Working with your MS or PhD Supervisor

A MS or PhD may be an individual research project, but you wont complete it entirely alone.
Throughout youll have the guidance of at least one academic supervisor?
Theyll be an expert in your subject (if not in your actual MS or PhD topic). But, perhaps more
importantly, theyll know what it takes to complete an extended postgraduate research project. After
all, you may not have done a MS or PhD before but they have.
But the relationship with your supervisor will also reflect your development as a scholar.
When you begin your MS or PhD, your supervisor will know more than you do about your topic or
at least your general field. By the time youre ready to submit your thesis they wont know anything
like as much as you do. And neither will anyone else.
That's why this guide doesn't just introduce the typical supervisory relationship. It also explains how
that relationship will develop along with your MS or PhD.

Targets, planning and meetings: the basics of MS or PhD supervision

Your supervisor (or supervisors) will be involved throughout your MS or PhD, but their function will
change slightly as your doctorate progresses.
In part this will reflect your changing needs as a student. Youll go from mapping out a project to
researching, writing and eventually submitting for examination. This is all part of the normal MS or
PhD journey.

How many supervisors? Its quite common for a modern MS or PhD to involve multiple
supervisors, with slightly different roles. Youll still have one principle supervisor, with the most
hands on involvement in your project. This is the kind of supervisor discussed on this page. The
advice here applies just as well to multiple project supervisors.

Planning your project and setting targets

Most MS or PhDs begin with an initial meeting between the student and their supervisor. This will be
your first chance to sit down together and discuss your project.
Youll review the aims set out in your research proposal and think about how to proceed with the first
stages of your doctorate. This normally means gathering scholarly material for your literature review
and / or identifying initial avenues for your own research.
Your supervisors input will be invaluable here.
Youll probably have some idea of existing studies that relate to your topic. You may also have some
idea of the sources youd like to examine or the data youd like to collect first.

But your supervisor will have a much more complete sense of the current state of your academic
field. Theyll also know many of the other scholars currently working in it.
If there are some avenues you havent considered, theyll be able to make suggestions. And if
theres new work being published, theyll be able to make you aware of it.
At this point youll also begin to set a schedule for future meetings.

Arranging supervisory meetings

Your main mode of contact with your supervisor will take the form of regular supervisory meetings, or
supervisions.
You may have other regular contact with your supervisor (particularly if you work together in a
laboratory or workshop) but supervisions will be part of the roadmap for your MS or PhD.
Universities often set a general framework for supervisory meetings. This can state how often
supervisions should take place, how often work should be presented for feedback and what kind of
records should be kept. Your supervisor may also have their preferred approach, particularly if
theyve supervised lots of MS or PhDs before.
Its worth learning what these expectations are and seeing them as a source of support. After all,
your supervisor will know what works for MS or PhD students and your university will be keen to
keep you on the right track.
But dont be afraid to discuss your own needs and expectations A healthy supervisory relationship is
vital to the progress of your MS or PhD and its important that you get as much as possible out of it.

What happens at a supervision?

Supervisions can be as varied as the supervisors (and MS or PhD students) involved.
You may meet formally in an office, or you might simply grab a corner table in the campus coffee
shop. Most meetings last from one to two hours, but this will depend on how much there is to
discuss and what stage of the MS or PhD youre at.
A typical supervision normally involves:

Checking your current progress - Your supervisor will want to know what youve done
since the last meeting and how youve been finding things. If youve hit upon difficulties you
can discuss these and benefit from your supervisors advice.

Reviewing work in progress - As you get further into your MS or PhD youll begin to gather
results or even produce chapter drafts. Your supervisor will normally be able to offer feedback
on this and make sure youre heading in the right direction. Their encouragement will be a big
source of support, particularly as you begin to get properly stuck into your project.

Setting future targets - Reflecting on what youve done will be an important part of your
supervisions, but so will agreeing new short and medium term goals. There are few formal

deadlines in a MS or PhD, but setting some self-imposed deadlines with your supervisor can
help keep you on track.

Taking care of any admin - Part of your supervisors job involves reporting your progress to
the university. For structured MS or PhDs this can also mean checking completion of any
formal training and development activities.

Eventually, supervision meetings will also focus upon more specific MS or PhD milestones.

Progression and professional development: guiding you through the MS or

PhD
As you enter the middle stretch of your MS or PhD the relationship with your supervisor will shift
slightly. Youll still have regular meetings, but wont be as dependent on them to help set targets, or
reassure you that youre heading in the right direction.
Instead your supervisor will be much more focused on the work youre producing particularly as
the embryonic version of your final thesis begins to take shape.
Part of this could involve supporting you as you formally upgrade to full MS or PhD candidacy
(many universities initially register research students for an MPhil).
Once this is done youll be confirmed as a junior scholar, with an original contribution to make to your
field. This may therefore be the time to think about taking on additional development opportunities
and earning more exposure for your work another area in which your supervisors support will be
important.

Supporting your MS or PhD confirmation or MPhil upgrade

The first year of a full-time MS or PhD is often set up as an orientation period. Youll have time to
explore current scholarship and clarify the aims and objectives for your own research.
At the end of this period your project should be clearly defined as a potential MS or PhD, with an
original contribution to make to your field. Its common for your university to review your project at
this point.

