD Supervision Template (DE: . doc , . pdf ; ENG: . doc , . pdf ), we now proudly present the result of our intense working process. This template can be used to update and improve already existing PhD Supervision Agreements, as well. 

In our document we recommend 

• the creation of an independent supervision committee of 3 people which will help to minimise possible power abuse, lack of supervision and in general raise the standards of working conditions for doctoral researchers
• to offer structured training of doctoral researchers, including soft skills trainings, and courses on good scientific practice
• to offer the possibility to attend conferences and workshops with financial support from the institute 
• an annual employee interview to discuss future career possibilities
• that doctoral researchers can dedicate at least one third of their agreed working time  to their PhD thesis
• the possibility to use a suitable workspace as well as the possibility to work from home when finalising the thesis
• that committee work should be accepted by the PI’s or supervisors.

We define the rights and obligations of supervisors/the PhD committee and the doctoral researchers, including (but not limited to) 

• guidance in scope and focus of the dissertation 
• regular meetings discussing manuscripts and written reports 
• reviewing the progress of the dissertation 
• regular participation in offerings of the institution relevant for the doctoral researcher,
• discussing possible extension of the work contract in good time etc. 

To work this out, we met in several skype sessions and in person during the Leibniz PhD Network Future Workshops 2018 and 2019. It went through a thorough revision process by the Leibniz Association’s Head Office. In 2019 we drafted the last version of the PhD Supervision Agreement and discussed it at the 2019 General Assembly at the PIK with the PhD representatives. In 2020 it went through all meetings of the section directors (called section meetings). 

During the last years, some people left the working group while some others joined, and we are very grateful for all the ideas and work of everyone that helped to finalise this document, especially Carolin Dittrich (MfN Berlin), Eunji Lee (DIPF Berlin) and Saskia Ripp (IDS Mannheim) who contributed their work until the final release of the template. We hope that with this agreement, we can contribute to raising the quality of the doctorate for all doctoral researchers across the Leibniz Association.

by PhD Agreement Working Group

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Supervision Requirements:

Individual supervision is required for any activity being counted for clinical hours . The individual supervision provided should reflect around 25% of time in direct service (e.g., one hour of supervision for 4-5 hours of direct services hours).

The supervisor will be required to follow the guidelines for practica supervisors including:

• Direct Observation Requirement:  Every semester, all students accruing clinical hours must receive some direct observation of their practice by their primary supervisor. Practicum students must be observed at least once per semester through either live in-person observation (e.g., in-room or one-way mirror observation of direct service contact), live simultaneous audio-video streaming, recorded video, or recorded audio.
• Evaluation Requirements:  All students accruing clinical hours will be evaluated twice per year by their primary supervisor using standardized JDP practicum evaluation forms (in late December and late June). These will be sent to the supervisor via Adobe Sign.
• Verification of Hours : Supervisors will be required to sign off on a verification of student hours at the end of the academic year.

Contracts for supervision are required to be filled out and signed by each practicum student and their supervisor at the beginning of each practicum year.

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Supervision Agreement

With the supervision agreement, the relationship between doctoral candidates and supervisors can be arranged transparently for both sides in terms of topic and time. It is prerequisite for the admission as a doctoral candidate at a faculty of FSU.

Possible supervisors of the dissertation project may be:

• private lecturers ("Privatdozent:innen")
• junior research group leaders ("Nachwuchsgruppenleiter:innen"), if their scientific qualification has been confirmed by an external evaluation procedure.

One of your supervisors must be a member of the faculty at which you are about to carry out your project. Exceptions are possible, however, only when the faculty's council grants its approval.

• name of the doctoral candidate
• working title of the dissertation project
• name of at least one supervisor
• a statement from the supervisor(s) agreeing to receive progress reports on the ongoing project from the doctoral candidate on a regular basis
• a statement from the doctoral candidate agreeing to provide progress reports for the supervisor(s) on a regular basis
• planned type of dissertation project (cumulative/monograph)
• if applicable: information about cooperation with other research institutions (e.g. universities of applied sciences, non-university research institutes, industry)
• if applicable: participation in a doctoral programme (e.g. Graduate School, Research Training Group)
• additional information on the dissertation project, e.g. if it will be written in English
• project plan
• other rights and responsibilities of the doctoral candidate, e.g. teaching, participation in qualification programmes or faculty's events
• other rights and responsibilities of the supervisor(s)
• regulations on working conditions (workplace, Internet access, laboratory access, and other resources)

The Graduate Academy offers a sample agreement based on the guidelines of DFG pdf, 41 kb  · de (in German):

GA Sample Supervision Agreement docx, 56 kb  · de

Most faculties offer sample agreements as guidelines on their websites:

• Faculty of Theology docx, 56 kb  · de
• Faculty of Law External link (in German)
• Faculty of Economics External link
• Faculty of Arts pdf, 140 kb  · de
• Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences docx, 106 kb
• Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science docx, 56 kb  · de
• Faculty of Physics and Astronomy docx, 17 kb  · de
• Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences (included in the application form)
• Faculty of Biological Sciences External link
• Faculty of Medicine External link

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Supervisory Team

Supervisory Team 

The University recognises the need for guidance which outlines the nature of the student/supervisor relationship. This general framework can be found in the Code of Good Practice - Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students . This document provides the background, policies and practices to which the Faculty, supervisors, pastoral tutors and students must adhere, and sets out both the rights and responsibilities of all parties.

