Supervisors for MPhil / PhD students

Each MPhil/PhD student will have two supervisors: either

• a first and second supervisor or
• two co-supervisors

Second supervisors act as a back-up to first supervisors, while co-supervision normally involves a process of joint supervision - for example, when a student’s research area combines two subfields.

Supervisory relationships will vary according to the needs and expectations of both parties. Such variation reflects sensitivity to the diverse needs of researchers. It is therefore not possible to regulate every aspect of the relationship. However, two general principals are central to our supervisory regime:

• At the beginning of your registration and at intervals thereafter, you and your supervisor must discuss, agree and record your expectations of each other on the understanding that your objective is the production of a high-quality dissertation within a timely period.
• The relationship is subject to certain minimum standards of good practice on both sides.

See the Code of practice on supervision and the supervisory relationship for more details.

Find out more about academic research areas.