Graduate student supervision

Qualifications and Responsibilities for PhD Student Supervision

The ECE Department's policies and regulations concerning the qualifications and responsibilities of ECE PhD student supervisors and co-supervisors are listed below.

Supervisor's Qualifications and Responsibilities

  • Supervisors must be tenured or tenure-track ECE professors.  Emeritus professors, Adjunct professors and Associate members of the ECE Faculty may not serve as supervisors.
  • The supervisor serves as the Chair of the student's PhD Supervisory Committee and is responsible for forming the Committee during the first semester of the student's Program of Study.
  • The supervisor is responsible for all correspondence with the ECE Graduate Program Office concerning the student's PhD Committee and PhD requirements and is responsible for notifying the Department concerning any changes to the student's supervision.
  • The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that all PhD requirements are satisfied.
  • The supervisor must sign off on the initial and final thesis submissions.
  • The supervisor is required to serve as a member of the PhD Oral Defence Committee.

Co-supervisor's Qualifications and Responsibilities

  • Anyone with a PhD in the appropriate field can co-supervise ECE graduate students.  The co-supervisor does not have to have any affiliation with McGill and does not have to be a professor.  The appointment of a co-supervisor is subject to Department approval.
  • The co-supervisor must attend the initial meeting of the PhD Supervisory Committee and must be involved with and attend the defences for ECSE 701, ECSE 702 and ECSE 703.
  • The co-supervisor must sign off on the Research Progress Tracking forms.
  • The co-supervisor must sign off on the initial and final thesis submissions.
  • The co-supervisor is not required to serve as a member of the PhD Oral Defence Committee.

The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies office has provided resources for both students and supervisors to maximize the quality of the student-supervisor relationship.  These resources can be access at Graduate Supervision.

 Further information on PhD Program requirements can be found in the document: PhD Program Regulations & Policies [PDF]

Back to top