Supervision is a relationship requiring trust and respect. Students have the right to expect regular, high-quality advice, support and direction in their quest for academic excellence. In return supervisors have the right to expect a high level of commitment from their students who should respond positively to advice and guidance and develop an increasing level of independence in the conduct of their research.

One crucial aspect of the supervisory relationship is its changing nature as the research project progresses.  You can expect your supervisors to guide you in your research.  However, as time goes by and your research progresses, the relationship changes as you become the expert in your specific area. As a large part of the role of the supervisors is to guide you to understand the standards and norms expected of work at doctoral level and to provide you with constructive and critical feedback, it is not always necessary for your supervisors (and in particular your co-supervisors) to have specific subject expertise.

At the University of Exeter, Postgraduate Research students should be appointed at least two supervisors of which at least one member of the supervisory team, normally the lead supervisor, should possess subject expertise in the student's field of research. Further details about the appointment and eligibility of supervisors are available in the Code of Good Practice Chapter 2 - Arrangements for the supervision of research degree students .

Lead supervisor  

The lead supervisor is usually a subject expert who provides supervision in the student’s specialist field and designated as a student’s primary point of contact, with primary responsibility for the student’s progress and records of progress.

Co-supervisors

All students will have at least one co-supervisor. These roles can vary a great deal, from someone intimately involved in the project and sharing much of the supervision with the lead supervisor (in which case the supervisory split may be up to 50-50), to someone who has a relatively minor role (for example a split of 80-20). The co-supervisors are there as an additional person to talk to and can be very useful for planning future research directions, or if the lead supervisor is away for a period.

Some students may have external supervisors: typically, this happens if their project or funding is linked to an industrial, commercial or government organisation, and the supervisor will be an employee of that body. Again, their role can vary considerably depending on the nature of the project and collaboration. They may have different views and academic interpretations from the lead supervisor and this range of input should be welcomed to strengthen your research.

Pastoral Tutors

As set out in the Arrangement for the Supervision of Research Degree Students: code of good practice , the ‘pastoral tutor’ is a designated member of staff with a pastoral responsibility for the student (including advising the student in cases when difficulties arise between student and supervisor(s)).  The pastoral tutor will be a member of the University’s academic staff and they do not require direct input or knowledge of the student’s research topic. 

The purpose of the pastoral tutor is to provide an additional layer of support and the role of the pastoral tutor is set out here .

First Supervision Meeting (Training Needs Analysis and Supervision Agreement)

First supervision meeting:  

You should aim to meet with your full supervisory team as soon as feasible upon your enrolment. To help give this meeting some focus to get you started, you are required to discuss and complete both the Training Needs Analysis form and the Supervisory Agreement. 

Training Needs Analysis  

It is important that you undertake appropriate research training to help you complete your thesis successfully and in good time. The Doctoral College is fully committed to research training that is relevant, useful and which contributes to positive outcomes for its students, not least in enhancing their post-thesis employability. 

Training and professional development should be tailored to the individual student and be appropriate for the path of the individual research project. We don’t consider the development of skills to be a separate process from your research practice – it should support and enhance it. 

Each new student should discuss and agree their training needs at the first supervisory team meeting. It is important to identify with your supervisor any specific research training modules which you should follow, and whether any language training is necessary for your research at an early stage. If there are any training needs that cannot be met through the Researcher Development provision or within your department, you must notify your PGR Support team as soon as possible. 

Training for PGR students is provided both within your Faculty and through the University’s Researcher Development Programme. The Researcher Development team have listed recommended training for each year of study; this is only indicative and should be used as a guide for discussion. 

All students are required to complete the Training Needs Analysis Form following their discussion with their supervisory team and upload it to MyPGR within the first 6 weeks of study and then annually thereafter. Your responses will be emailed to you after you have completed this form, which you can upload to MyPGR. 

Training Needs Analysis Forms are located online and can be found here .  

  Supervisory Agreement  

All research students work closely with their academic supervisors. This requires regular meetings between you and your supervisors to plan and discuss your research, and the writing of your thesis. You need to produce written work at regular intervals, and it is in your interest to start writing as early as possible, even the roughest of drafts. Producing a successful thesis is a methodical task, not something that can be done to a high standard in a hurry.  

The relationship between students and supervisors is of crucial importance for the successful completion of a research degree. There needs to be good communication, co-operation and agreement, and a relationship of trust.  It is recommended that research students  meet with their full supervision team within three weeks of their initial registration with the University. At this meeting you and your supervisors are required to complete a Supervisory Agreement , reflecting on your relationship, frequency of contact, submission of written work, authorship of papers and so on. 

The form should be discussed, completed and signed off at the first meeting of the full supervisory team and then reviewed annually and if circumstances change (e.g. change of supervisory team, change of mode of attendance,  interruptions). 

