Duties of a thesis supervisor and the supervision plan

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By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content.

Supervision work is closely linked to the intended learning outcomes of the degree and thesis as well as the related grading criteria. In accordance with the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students’ Rights at the University of Helsinki, the student must receive instruction both during their studies and while writing their thesis.  See here for instructions on ensuring that your supervision is aligned with the learning outcomes.

Supervision principles

The Rector decides on the principles of supervision, including the rights and obligations of the student and the supervisor. The degree programme’s curriculum must contain instructions on how to prepare a personal study plan, along with the practices for approving and updating the plan. Please review the curriculum of your faculty and the thesis grading criteria in order to ensure that your supervision is aligned with the learning outcomes.

In the Rector’s decision, supervision refers to the support provided for the student’s or doctoral candidate’s learning process as they change, gain experience and grow as an expert. As a whole, supervision consists of communication, advice, instruction and special guidance. Supervision and counselling can be organised in a group led by the supervisor, at a seminar, in a peer group of students or doctoral candidates organised by the supervisor or in a personal meeting separately agreed between the supervisor and the student/doctoral candidate. Supervision and counselling can also be provided electronically through, for example, Moodle or other teaching tools available. 

Members of the teaching and research staff provide counselling that is related to teaching and research and requires knowledge of the content of different studies and disciplines. This counselling may concern, for example, personal study plans or thesis supervision. 

Guidance and counselling are provided in the Finnish and Swedish-language and multilingual degree programmes in Finnish or Swedish depending on the student’s native language or in English or another language as agreed with the student. If the student’s native language is a language other than Finnish or Swedish, guidance and counselling are provided in English or, if agreed with the student, in another language. In English-language master’s programmes and doctoral programmes, guidance can also be provided solely in English.

The degree programme steering group is responsible for ensuring that each student is appointed with a primary supervisor who is responsible for the supervision of their thesis. Additional supervisors may also be appointed. Your supervision plan can be used to agree on the responsibilities related to the supervision.

Supervision as interaction and the supervision plan

Supervision is about interaction with responsibilities that are divided between the different parties of the supervision relationship. Ambiguities related to supervision are often due to the parties’ different expectations regarding the content and responsibilities of the supervision and the fact that the parties are often unaware of the others’ expectations. Below, you can find a table that serves as a great tool for considering the different rights and obligations related to supervision

TEACHER STUDENT

Teacher has a right to

  • a supervision process that is manageable and has a limited timeframe
  • decide how the course/seminar is organised and scheduled
  • require active participation and work at the seminar
  • receive the text from the student on time in order to provide feedback, and receive information from the student on which part of the research process they especially need help with

Student has a right to

  • receive systematic and sufficient guidance for the thesis and research process; has the right to discuss matters related to the thesis and to receive constructive feedback
  • be informed of the informed learning outcomes in advance
  • be informed of the grading criteria in advance
  • be informed of the schedules and seminar rules of conduct in advance

Teacher's obligations

  • responds to the student’s queries without undue delay
  • provides information on the thesis seminar schedule, grading criteria, intended learning outcomes and rules on time (in practice, prepares the curriculum text carefully)
  • is responsible for planning and managing the learning environment
  • provides guidance for both the writing and the related research process
  • instructs the student in considering questions on the responsible conduct of research and research ethics
  • provides expertise-based feedback on the student’s work and reads and comments on the thesis manuscript
  • helps the student to analyse different courses of action
  • participates in the assessment of the thesis and the thesis process

Student's obligations

  • participates actively and is committed
  • follows the provided instructions and completes the specified tasks
  •  keeps to the agreed schedules
  • is responsible for setting their own goal and managing their own work
  • submits the text on time and prepares for the supervision meetings
  • makes the basic decisions concerning their thesis
  • receives feedback from the supervisor and utilises it
  • utilises and revises previously learned knowledge when writing their thesis

The policies and practices of supervision should be discussed in the early stages of the thesis process. The supervisor and the student may also prepare a written supervision plan that clarifies the schedule for the supervision and the thesis work as well as the content of the supervision. The plan can also be utilised if any problems arise or you fall behind schedule.

Topics the supervisor should incorporate in the supervision

When supervising a student’s thesis work, remember to pay attention to the following topics:

Different faculties may have their own decisions and instructions on thesis supervision. Please read the instructions provided by your faculty.

See also the Instructions for Students

You will find related content for students in the Studies Service.