External Supervisors? on PostgraduateForum.com

pinkandfluffy
8 years ago

Hello everyone - I was wondering whether anyone on this forum has any experience of being supervised by someone outside of their university? Did the arrangement work, or did your supervisor lose interest in your research?

Just to give you a little bit of background, I'm about 10 months into my PhD at the moment and it's looking like both of my supervisors are going to leave the university in the next couple of months or so. There isn't anyone else at the university who looks like they would be able to help, so I am facing the prospect of having two external supervisors. Personally, I just can't see this working. I'm in two minds as to whether I should keep going with my PhD, start on a new topic or transfer to somewhere else?

Any thoughts, ideas or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

PF

H

Hugh
8 years ago

Quote From pinkandfluffy:
Hello everyone - I was wondering whether anyone on this forum has any experience of being supervised by someone outside of their university? Did the arrangement work, or did your supervisor lose interest in your research?

Just to give you a little bit of background, I'm about 10 months into my PhD at the moment and it's looking like both of my supervisors are going to leave the university in the next couple of months or so. There isn't anyone else at the university who looks like they would be able to help, so I am facing the prospect of having two external supervisors. Personally, I just can't see this working. I'm in two minds as to whether I should keep going with my PhD, start on a new topic or transfer to somewhere else?

Any thoughts, ideas or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

PF

I know someone whose second supervisor left the university. Its working quite well for him, they have regular supervisions and feedback via Skype. However, the main supervisor is in house.

Have you spoken to your supervisors about this? Could one of them take you with them to the university they are going to? What would they recommend you do?

T

TreeofLife
8 years ago

I had four supervisors, two of which were external. The external ones had very limited input and one wasn't interested at all.

I think that had they been my main supervisors though, they would have had more input and I could have arranged meetings etc with them if needed.

P

pinkandfluffy
8 years ago

Thanks for your replies - really appreciate it!

Just so you know, it would be difficult for me to transfer to another university with one of my supervisors, but I'm not going to disclose the reasons why in a public forum in case that would out me!

I think that the concern is that all of my main supervisory team would be external - I expect that I would be allocated someone internally to check up on me, but there is noone else that is researching in my area, so it wouldn't be of much practical assistance. I'm worried that if there is a problem, there won't be anything much that the university can do....

H

Hugh
8 years ago

Quote From pinkandfluffy:
Thanks for your replies - really appreciate it!

Just so you know, it would be difficult for me to transfer to another university with one of my supervisors, but I'm not going to disclose the reasons why in a public forum in case that would out me!

I think that the concern is that all of my main supervisory team would be external - I expect that I would be allocated someone internally to check up on me, but there is noone else that is researching in my area, so it wouldn't be of much practical assistance. I'm worried that if there is a problem, there won't be anything much that the university can do....

How far is the new university your main/preferred supervisor is going to from your current university? Is it a short bus/train/care ride away? Are you able to get to it every two weeks for example easily?

Will your current university be paying your supervisors to continue supervising you? Who will be checking on them that they are doing their supervisory role as they ought to?

These are questions I would ask, and expect answers to. Also, do you current supervisor/s want you to carry on with them?

E

emmaki
8 years ago

About a year after I started my phd my second supervisor retired from university and continued my supervision as an external. Six months before I dubmited my other/main supervisor also retired.
So, I finished my phd with 2 external supervisors.
I did not have any problem with either of ghem. They kept the deadlines they had set for feedback and they were both present at our meetings.
I guess it depends on the kind of person your supervisor is