Students may wish to record arrangements with their Pastoral Tutor in their supervisory agreement once they have met with the Pastoral Tutor. Pastoral Tutors are not expected to attend supervisory meetings as they support the student independently. 

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their Supervisory Agreement form is completed and uploaded to  MyPGR  within the first 6 weeks of study and then annually thereafter.  

Shared Understanding, Expectations and Feedback

We want you to enjoy your experience as a postgraduate research student and for it to help you become a confident, independent and critical researcher. We want you to feel supported by us and challenged by us; to that end, we outline here a clear set of expectations that should help your supervisory experience to be constructive and fulfilling. 

We expect you to:  

• Ensuring you understand the academic conventions of writing a thesis and know where to find support , if needed. 
• Complying with norms relating to academic integrity and the avoidance of plagiarism ; 
• Discussing the Supervisory Agreement with your supervisory team annually; discussing your research training needs annually, using the research training needs analysis form; 
• Carefully considering the feedback from your supervisors: we do not expect you to agree with everything, but in cases of disagreement, please note this in MyPGR; 
• Maintaining records in MyPGR, summarising the key points of the supervisory discussion, and specifying actions to be taken; 
• Keeping your supervisors informed of conference attendance, publications planned, and any periods of absence. 
• Take part in the Annual Monitoring Review process; 
• Understand that your supervisors may not be available outside of arranged appointment times; 

You can expect your supervisor to:  

• Understand the expectations of supervision and examining as set out in the TQA Manual; 
• Establish clearly, through the Supervisory Agreement, the role of lead and co-supervisors and patterns of contact throughout the year; 
• Hold a supervisory meeting at least ten times spread out through the year (six for part-time): this may be face-to-face or through Zoom/Teams or equivalent; 
• Provide timely, critical and constructive written feedback; 
• Review your progress through the Annual Monitoring Review process; 
• Instigate the Unsatisfactory Student Progress and Engagement procedure if you are not progressing at a rate likely to lead to submission of your thesis within the appropriate time; 
• Instigate the Health Wellbeing and Support for Study procedure if ill health, a disability or chronic health condition impedes your progress or affects how you engage with study; 
• Engage in PGR supervisory developmental activity.  

You can expect your pastoral tutor to:  

• To contact the PGR students to introduce themselves and explain the responsibilities of their role and at least once every term 
• When requested, to offer advice and support to students who apply for interruptions and extensions, or who are at any stage of any student procedure (e.g. the Health, Wellbeing and Support for Study, etc.) 
• To refer students to relevant academic and/or professional services staff if they raise concerns about their academic programmes.  
• PGR Pastoral Tutors may offer advice and support in cases where difficulties arise between students and their supervisors, but responsibility for any intervention resides with the relevant Director of Postgraduate Research (or equivalent). 
• To respond to all student requests in a timely fashion (e.g. normally within three working days) or to refer students to another appropriate source of advice when unavailable. 

You can expect the University to:  

• Provide research supervision; 
• Provide a pastoral tutor who will contact you once a term, and advise you where to find support, if needed; 
• Provide opportunities to participate in an active research community; 
• Provide additional support for your studies through, for example, the Researcher Development Programme; AccessAbility; INTO Exeter; and the Guild of Students/FXU. 

Overview 

MyPGR is an online facility for the tracking of PGR student registration and progress. The system delivers a consistent approach to the management of PGR students, enabling improved reporting and ensuring an enhanced experience for students.  

PGR students on all programmes are given access to the system upon registering for the current academic year, and can be accessed via the SRS login .

The interface allows for the upload of documents, and provides useful information about the student, drawn from the Student Records system. 

Key registration processes are managed in the system, for example, interruptions, upgrades, changes of programme and change to continuation status requests.  

Your supervisor will also use the system for the nomination of your Board of Examiners when the time comes. 

To get a better understanding of how the system works, you might like to take a look at the MyPGR training pages , which include screenshots of the system. 

For any issues with your MyPGR record, please contact your relevant PGR Support team . 

Contact events 

MyPGR provides an online tool which records meetings between students and supervisors / pastoral tutors: students take responsibility for arranging meetings and writing them up, and meetings can be set-up and signed off by more than one supervisor. 

MyPGR specifies a minimum number of meetings (contact events) across the year with the deadline for completion of each event the end of the month in which the event falls. 

Progress Review Meetings 

The ‘progress review’ should take place three times a year, one each term. The progress review is similar to a standard supervision meeting in that it is held with your supervisor/s (it may be helpful for this one to be held with the full supervision team, ie your lead and all of your co-supervisors ) and is just a more formal review of your progress; it is also helpful to use the ‘progress review’ meeting to plan towards upcoming programme milestones such as upgrade, submission of the ethical approval application, or commencing fieldwork; to agree internal targets such as submission of draft chapters; and if appropriate to review the supervision agreement and training needs forms.  The progress review meeting ensures that you are making good progress (appropriate to your stage of study) and that you have a manageable time-frame for your project; it is also a helpful mechanism for identifying any problems or issues you may be experiencing and putting in place plans to mitigate for these. 

