Supervision

Each student receives guidance from an Advisory Committee that consists of a Supervisor, who is an expert in the area of research to be undertaken, and at least two other persons with related expertise.

The Board of Graduate Studies has issued the following guidelines for Graduate Studies regarding research. Please consult the Graduate Studies Guide for Students and Supervisors (at Office of Graduate Studies & Research website above) for further details.

Responsibilities of the Student

Graduate students have the following responsibilities:

• keeping the schedule of meetings agreed with the supervisor;
• taking the initiative in raising with the supervisor problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem;
• discussing the type of guidance and comments found most helpful;
• maintaining good progress of work in accordance with the schedule agreed with the supervisor;
• presenting written material as required in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussion before proceeding to the next stage;
• making representation to the Head of Department (HOD) if an effective working relationship is not established with the supervisor or if, for reasons outside the student's control, the work is not proceeding satisfactorily.

Responsibilities of the Supervisor

Supervisors have the following responsibilities:

• giving guidance about the nature of research and the standard of performance expected, about the planning of the research programme, about literature and sources, about requisite techniques (including
• arranging for instruction where necessary), and about attendance at classes;
• advising the student of the nature of guidance or comments to be offered on the student's written work since comments have to be in accordance with the general principle that the work should be the student's own;
• arranging regular tutorial meetings with the student;
• being accessible to the student at other times as the need arises;
• giving detailed advice on the completion dates of successive stages of the work so that the whole may be submitted within the scheduled time;
• requesting written work as appropriate and returning such work with constructive criticism in reasonable time;
• arranging for the student to present the work to staff or graduate seminars, in oral or written form;
• arranging for the student to have practice in oral examination;
• ensuring that the student is made aware of inadequacy of progress or of standards of work below that generally accepted;
• paying particular attention to overseas students (especially those from outside the Caribbean) who may in the early stages need very frequent contact, and often advice of a seemingly elementary kind;
• submitting full annual reports to the Board for Graduate Studies, through the Campus Registrar, on the student's progress. If the student is making insufficient progress or the work is below standard, the supervisor should recommend whether the student should be allowed to continue;
• reminding the student to act in accordance with University regulations governing entry to the thesis examination (normally three months before the expected date of submission of the thesis);
• making recommendations to the Head of Department on the nomination of the examiners of the student's thesis/research paper/project report, (normally three months before the expected date of submission);
• ensuring that the final work of the student satisfies accepted standards of usage for scholarly writing and that the presentation conforms to the University's General Regulations.