Supervisory Committee

All students are expected, with the assistance of the supervisor, to select a supervisory committee within 6 months of their program. All RSI PhD students are required to submit the proposed membership of their Supervisory Committee using the Supervisory Committee Membership Approval Form to the RSI office within 6 months of their program. The Supervisory Committee must approve the research proposal in the first year for PhD students. This form must also be re-submitted if Supervisory Committee membership changes during the student’s program. Students will be notified by email of approval. Please review the RSI Supervisory Committee Policy for more information.

RSI will keep a record of your research progress for the duration of the program. One unsatisfactory performance will result in losing your good standing status. Two consecutive unsatisfactory ratings will result in consideration for program termination. If you fail to hold a committee meeting within a reasonable timeframe of the required 6 months, this will be considered as an unsatisfactory performance rating.

It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the meetings. Your committee will assess your progress in the program and provide advice on future work. The committee provides you with a report detailing its observations and a copy will also be placed in your student file; you can choose to attach a response to the committee’s report.

The Supervisory Committee members provide expertise in the areas relevant to the thesis topic and should complement the supervisor’s own research interests. The committee members assess, encourage, motivate the student and provide guidance and mentoring.

For a PhD student, the Supervisory Committee must include at least two individuals (in addition to the supervisor and/or co-supervisor) with graduate appointments in the School of Graduate Studies. Not all U of T faculty members have a graduate appointment with SGS. If you are uncertain whether a prospective committee member meets the requirements, please contact the RSI student administration office. Only approved Supervisory Committee members are eligible to participate in Supervisory Committee meetings.