If a more formal agenda is required: 

The progress review meeting should help PGRs to 

• Clarify the background of the project  
• Clarify aims and objectives (research questions) 
• Ensure the methods to be used are clearly developed 
• Ensure that any relevant or required training is accessed 
• Ensure that good progress (appropriate to the stage of study) is being made, measured against agreed objectives and targets 
• Discuss their writing progress with their supervisors and discuss any barriers to writing that they may face 
• Start thinking about applying to transfer to continuation status 

Personal Development Plan

You will be encouraged to reflect on your academic progress and broader personal development in a variety of ways during your time at Exeter. However, a particularly important feature of the ‘structure and support’ we provide for PDP is through the opportunities you have to talk about your progress with your supervisors throughout your programme of study.

Your supervisory meetings should provide a supportive environment in which to discuss your development, so you should feel free to be completely frank about your progress and achievements. Where appropriate, your supervisor may refer you to other sources of help and guidance.

Students can create PDP records using the electronic tool accessed via the Student Record pages on your MyExeter portal pages, known as ePDP. This resource provides a structure for you to (i) conduct a self-appraisal, and (ii) produce an action plan, and you can share your ePDP records online with your supervisor.

You will need to record all training events that you attend on the ePDP facility accessible from MyExeter . Simply ‘Add an Academic Experience’ on ePDP to record details of all training – including any conferences or seminars that you have attended or presented at.

Change of Supervisor

Students are able to request a change of supervisor in instances where they feel unable to continue the supervisor relationship * . Before formally requesting the change, students are expected to have attempted to resolve the issue informally via discussions with their supervisor and Director of Postgraduate Research (or equivalent) at Department level (as above). Requesting a change of supervisor should be considered a last resort. 

In some research areas, changes to supervisors may be challenging due to the research specialism and expertise required, sharing of intellectual property, and/or the nature of the project’s funding. Student wellbeing is the primary consideration, however, there are alternative actions short of a formal change of supervisor that are sometimes appropriate, e.g. provision of an academic mediator to facilitate communications between student and supervisor. There is no obligation on the part of the Department to make changes to supervisory arrangements where the Department Director of Postgraduate Research does not consider that a change is justified or indeed possible due to a lack of suitable alternatives with the required expertise. 

For more information on making changes to the Supervisory Team, please see the ‘ Code of Good Practice: Arrangements for the supervision of research degree students '. 

*Breakdown of the student/supervisor relationship should be considered as an inability for the student/supervisor to communicate and work effectively on an ongoing basis, despite reasonable attempts to seek support to mediate and address any fundamental concerns from either side. Please note that in instances where there are alleged bullying or harassment, these should be raised with the relevant Dignity and Respect Advisors in addition to following the change of supervisor process. 

Supervisor Leave

Before a supervisor takes study leave they should consider whether or not they intend to continue supervision. The University's Code of Good Practice on the Arrangement for the Supervision of Research Degree Students states that s upervisors and co-supervisors normally continue their supervisory responsibilities while on study leave. An important consideration in deciding whether the supervisor should continue or be replaced is the best interests of the student. Relevant to this are how far the student has progressed with their research, the location of the supervisor whilst on leave, the availability of a replacement supervisor, and the acceptability to the student of proposed contact and supervision arrangements. The final decision lies with the Department Director of Postgraduate Research, and the student should be informed of the outcome as soon as possible. If the supervisor is to be replaced, all relevant provisions in the above section should be followed. 

Gift and Personal Relationships

Gifts  

Students are asked not to offer gifts to academic or professional services staff. Students from cultures in which the giving of small gifts is regarded as a normal courtesy are requested to co-operate with this in order to avoid embarrassment to staff.

Personal Relationships between Student and Supervisor  

If a personal relationship develops between a supervisor and a student, the supervisor must declare it to the Department Director of PGR in accordance with the University’s Code of Professional Conduct: Relations between Staff and Students and between Staff .  The most appropriate course will almost invariably be that a replacement supervisor is appointed. If you feel that your supervisor is making unwanted advances, you should look at the section on Harassment and look at the University’s policy on Harassment and Bullying . You can also contact one of the University’s Dignity and Respect Advisors .

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Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities

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Cross-HEI PhD Supervision Agreement

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1. The Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities (SGSAH) aims to provide world-leading provision for doctoral researchers. Part of the mechanism for achieving this aim is supporting cross-institutional supervision across the AHRC DTP Scotland, where this is of clear and demonstrable benefit to the doctoral researcher.

Supervision Practice

2. The consortium is guided by the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter B11. PhD research projects will be embedded within an environment demonstrably capable of providing support for doing and learning & where excellent research, recognised by the relevant subject community, is delivered.

3. All PhD students must have a supervisory team comprised of at least two supervisors. These may be Principal plus Co-Supervisor or Principal plus Assistant or Secondary Supervisor. Irrespective of the weighting of supervision, each doctoral student must have a clear point of contact, identified as the Principal Supervisor (PS). The PS must be located in the HEI at which the student is registered (the ‘home HEI’), and from which the student will graduate. The PS will normally be a full-time member of academic staff and be on a Research & Teaching contract. At least one member of the supervisory team should have experience of successfully supporting doctoral student(s) to completion. At least one member of the supervisory team will be currently engaged in research in the relevant discipline(s), although to provide the best possible supervisory experience, the entire supervisory team should ideally be so engaged.

