Supervisors
Why supervise?
As a supervisor, you will have the privilege of watching your students grow into independent researchers who make a meaningful contribution to knowledge. You will also become part of a collective of UTS staff who are committed to developing the next generation of professionals and researchers who can lead our global society.
Types of research supervisors
Supervisor titles
Graduate research supervisors are recognised by the following titles:
- Principal Supervisor: The lead (first) supervisor who takes primary academic responsibility for the graduate research candidate
- Co-Supervisor: A supervisor who contributes to the academic guidance and supervision of a graduate research student, may sometimes act as principal supervisor for administrative matters.
- Assistant supervisor: A salaried professional UTS staff who provides specialist support and advice to the student.
- External supervisor: A non-UTS employee who provides specialist experience and advice to the student.
Supervisor categories
The Categories in which you may be registered as a supervisor are defined in the Supervisor Register Protocol.
| Category | Eligibility | Supervisory Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | A research-active UTS academic or holds a UTS honorary appointment or emeritus professorship with a defined responsibility for graduate research supervision and:
| Principal Supervisor or Co-supervisor |
| Category 2 | A research-active UTS academic or holds a UTS honorary appointment or emeritus professorship with a defined responsibility for graduate research supervision and:
| Principal Supervisor or Co-supervisor
|
| Category 3 | A UTS professional (non-academic) staff member:
| Assistant Supervisor |
| Category 4 | A research-active academic staff at a university or research institute (not an employee of UTS):
| External Supervisor |
| Category 5 | A member of a private or public sector, or community organisation (not an employee of UTS):
| External Supervisor |
Supervision panel requirements
Each graduate research student must be overseen by a panel of at least two supervisors. Panels must meet the following requirements:
- Master’s degree supervision panels must have at least one principal supervisor and one co-supervisor. The panel can also include additional co-supervisors and one or more assistant or external supervisors.
- Doctoral degree supervision panels must have at least one principal supervisor and one co-supervisor, at least one of whom is registered as Category 1. The panel can also include co-supervisors and one or more assistant or external supervisors.
