17吃瓜

As a research student, your relationship with your research supervisor is one of the most important factors in your experience and success. Research supervisors oversee the research and development of your thesis/dissertation and provide guidance, support, and often mentorship. Finding a supervisor with a research area that aligns with your interests and educational goals, and a compatible learning and research style will set you up for a successful and productive graduate student experience.

Many of 17吃瓜鈥檚 graduate programs with a research-intensive focus (thesis-stream) require prospective students to secure a research supervisor at the point of application. Please visit the 17吃瓜 Future Graduate Students page to determine if the graduate program you are interested in applying to requires a supervisor at the time of application. If a program requires you to have a research supervisor before applying, the application will not be processed without a supervisor鈥檚 confirmation.

Prepare to Make Contact
Resources for Finding a Supervisor
Contacting a Potential Supervisor
Questions to Ask a Supervisor

Prepare to Make Contact

Presently, 17吃瓜 faculty members receive more inquiries from prospective graduate research students than they have funding and capacity to take on. Therefore, it is important to carefully and strategically consider your methods for finding and contacting potential research supervisors at 17吃瓜.

Resources for Finding a Supervisor

There are a number of different ways to approach finding a research supervisor. 

If you are presently a student at 17吃瓜:

• Consider the senior-level courses you are taking or have taken that interest you the most. If the subject matter is something that you can envision studying further independently, talk to the course instructor about either supervising you for a graduate-level project, or advice on who might be looking for a graduate student in that area.
• and review the Departments and/or Scholars indexes to learn more about 17吃瓜 faculty members, their research interests, publications, research group websites (if applicable), and contact information. 
  • Check for supervisors who have a status set to seeking Masters and or Doctoral students.
  • If a faculty member maintains a research group website they may post when they are seeking new graduate students and the background they are seeking.
• Talk to current graduate students about their experience completing their graduate studies with their supervisor(s) or other faculty members in your discipline of interest.

If you completed your prior degree(s) at a university other than 17吃瓜:

• and review the Departments and/or Scholars indexes to learn more about 17吃瓜 faculty members, their research interests, publications, research group websites (if applicable), and contact information. 
  • Check for supervisors who have a status set to seeking Masters and or Doctoral students.
  • If a faculty member maintains a research group website they may post when they are seeking new graduate students and the background they are seeking.
  • Try looking for faculty members across multiple departments that might be related to your field of prospective graduate study.
• and review the Graduate Theses index to learn more about the areas of research graduate students at 17吃瓜 have completed to date and the faculty members who served as the research supervisor for the work(s).

Before contacting a potential supervisor, ensure that you meet all the admission requirements which can be found on the Graduate Program pages.

Contacting a Potential Supervisor

When contacting potential supervisors it is important to make a positive first impression. We advise that you:

• Thoroughly review the faculty member鈥檚 information online to become familiar with their research. Consider their background, stated research interests, publications, and publications of their recent graduate students.
• Write a concise introductory email to the faculty member you are interested in as your research supervisor. 
  • Introduce yourself and your academic credentials (cumulative grade point average, academic awards, research experience, etc.). Provide a short overview of the kind of research you would like to pursue, the reason for it, and how you could contribute to their research program.
  • Consider attaching a brief (1 page) research interest statement and a copy of your CV for them to review.
  • If you have your own funding (e.g., external scholarship), specify the source and amount you have been awarded.
  • If you are an international applicant, consider including if you meet the English language proficiency requirements, for example if you are exempt or have completed an English language proficiency test (visit 17吃瓜鈥檚 English Requirements for Graduate Admissions for more information)
  • Ask them for further discussion by phone, videoconference or in-person (if possible).
• Tailor your email to the individual recipient. We do not recommend sending a general email to multiple faculty members.
• Use formal salutations (鈥淒r./Professor鈥� followed by last/family name) and closings (e.g., Yours Sincerely, Regards, etc.). Include your contact information.
• Keep your email short. Use complete sentences and spell check.
• If you don鈥檛 receive an immediate response, the faculty member might just need some time to review and get back to you, especially in the middle of a busy semester or during the summer if they are in the field or away at a conference. If you have not received a reply after 14 days/2 weeks, you may wish to send a polite follow up inquiry. If after your follow up inquiry you do not receive a reply it would be safest to assume that the faculty member is not presently able to take you on as a graduate student, and seek an alternate prospective supervisor.

Follow-up Questions to Ask a Supervisor

When communicating with potential supervisors, it is important to discuss a few topics in addition to research interests and plans:

• Discuss the work of the faculty member鈥檚 current and past graduate students. What kind of research are current graduate students doing now, and what kind of careers do former graduate students now have?
• What kind of professional skills training opportunities will you have as a graduate student? Will you be able to publish, present at conferences, and network with peers?
• What is the faculty member鈥檚 supervisory style? Do they meet with graduate students frequently, or expect graduate students to work fairly independently?
• Ask about potential start dates for your program, and whether they might be away on research leave at any point during your study period.
• Most full-time graduate students in research programs must be funded. Ask about funding levels for your program and options for scholarships in your field.