4. Supervisors for doctoral research students are appointed by the relevant authority within the student’s home HEI. Appointment of supervisors should take into account the experience of nominated supervisors, the fit between proposed project & supervisory expertise & resources, supervisors’ completion of training, and overall workload. Supervisors will not normally supervise more than six FTE doctoral candidates concurrently.  

Cross-HEI Supervision Agreements

5. Whilst all doctoral students must register at a home institution, in order to provide them with the best supervisory experience they may also be supervised by an academic from another HEI within the consortium. A supervisor from another consortium HEI may act as either a Co-supervisor or a Secondary Supervisor. Tuition fees will be dispersed as follows:

• Co-supervision: a joint supervisory – 50%/50% - arrangement between two supervisors located in different HEIs within the SGSAH – 33.3% of the annual fee accrues to the non-home HEI.  The supervisor at the home-HEI is nominated as Principal Supervisor.
• Secondary supervision: 75%/25% between two supervisors located in different HEIs within the SGSAH; 75% is allocated to the Principal Supervisor; 25% of the annual fee accrues to the non-home-HEI.

6. The fee for co-supervision will be paid directly to the home HEI. Both supervisors should complete the Supervisors’ Agreement, which must then be approved by both HEIs before supervision commences. Changes in supervision arrangements must be communicated to the SGSAH by the lead HEI, to ensure the appropriate payment of fees. Any such changes should be reflected in a revised Supervisors’ Agreement. Performance management of supervisors remains the responsibility of his or her employer.

7. Both doctoral students and supervisors may claim travel expenses from SGSAH for co-supervision meetings. Supervisors may submit a maximum of two claims per academic year. There is no limit on the amount of expense claims for doctoral students. All expense claims should follow our existing policies which can be found at  https://www.sgsah.ac.uk/current/travelguidance/

Responsibilities of Supervisors

Co-supervisors.

• In co-supervision arrangements, the supervisors will have equal and shared responsibilities in terms of the management and supervision of the student’s work, but the Principal Supervisor (located at the home HEI) will be responsible for the administrative aspects attached to the degree programme.
• Formal supervision meetings are expected to be scheduled at least ten times per year (or six if part-time). Co-supervisors are expected to meet with students at least five times per year (or three if part-time). However, we recognise and welcome approaches that respond to the specific needs of the PhD project. For example, in Year 1, the co-supervisor might meet the student only three times – once with the other supervisor(s) also in attendance – and in Year 2 would meet the student seven times (twice with the other supervisor’s in attendance).
• An agreed record of every formal meeting should be kept by the student and supervisors and should be shared with the full supervisory team to facilitate good communication.
• Constructive feedback on work submitted should be provided usually within three weeks.
• Written feedback should alert the student to any potential problems with their progress and the appropriate actions required to attend these.
• Supervisors should attend the student’s Annual Progress Review meeting.
• Supervisors must have completed supervisory training before acting as a supervisor.
• Experienced supervisors should attend Update Briefings at least once every five years.

Second Supervisors

• The above points relate also to second supervisors. However, second supervisors are expected to meet with students two to three times a year (once or twice if part-time).

Regulations

8. The doctoral researcher will be registered at one HEI (the ‘home HEI’) & will be bound by the terms and conditions/codes of practice of the home HEI. All supervisors should familiarise themselves with the relevant terms & conditions/codes of practice of the home HEI. Should a student wish to raise a complaint related to their programme of study, they should follow the guidance provided by their home HEI. 

Status of this document

9. This agreement was approved by the SGSAH Executive on 26th June 2014.

‌    .

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• 1 - Provision of information by Faculties to students
• 2 - Admission of students to a Postgraduate Research degree programme under off-campus arrangements

3 - Arrangements for the supervision of Postgraduate Research students

• 4 - Supervision of Postgraduate Research students
• 5 - Periods of registration and changes to registration status for Postgraduate Research students
• 6 - PGR Liaison Forums
• 7 - Annual monitoring review
• 8 - Unsatisfactory Student Progress, Engagement and Attendance (USPEA)
• 9 - Upgrade from MPhil or MByRes to Doctoral Study
• 10 - Professional Doctorate Postgraduate Research Programmes: Code of Good Practice
• 11 - Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures
• 12 - Handbook for Examination of Postgraduate Research programmes
• 13 - Research Misconduct
• 15 - Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Policy
• 16 - Visiting Postgraduate Research Students
• 17 - Inclusive Practice within Learning and Teaching
• 18 - Postgraduate Student Absence Policy
• 19 - Employment of postgraduate students: code of good practice
• 20 - Faculty Management of Postgraduate Research: Code of Good Practice
• 21 – PGR Aegrotat and Posthumous Awards
• Quality Review & Enhancement Framework
• Student Cases Handbook
• Special Provisions for Online Programmes (including those offered in partnership with Keypath Education)
• Special Provisions for Healthcare Programmes
• Special Provisions for Degree Apprenticeships
• Special Provisions for Programmes with Accreditation Licenced by the Engineering Council

Chapter 3 - Arrangements for the supervision of research degree students - Code of good practice

Appointment of Postgraduate Research Supervisors Continuing Supervision of Postgradaute Research Students

Appointment of Postgraduate Research Supervisors

Definitions: Supervisor: Denotes subject experts who provide supervision in the student’s specialist field. Lead Supervisor : The supervisor designated as a student’s primary point of contact, with primary responsibility for the student’s progress and records of progress. Co-supervisor : Members of the supervisory team who have not taken on the responsibilities of the lead supervisor. May also be referred to as ‘second supervisors’. PGR Pastoral Tutor : The ‘PGR Pastoral Tutor’ is a designated member of academic staff with a responsibility to provide pastoral support to specified PGR students at their request.

