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Supervisor's qualifications?

  • 24-09-2012 11:25am
    #1
    silenceisfoo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88 ✭✭


    So I applied for a PhD in an Irish University but I was told that because of school policy I would need to first sit a Masters in research and apply from there to the PhD programme during the academic year. I have just been appointed a supervisor and I noticed that she does not have a PhD herself, although is a practicing professional and well known. Does my supervisor need to have a PhD in order to supervise me?


Comments

  • #2
    gutenberg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 984 ✭✭✭gutenberg


    silenceisfoo wrote: »
    So I applied for a PhD in an Irish University but I was told that because of school policy I would need to first sit a Masters in research and apply from there to the PhD programme during the academic year. I have just been appointed a supervisor and I noticed that she does not have a PhD herself, although is a practicing professional and well known. Does my supervisor need to have a PhD in order to supervise me?

    I think it depends on the subject. In some areas (law springs to mind?) a person with large amounts of experience will be able to supervise a PhD because they will have the required knowledge level from their on-the-job training. I don't know how it is for other subjects though, although it seems very possible that some older academics may not actually have PhDs, they weren't always a requirement for a university post back many years ago. These people would be qualified to supervise I would imagine, by dint of their experience. It's a situation that's becoming more uncommon I would have thought?


  • #3
    silenceisfoo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88 ✭✭silenceisfoo


    Thanks for the reply. Well to be diplomatic she is not on the good side of 50 so I am wondering if it is ok. I may approach this very carefully with her!


  • #4
    gutenberg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 984 ✭✭✭gutenberg


    silenceisfoo wrote: »
    Thanks for the reply. Well to be diplomatic she is not on the good side of 50 so I am wondering if it is ok. I may approach this very carefully with her!

    Well if she's over 50 then she could be part of that generation of university teachers who didn't do a PhD but who still landed a university post. Or is it her age that worries you? Friends of mine have supervisors in their 70s, but who are still research-active and extremely capable, so I wouldn't worry.

    Is it necessary to bring it up with her? Perhaps talk to some of her other PhD students (or if she doesn't have any currently, other students in the dept) about her supervision style, and perhaps bring it up diplomatically that way to ask their opinion.


  • #5
    silenceisfoo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88 ✭✭silenceisfoo


    No it's not the age that bothers me it's just me fretting over whether she could supervise me or not.
    I am meeting her later in the week for the first time so I can approach it then about continuing studies etc. Thanks!


  • #6
    dyl10
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,355 ✭✭✭dyl10


    I don't know anything about your field, motivations, supervisor etc. but maybe have a think, not only about the impact during the PhD but also her effect as a referee for you after.


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  • #7
    El Siglo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,803 ✭✭✭El Siglo


    Check out her publications, when was the last time she published, where did she publish etc... Peer-reviewed papers are the benchmarks of good academia, if she's publishing and researching then you're grand. Whether she has a PhD or not is beside the point. I know an academic from an internship, he'd be fairly well known in his field and brings in a lot of funding, has a masters and never did a PhD. However, he's supervised a load of PhD students and having worked with him I can easily say it never made any difference, he knew his stuff.


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