For PhD supervisors and assessment committee members
Read about rules and regulations for the PhD programme at Aarhus BSS Graduate School. The following guidelines are particularly relevant for supervisors and assessment committee members at the Department of Psychology (PSY).
Supervision
All students must have a main supervisor and at least one co-supervisor. These supervisors must be appointed before enrolment. The main supervisor must be an employee of PSY and an associate professor or professor, and they must have participated in the pedagogical supervisor course or equivalent. Co-supervisors may be PSY employees or employees of other institutions and must have at least assistant professor qualifications.
According to the teaching standards at PSY, the main supervisor is credited with 15 hours and the co-supervisor with 5 hours per semester. In practice, however, supervisors often spend more time supporting their students, particularly in cases involving research collaboration and joint authorship of scientific articles. As elsewhere, co-authorship requires a substantial contribution to the publication; it is not a natural consequence of the supervisory relationship. The main supervisor and PhD students can find further information about responsible research practice, including co-authorship of articles.
According to the guidelines, the student’s PhD plan should describe the mutual requirements and expectations of the supervision process. This should cover the form and frequency of supervision. Both the main supervisor and the PhD student must confirm their satisfaction with the supervision process in the MyPhD evaluations.
As the main supervisor is responsible for the PhD student’s overall education, they must provide guidance on the research part of the programme (including the thesis chapters/articles and the capstone) as well as the other elements, such as teaching, courses and changes of environment. Additionally, supervision should cover career considerations and work-life balance, as well as talent development and socialisation into academia. While most students are very satisfied with their supervisors, some have trouble getting appointments and have concerns about their supervisor’s availability. It is advisable to arrange regular meetings around twice a month, even if there are no specific tasks to be supervised.
Ongoing evaluation
According to the PhD Order, the university must regularly assess whether the PhD student is adhering to their PhD plan, ensuring they make any necessary adjustments throughout the programme. This is implemented through MyPhD evaluations, which are supplemented by an annual assessment by the board of supervisors. The role of the supervisory board is to enhance the quality of PhD projects and facilitate their completion within the scheduled timeframe by engaging in constructive discussions about the individual PhD student’s studies in a broader context. The supervisory board must also focus on supervision throughout the programme. The head of PhD programme issues more detailed information about the supervisory board each year around January.
Assessment committee establishment
According to the PhD Order, the assessment committee should comprise three members. The chair is usually appointed from PSY, while the other two members must come from different institutions, at least one of which must be abroad. All members must be qualified as either associate professors or professors, and must be trusted to competently assess the thesis. The dean appoints the committee. This is based on a recommendation from the head of programme.
The main supervisor is responsible for preparing proposals for assessment committee members and obtaining commitments from those concerned as to their willingness to undertake the task. The proposal must be available around one month before submission and is first sent for approval to the head of programme (through the PhD secretary).
Responsibilities of the chair of the assessment committee
The chair is responsible for leading the assessment work and ensuring that deadlines are met. If necessary, they can request an extension. Work is usually divided among the committee members, who primarily assess parts of the PhD thesis. However, all members are responsible for evaluating the entire thesis. However, all members are responsible for assessing the entire PhD thesis. The chair is responsible for compiling the various contributions to the draft assessment and ensuring that it presents a coherent and comprehensive assessment from the entire committee.
In connection with the appointment of the assessment committee, the PhD secretary sends the chair a document containing a template for the central elements of the written assessment, the related procedures and tasks, and a general timetable for the PhD defence.
Experience shows that it is very important to set a possible date for the defense very early in the process, provided that the thesis is deemed suitable for defense. This date should be set as soon as the committee has been established and approved. The members of the assessment committee and the main supervisor must be available to physically attend, as must the PhD student.