The roles and responsibilities of supervisors and PGR Pastoral Tutors are specified in full in the  Code of Good Practice – Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students .

• Postgraduate Research students should be appointed at least two supervisors of which at least one member of the supervisory team, normally including the lead supervisor, should possess subject expertise in the student’s field of research.
• Research degree supervisors should be active researchers and normally hold higher degrees. The Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor must give specific approval in writing to the appointment of co-supervisors where they are not currently active researchers, ensuring that they have recent appropriate research experience.
• One of the supervisors must be designated lead supervisor, who will be designated as the student’s primary point of contact with primary responsibility for the student’s progress, records of progress and administrative responsibilities.
• Every student should have access to a designated PGR Pastoral Tutor appointed alongside their supervisors. The responsibilities of the PGR Pastoral Tutor are set out in the Code of Good Practice – Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students .
• S tudents registered on the DClinPsy Programme   will also have an appointed Line Manager  who monitors their progress throughout the programme .  They oversee all aspects of the student’s progress, including acting as a line manager, and providing pastoral support to ensure that trainees receive appropriate support . This role is distinct from the PGR Pastoral Tutor role, as the Line Manager  is employed by the programme to support clinical development , whereas their Pastoral Tutor will be independent from the programme and can offer pastoral support . Students may approach both their Line Manager  and Pastoral Tutor, as needed. Students are encouraged to refer to their programme handbook for more information .     
• Each Faculty should appoint a sufficient number of PGR Pastoral Tutors to ensure students have access to a PGR Pastoral Tutor who is not their supervisor. The appointed number of PGR Pastoral Tutors should, as far as is reasonably possible, reflect the size and nature of the PGR community within the Faculty, including any equality and diversity considerations.
• Staff new to supervision must attend a supervisor development workshop at the first available opportunity. Faculties may supplement the University-wide programme of supervisor development workshops with in-house workshops, where this would assist in ensuring that their staff had access to the relevant development event. Academic Development is able to provide advice to Faculties.
• Staff new to supervision should also serve an apprenticeship, normally as a co-supervisor, before being appointed to lead supervisor duties. Where the member of staff is a co-supervisor, the lead supervisor will be an experienced supervisor, and be responsible for ensuring the new staff member’s introduction into good practice in supervision as set out in Faculty codes of practice.
• Under a number of circumstances the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor may appoint a member of staff new to supervision to the role of lead supervisor. The supervisory team must include an experienced supervisor (a supervisor who has successfully supervised a student through to completion of their programme), who should provide proactive mentorship to the lead supervisor, supporting the Department and Faculty Director of PGR in ensuring the new staff member’s introduction into good practice in supervision as set out in Faculty codes of practice. In such cases the Faculty must ensure that the supervisory weighting is such that the co-supervisor who undertakes this role has sufficient time allocated to allow them to play a substantive role within the supervisory team.
• Supervisory staff who are new to the University must attend a supervisor development workshop at the first available opportunity, even if they have supervised at other institutions. This is to ensure that all staff are supported in providing supervision in accordance with the processes and procedures of the University of Exeter, which may differ from those of the institutions in which they previously worked.
• Each Faculty should arrange appropriate staff development for all academic staff to promote best practice in research supervision, as detailed in the Code of Good Practice – Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students . Faculties should ensure that such development events take place at least every two years for all staff with supervisory responsibilities, to share good practice in supervision with their peers, within their own broad subject areas. Academic Development is able to provide advice to Faculties.
• In regard to the number of research students that a member of staff might be expected to supervise at any one time, The Board of Postgraduate Research reaffirms that it cannot and should not apply a maximum number, except as in line with any research council recommendations.
• Faculty workload models will ensure that the full work involved in supervision is taken into consideration. PGR Pastoral Tutors should receive a designated workload allocation to enable them to undertake their responsibilities.
• A student’s supervisors and PGR Pastoral Tutor are approved by the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and any changes to supervisory arrangements must be approved by the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor. With the exceptions specified below, these duties may be carried out by a delegate of the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor where the Dean of Faculty has given approval 1 . The Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor retains responsibility for compliance with this Code, and therefore, for ensuring that any delegates are appropriately informed, able to carry out their duties and to refer the exceptions referenced in this Code to the appropriate authority for approval. Records of appointments must be kept to demonstrate compliance. Exceptions to this are the circumstances set out in this Code in paragraphs 2, 9, 15 and in the Continuing Supervision of Research Students section of this Code, paragraphs 21-31 below.
