Supervisors provide students with personalised academic support, from expert advice on specific research areas to general academic guidance.
Your supervisor
As a postgraduate student at Cambridge, you'll benefit from individual academic support from a dedicated supervisor who is an expert in your field.
Your faculty or department will assign a personal supervisor to help guide your research or course of study. Or you may be required to identify a suitable supervisor yourself before you apply. Check the Find a supervisor page for guidance.
The availability of a suitable supervisor is one of the factors a faculty or department takes into account when considering your application.
What your supervisor does
Your supervisor will:
- Help you clarify and refine your research ideas
- Ensure you're on track to meet the required standard of work
- Direct you to useful information, contacts and resources
- Complete a report on your progress at the end of each term
How often you meet with your supervisor during an academic year depends on your course, the nature of your research and dissertation, and how much prior knowledge and research experience you have.
Additional support
Most research students will have a second supervisor or adviser, who may be from a different department and not directly involved in your research project. They can provide independent monitoring of progress, provide general advice, and act as a first port of call if any issues arise. You might also be allocated a mentor.
Your full support team will monitor your progress and may be involved in your assessment during the first year.
Additionally, a Postgraduate Tutor is available through your College (and some departments) to help with personal or professional issues, to provide independent advice and support.
Supervising others
During your time at Cambridge, research students may have the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience by supervising and demonstrating to undergraduate students.
- Supervisions are small-group undergraduate teaching sessions (typically 1 to 4 students) held regularly throughout the term.
- Demonstrating involves supporting academic staff in practical classes or technical teaching, such as lab work, drawing or computer-aided process engineering.
This experience can be invaluable in developing key transferable skills important for future careers, whether in academia or other fields.
Teaching opportunities are typically limited to a few hours per week (usually between 6 and 10 hours) to ensure they do not interfere with your own studies. These roles are paid, but as they are part-time, they should not be relied upon to help with tuition or living costs.