The Steering Committee has approved a new version of the Supervision Agreement that can be used with immediate effect.

Why is there a new version and what is new?

For the first time, the Board of the Graduate Schools of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MNF) created a common template for the supervision agreements of all six department graduate schools in close co-operation with the MNF doctoral office. The template has been approved by the University’s legal department. We adapted the template for the GSGS.

With the introduction of the new Supervision Agreement, a written extension documenting e.g. access to primary data for doctoral projects in co-operation with other institutions or industry is usually no longer necessary. Furthermore, the new version of the agreement is shorter than the previous one.

In the past, the Supervision Agreement was concluded between the doctoral candidate and all members of their Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). From now, only the doctoral candidate and the advisor sign the Supervision Agreement itself; other TAC members sign the supplement to confirm the role as mentor they assume. One of them is the so-called independent TAC member, who is not bound by instruction of the advisor.

Another new feature is the clear reference to a preparatory conversation, which is recommended between advisor and candidate before or at the start of a doctoral project to discuss mutual expectations. 

Where can I find the new Supervision Agreement and further information?

The new Supervision Agreement and the preparatory conversation document can be found in our download area. Further information about the Supervision Agreement is linked.