• It would not normally be appropriate to appoint as members of a supervisory team (including the PGR Pastoral Tutor) members of staff who are in a personal relationship (for clarification see the guidance in the ‘Codes of Professional Conduct: Relations between Staff and Students and between Staff ’). In appointing supervisors and PGR Pastoral Tutors, the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, must be mindful of the requirements set down in the ‘Codes of Professional Conduct: Relations between Staff and Students and between Staff ’ . Members of staff so appointed, who feel that the ‘Codes of Professional Conduct: Relations between Staff and Students and between Staff ’  may apply, have a duty to make an appropriate declaration, to ensure that the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, is able to make an informed decision with regard to the suitability of the supervisory and pastoral tutoring arrangements. In exceptional cases, with the permission of the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, members of staff who are in a personal relationship may be appointed to a supervisory team (including the PGR Pastoral Tutor). In such instance, the Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor may insist that additional support mechanisms are put in place to ensure that the student is unlikely to be negatively affected.
• Staff in the Education and Research job family on a permanent contract.
• Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows, and Associate Professors in the Research job family on a permanent contract.
• When appointing co-supervisors who are not members of University of Exeter staff on a permanent contract, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of College should be assured that appropriate alternative supervision arrangements can be made, following the end of a fixed term contract or other arrangement.
• Staff in the Education and Research job family on a fixed term contract.
• Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows, and Associate Professors in the Research job family on a fixed term contract.
• Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors and Professors in the Education and Scholarship job family.
• Honorary University Fellows or Honorary Visiting Professors.
• Supervisors external to the University. Faculties must ensure that appropriate records are kept that demonstrate the suitability of the individual to take a supervisory role (e.g. C.V., evidence of previous experience) and that a joint supervision agreement is put in place (see the responsibilities of supervisors - Code of Good Practice - Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students ). Depending on the nature of the arrangement it may also be necessary for the arrangement to be established under  academic partnership procedures .
• Staff in the Education and Research job family on a permanent contrac t
• Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows and Associate Professors in the Research job family on a permanent contract
• Staff in the Education and Research job family on a fixed-term contract ( provided that the following conditions, detailed below, are met: 17.3.1 ) .  
• Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows and Associate Professors in the Research job family on a fixed-term contract (provided that the following conditions, detailed below, are met: 17 .3.1 ) .
• Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors and Professors in the Education and Scholarship job family on a permanent contract ( provided that the following conditions, detailed below, are met: 17.3.2; 17.3.3 ).
• Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors and Professors in the Education and Scholarship job family on a fixed-term contract (provided that the following conditions detailed below, are met: 17 .3.1, 17.3.2, 17.3.3 )  
• Staff on a fixed-term contract: Staff on a fixed-term contract should have a contract with the University which ends no less than 12 months after the student’s Period of study ends, to ensure support throughout examination and completion. Staff whose contract ends between 6-12 months after the student’s Period of Study ends may be considered as a lead supervisor, on the condition that the department will ensure continued supervision throughout the student’s examination and amendment period. It will be the responsibility of the supervisor on the fixed-term contract to discuss alternative supervision with the Department Director of PGR no less than 3 months before their contract with the University of Exeter ends.
• Staff employed in the Education and Scholarship job family, must be active researchers 2 , and approved by the DClin Director. ‘Research active’ in this context means that one should have at least one peer reviewed publication in a relevant field in the 4 years prior to the supervisory appointment.
• The co-supervisor must be an experienced supervisor (a supervisor who has successfully supervised a student through to completion of their programme) who is employed by the University of Exeter.
• Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors and Professors in the Education and Scholarship job family; Professionals in Clinical Psychology/ Psychotherapy/ Psychoanalysis/ Allied Health Professionals affiliated with the University of Exeter and who are research active 2 ;
• Honorary University Fellows or Honorary Visiting Professors;
• Supervisors external to the University. Faculties must ensure that appropriate records are kept that demonstrate the suitability of the individual to take a supervisory role (e.g. C.V., evidence of previous experience) and that a joint supervision agreement is put in place (see the responsibilities of supervisors -  Code of Good Practice - Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students ). Depending on the nature of the arrangement it may also be necessary for the arrangement to be established under   academic partnership procedures .
• Supervisors should make provision for the continuance of supervision when away from the University of Exeter (e.g. undertaking research) and normally continue their supervisory responsibilities while on study leave, subject to research council advice.

When supervisors leave the University, the Faculty has an obligation to provide continuity of supervision as set out below.

As PGR Pastoral Tutors are not necessarily subject specialists, they may be replaced when on study leave.

Continuing Supervision of Research Students

• Acceptance of a research student establishes a contractual obligation on the University through the accepting Faculty to provide reasonable supervision arrangements. A Faculty may fulfil this obligation either from its own resources, or with prior agreement, in association with other Faculties or Research Organisations. This obligation remains in force for the student’s period of registration, until completion of their programme of study, on the topic of research originally agreed.

