A PhD student is entitled to supervision, and the graduate school considers good supervision essential to a successful PhD. Please find information on:
The research environment of the student's supervisors must embrace academic breadth and must be at international level.
The main supervisor must be employed at Health and be on the level of at least an Associate Professor. The main supervisor is responsible for the entire PhD study.
The PhD student must find at least one co-supervisor with supplementary professional/academic knowledge, which is considered necessary for the completion of the project.
There is no requirement for the co-supervisor to be employed at Health. But all co-supervisors should be on the level of a PhD or equivalent.
If the PhD project is conducted outside the university, one of the co-supervisors should be employed by the institution at which the project is conducted.
For industrial PhD students, one of the co-supervisors has to be affiliated with the company where the PhD student is employed.
A PhD student can have a total of four supervisors (incl. main supervisor).
If the PhD student wishes to have more than a total of four supervisors affiliated with the project, he/she needs to submit an argumentation.
The PhD student can establish contact to potential supervisors through the Head of the Graduate Programme. Alternatively, contact details of all researchers at AU can be found in the AU researcher database “Find a Researcher”.
It is the Head of the Graduate School who appoints PhD supervisors.
In the appointment process, emphasis is placed on the supervisors’ ability to cover all professional/academic aspects of the project.
In addition, it is emphasised that supervisors are active researchers within the given field of study.
It is the personal responsibility of the PhD student to initiate collaboration with the supervisor(s) and to complete the PhD programme. However, the supervisor(s) is responsible for providing support throughout this process in the form of qualified feedback.
The supervisors have obligations to both the PhD student and the graduate school. They define the project together with the PhD student. The supervisor’s responsibilities are listed below.
The supervisor(s) need(s) to have:
It is important that the PhD student and the supervisor(s) discuss expectations and roles before agreeing to collaborate.
You should, among other things, talk about:
Pursuant to s. 8(1) of the PhD Order, the main supervisor is responsible for the overall education of the PhD student. The main supervisor must plan, together with the PhD student, the course of the education process with a view to ensuring that the PhD degree programme will be completed in due time.
The responsibilities of the main supervisor are directed towards both the graduate school and the PhD student. The main supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the PhD education proceeds in accordance with the rules and regulations stipulated in the PhD Order, the guidelines of the graduate school and the PhD plan. These responsibilities include:
In addition, the Head of the Graduate School may stipulate other requirements to the supervisors, including mandatory education of supervisors.
The main supervisor and/or co-supervisor(s) are responsible for:
In addition, the Head of the Graduate School may stipulate other requirements to the supervisors, including mandatory education of supervisors.
Regular updates of a PhD project are considered a natural part of a PhD education, including (substantiated) change of supervisors. Change of main supervisor may be allowed upon application.
To get changes to the supervisor group approved, the PhD student needs to send an application to graduateschoolhealth@au.dk clearly stating the reasons behind the wish for changes.
All supervisors (incl. the new and/or old supervisors) have to either sign the application or be cc. on the application e-mail. This is to verify that changes to the group of supervisors has been discussed and approved by all supervisors.
If you are experiencing cooperation problems with your main- or co-supervisor(s), you are welcome to contact the graduate school. You can also reach out to the Heads of the Graduate Programmes or contact our student counsellor.
