Supervision

Frequency of meetings

Full-time PGRs should meet with their supervisor(s) a minimum of once a month and part-time PGRs should meet with their supervisor(s) a minimum of once every two months.

If you go into writing-up and / or once you have submitted your thesis, you should still meet with your supervisor at least once every second month. 

 

Recording your supervision meetings

It is a University requirement that all supervision meetings are accompanied by a supervision record. Notes of supervisory meetings don't need to be lengthy or detailed, but should record the ongoing progress made on your project, the key points you discuss, and any agreed actions or objectives to be achieved by the next meeting. It is essential for both you and the members of your supervisory team that you have an accurate record of your supervision sessions.

Supervision meetings must be formally recorded within SkillsForge. SkillsForge will automatically create a blank formal supervision meeting record every month (or every two months for a part time PGR). These compulsory meeting records should be submitted before the ­­deadlines shown on the homepage, otherwise they will be recorded as incomplete - to be most effective we recommend that you do this on the day you actually have your supervision meeting. Additional meetings can be recorded at any time.

If you go into writing-up and / or once you have submitted your thesis, supervision meetings will no longer be automatically created, but you should still meet with your supervisor at least once every second month. These meetings must also be recorded in SkillsForge. You can do this by creating a additional meeting record.

Recording a supervision meeting is straightforward but if you have any problems, speak to your School PGR Admin team in the first instance. If you experience any technical difficulties with SkillsForge, please contact Skillsforge@hud.ac.uk for support. 

 

Initial meetings

In your first meetings with your supervisors, it's important that you discuss:

  • How often you can expect to meet with your supervisors and what access you will have to the team. This should include discussion of how long they might take to respond to your emails; who you might go to if your main supervisor is on annual leave; how far in advance your supervisors might need drafts of your work if they are going to be able to give you feedback before you submit anything for assessment.
  • You should discuss your aspirations and motivations for your research and start to locate your project in the wider context.
  • You should set some initial milestones to work towards.

Supervisor absence 

There may be occasions when your main supervisor is absent from the University, such as owing to illness, sabbatical leave or parental leave. Where the period of absence is for less than three months it is expected that your second supervisor will assume responsibility for your supervision until your main supervisor returns. Should the period of absence be for longer than three months then it is crucial that alternative arrangements for cover are made in advance to ensure that you have continuity of supervision and appropriate support. The supervisory team should discuss and agree these arrangements with you and your School Director of Graduate Education.

Where this results in a permanent change to the supervisory team, the Application to change supervisory arrangements should be completed and submitted to the School Director of Graduate Education. This also applies where an absence results in a permanent change to a student's co-supervisor / s. 

Supervisor departure

If your main supervisor moves to another institution or intends to retire, then they will inform you of this change as far in advance as possible. Your circumstances should be discussed with your supervisors and your School Director of Graduate Education to determine what the best course of action is for you. This may include:

  • Remaining at the University of Huddersfield and agreeing on a replacement main supervisor who has the appropriate subject area expertise to support your research.
  • Remaining at the University of Huddersfield and agreeing on a replacement main supervisor but retaining your old supervisor as an external advisor to your project (subject to approval from the other institution).
  • Moving to your supervisor’s new institution to continue your research degree under their supervision (subject to approval from the other institution).

Where the PGR will remain at the University of Huddersfield with a changed supervisory team, the Application to change supervisory arrangements should be completed and submitted to the School Director of Graduate Education.

There may be rare occasions when a change in supervision results in the University being unable to continue to provide supervision to a PGR. For example, due to supervisor capacity or lack of expertise in the relevant discipline. In exceptional circumstances, this may lead to the termination of the PGR’s registration. Should this occur, there will be full consultation and exploration of all options that are available.

If a co-supervisor leaves the University and needs to be replaced, the Application to change supervisory arrangements should be completed and submitted to the School Director of Graduate Education.

Problems with the supervisory relationship

Rarely, conflicts arise between a PGR and their supervisor/s which cannot be resolved. PGRs who are unhappy with their supervision should, if they feel able to, discuss these issues with the supervisor in the first instance before they seek help elsewhere. If this is not possible, or a conversation with the supervisor / s does not resolve the issue, you are advised to contact your School Director of Graduate Education and describe in writing the difficulties in your relationship with your supervisor / s. The School Director of Graduate Education should then meet with the PGR and supervisors – either together or separately, depending on the circumstances – to discuss the difficulties and seek a solution. If no resolution seems possible, the School Director of Graduate Education may assign a different supervisor / s to you. This change should be formalised through the completion of the Application to change supervisory arrangements.

If you are dissatisfied with the action of your School and believe you are receiving inadequate supervision, you may feel it is appropriate to submit a formal complaint.