Changes to supervisory arrangements are occasionally necessary as a result of unforeseeable circumstances, such as staff departure or leave, a change in direction in research, or in appropriate circumstances, where a breakdown in relationships has occurred.  In those circumstances, the University/Faculty will make all reasonable efforts to put in place alternative supervisory arrangements, subject to the further provisions outlined below.

• If following such reasonable efforts, no reasonable alternative arrangement can be made, the University has no liability whatsoever for any loss and/or damage suffered by the student as a result.
• It is advisable that all members of the supervisory team are sufficiently familiar with the student’s research that should one member of the supervisory team leave (or be temporarily unavailable) other members would, if necessary, be able to provide increased supervisory support on either a short-term or long-term basis.
• Supervision by the same supervisory team across the course of a student’s studies is not guaranteed. Where changes need to be made to a supervisory team the Faculty must keep the student informed and liaise with them throughout the substitution process. However, Faculties are not required to solicit a student’s agreement on internal changes to the supervisory team’s composition, nor to make changes to the supervisory team at a student’s behest unless there is good cause to do so. Students should also understand that there are a number of mechanisms for providing supervision, and that changes to their supervisory team may also mean changes to the mechanisms for supervisory contact (for example with regard to when and how supervision meetings take place), which should be set out in a revised supervision agreement drafted by the new supervisory team and the student, and uploaded to MyPGR.
• If a student wishes to change the topic of their research they must first discuss this with their supervisory team. The supervisory team will seek advice from the relevant Associate Dean or Director of Postgraduate Research of the Faculty when they feel that the proposed changes represent a fundamental departure from the academic subject-matter originally envisaged by the student’s application.  Where such a change is supported by the Faculty, but would mean that the make-up of the supervisory team no longer remained appropriate, the Faculty will make reasonable endeavours to find alternative supervision within the University. It will be at the University’s discretion to determine whether or not it will look further afield to supplement the supervision available, before determining whether it is able to continue supervision of the research in question. It is only after consideration of the above that the Associate Dean or Director of Postgraduate Research will consider the request to change the topic of research.
• Where a Faculty finds it reasonably necessary to replace a supervisor who is a member of University staff it must first ensure that it has considered all appropriate and reasonable internal institutional options for ensuring that the supervisory team contains the necessary expertise before looking further afield. Where an external supervisor has been appointed because of their particular expertise or perspective (e.g. industry-based), it would normally be appropriate to replace such a supervisor with an equivalent appointment, where this is reasonably possible.
• On the departure of a member of the supervisory team Faculties should also give consideration as to whether this would affect the student’s access to resources where, for example, resources had been provided at the University by a research grant which had moved with the lead supervisor.  This need only be a consideration where the resources were an intrinsic requirement for the student’s studies, and which had been specified as such at the beginning of their programme. If the Faculty cannot provide these resources directly, this may also involve reasonable endeavours to provide these resources from an alternative source.
• If it is necessary for alternative provision to be made,  responsibility would sit with the Faculty Pro–Vice Chancellor to determine the arrangements. The student will be consulted on the proposed arrangements to be made but responsibility for them must remain with the University (exercised through the host Faculty) and cannot be delegated to the student concerned. Where the proposed arrangements would entail a change to the registration of the student this must be discussed with the student at an early stage in the process and approval of the student must be sought before the arrangements are finalised .
• Provision of appropriate supervision may involve the appointment of a co-supervisor with the necessary specialist knowledge from outside the University.  Where the Faculty deems it appropriate, they may approach the supervisor who is leaving to continue supervising as a co-supervisor. There is no obligation on the part of a Faculty to enter into such an arrangement with a member of staff when they leave in preference to making other alternative arrangements, nor for the supervisor in question to feel obligated to consider continuing supervision, and they should only do so of their own volition and if their new employer is happy with the arrangement.
• In all cases lead supervisor duties must be retained by an appropriate member of staff ( see 17 above ) within the Faculty in question.
• The negotiation of such arrangements will be paid for by the Faculty and will be specified in a clearly articulated joint supervision agreement, which shall include reference to the specific supervisory arrangements and duties of all members of the supervisory team.
• Where there are no reasonable alternative arrangements, the Faculty will take reasonable steps to look for a place for the student at another eligible institution and to take reasonable steps to negotiate a transfer.
• Changes to supervision once a student has reached Continuation Status or has submitted their thesis should only be made in exceptional circumstances.
• There may still be some circumstances, despite the University’s reasonable endeavours, where it is no longer possible to identify appropriate supervision for a student. Where this is the case, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of Faculty must consult with the Dean of Postgraduate Research before making the student aware, as soon as possible that this is the case, and of any further options open to them.

1 In order to propose delegates the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of Faculty should seek approval from the Dean of Postgraduate Research via the Doctoral College Quality Development Team [email protected] , who will keep a record of all roles with the approval to act as delegates.

2 The DClin PGR Portfolio Director will consider all such requests and approve appointments for those that are deemed “research active”. Research active in this context means that one should have at least one peer reviewed publication in the 4 years prior to the supervisory appointment in a relevant field.

Last updated August 2023

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A written supervision agreement for psychoanalytic supervision?

• August 2024
• Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (article in advance)
• (article in advance)

• University of North Texas

• This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.

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