What is an MPhil upgrade? In the UK it's common for MS or PhD students to first register for an
MPhil. This is a shorter research degree with a more limited scope. The upgrade exam confirms that
your project has the potential to earn a full MS or PhD. You can read more about this process in our
guide to the stages of a MS or PhD
In some cases your supervisor will be part of the panel that examines your work. If so, they will
usually be accompanied by at least one person unrelated to your project.
After a successful review your supervisor will confirm that you are now a bona fide MS or PhD
candidate and get on with guiding you towards completion and submission.

Reviewing drafts and checking results

By this point in your MS or PhD the outline of your final project will probably be fairly well
established. Youll have done a lot of the research that will form the basis of your thesis. Eventually
youll begin gathering in your findings and laying the foundations of your dissertation.
Your supervisor will help identify the point at which youre ready to do this. From then on a big part of
their role will be to help review your findings as you move towards the final stretch of your doctorate.
If youre in the Arts and Humanities this process may involve drafting actual chapters of your
dissertation and receiving feedback on them. The writing usually comes later for Science and
Engineering students, but youll still discuss the results of experiments and / or confirm that your
data is up to the required standard.

Assisting your professional development

As your project progresses so will your expertise. The primary outlet for that expertise will be your
thesis.
But the second and third years of your MS or PhD are also an important period for your professional
development particularly if youre considering an academic career.
Now is the time to look at conference presentation, or even consider scholarly publication. You may
also be ready to take on teaching work, at your own university or elsewhere.
Most supervisors will be happy to support their students at this point and will take pride in seeing
them step up to the academic stage (or at least the front of the conference hall). Some universities
may also make professional development a formal part of their MS or PhD programmes
particularly when it comes to undergraduate teaching.
However, you should make sure you have sensible expectations of your supervisor. Their primary
goal is support you to successfully complete your MS or PhD, after all.

What to expect from your supervisor? A big part of a successful supervisory relationship involves
understanding your commitments to each other. Read more about what you can (and can't) expect
from your MS or PhD supervisor.

Submission and examination: helping you cross the finish line

Eventually, it will be time to gather up your results, write up your thesis and submit it as a
dissertation. The way you do this can vary between projects.
If youre in the Arts or Humanities youll probably have been producing chapter drafts alongside your
research and your supervisor will already have provided feedback on them.
If youre in Science or Engineering youll probably have been focussed on conducting experiments
and gathering results, with a dedicated writing up period at the end of your degree.

Whatever your approach, your supervisor will help you put together a final version of your thesis.
They will then read through that draft and provide any feedback or advice. Once your supervisor
decides that your dissertation is up to the required standard they will advise you to submit it for
examination.
Most universities will allow you to submit against the advice of your supervisors, but this is almost
always a bad idea. If your supervisor does not believe a thesis is ready for examination it probably
isnt. Vice versa, your supervisor wont recommend you submit unless the thesis is likely to pass a
viva.

Selecting external examiners

Having guided you up to the submission point your supervisor has one final task to perform: helping
you select the external examiner (or examiners) for your viva voce.
This may seem quite minor, but it can actually be one of the most important contributions a
supervisor will make to your MS or PhD.
Some universities allow supervisors to invite and appoint external examiners themselves, but this is
relatively uncommon in the UK. Instead you will normally have the chance to suggest examiners and
will have the final say over who is invited to examine you.
By this point you may have a good idea of who might be a good external examiner particularly if
youve been active at conferences and networked within your field. But you should make sure you
take advice from your supervisor at this crucial point.
Not only will they know who in your field is best placed to examine your work, they will also know
who is most likely to appreciate it. All MS or PhD examinations are objective, but academia can be
home to diverse methodologies and approaches. Selecting an examiner with very different principles
to your own can make the viva much more challenging for both parties and put extra pressure on
your thesis defence.

The viva
In most cases a supervisor isnt directly involved in the actual viva voce exam that concludes your
MS or PhD.
They will have reviewed your thesis and helped you select your examiners (see above). They will
also meet with you on the day of the viva and provide support as you get ready for the exam. This
could simply involve finding the venue and waiting with you as your examiners arrive. Or it could
mean calming a few last minute nerves and helping you relax before the event.
Once the viva is over your supervisor may be invited to discuss the result with the panel before you
yourself receive feedback. This may allow them to provide some perspective on any areas of
concern, but such contributions are usually off the record. Your examiners will be making a decision
based on your thesis defence, not your supervisors.

Vivas in other countries Supervisors may not normally participate in the viva for a UK MS or PhD,
but this isn't true around the world. Some countries require supervisors to attend exams or even
participate as panel members. You can find out more in our individual guides to MS or PhD study
abroad.

Celebrating with you

OK, this isnt a formal part of the supervisory relationship, but you can certainly expect that your
supervisor will be one of the first people to congratulate you on a successful viva.
After all, theyll have spent at least three years invested in your project - and they'll probably be with
you when you receive your result.
Its common for students to go for a drink with their supervisor after a successful viva, or even to
have a meal together with their examiners. This can involve a little conversation about post-MS or
PhD opportunities and plans, but really, its a chance to relax and celebrate. So relax and celebrate.
You may also want to consider buying your supervisor a small gift to thank them for their support,
input, advice and, well, everything else on this page.