PhD Supervisory Committee
Every incoming graduate student is assigned a faculty member as his/her advisor. These assignments are made keeping in mind the research interests of the student and the workload of the faculty member. In the case of entering PhD students, the advisor is a member of the “offer sponsorship team,” which consists of one to three faculty. It is the student’s responsibility to formalize a supervisory relationship with a faculty member in his or her area of interest within one term. The advisor and any other sponsors are natural choices for this role, but other faculty may also be considered (if they are interested).
Supervisor and Chair of the PhD Committee
The student is responsible for finding a supervisor. The supervisor is usually the Chair of the supervisory committee. Once a faculty member has agreed to be the supervisor, the student and the supervisor must sign the Supervisory agreement form by December 1st in case of September entrants and by April 1st in case of January entrants.
Supervisory Committee Members
The purpose of this committee is to provide constructive criticism and assessment of the student’s ideas as the program develops. The student is responsible for identifying the members to serve on the committee.
The supervisory committee also decides on the membership of the comprehensive examination committee. Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies recommends that the committee meet at least once and preferably twice a year to monitor the student’s progress.
Doctoral supervisory committees must have at least three members (including the supervisor). They may have either one supervisor and at least two committee members, or one primary supervisor and one co-supervisor and at least one committee member, or two co-supervisors and at least one committee member. They may not have three co-supervisors.
Master’s supervisory committees must have at least two members, and should have at least three members (including the supervisor). They may have either one supervisor and at least one committee member, or one primary supervisor and one co-supervisor and one committee member, or two co-supervisors and one committee member. They may not have three co-supervisors (or one supervisor and two co-supervisors).
Doctoral supervisors, co-supervisors, and committee members, and master's supervisors and co-supervisors, must be members of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies or have been approved by the appropriate bodies (see Non-members of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies as Supervisory Committee Members and Supervision of Graduate Students by Non-members of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, as appropriate, for approval processes). It is recommended that at least one committee member be from a graduate program other than the student’s. At least half of the members of ALL supervisory committees must be members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Please refer to Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for more information (see below)
Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
Program of Study
Supervisory Committee and Supervisory Committee Composition
Supervision
Supervision by non-members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Non-members of G&PS as Supervisory Committee members