Supervisor Qualifications

Supervisors for all graduate degrees (PhD, MA, MA-RLS, MSc, MCoach) will normally possess a doctorate degree with dissertation. Any exceptions to the above must be considered by the Vice-Dean and Associate Dean.

A professor who wishes to supervise doctoral or Master’s level students should have experience as a thesis committee member, at the respective level, before assuming the role of primary supervisor to a graduate student. Alternatively, new professors may be encouraged to co-supervise the first Master’s or doctoral with an experienced faculty member. Professors should only select those students whose stated research interest falls within their acknowledged area of expertise.

The decision as to whether or not a faculty member will be granted permission to supervise doctoral students will be made by the Associate Dean and the faculty member concerned. The following factors will be considered:

At the Master’s Level

• The extent to which the faculty member is involved in work of a professional and/or disciplinary nature in a substantive area of study related to physical education, kinesiology, sport, recreation and leisure studies
• The number of publications in the form of refereed journal articles, books, chapters in books, articles in non-refereed or professional journals, and reports produced by the faculty member over the past five years
• The involvement of the faculty member in academic and professional organizations, as apresenter at conferences and as a speaker to professional bodies, community conferences, etc.
• The faculty member's link with other departments/faculties on campus, the number of students currently supervised and, where necessary, the staff member's ability to fund students

At the Doctoral Level

• The extent to which the faculty member has established an ongoing research program which focuses on enhancing substantive knowledge about an area within the fields of physical education, kinesiology, sport, recreation and leisure studies
• The experience of the faculty member in supervising Master’s students and serving on doctoral committees
• The number of publications in the form of refereed journal articles, books, chapters in books, articles in non-refereed or professional journals, and reports produced by the faculty member over the past five years
• The grant funding obtained by the faculty member in the last five years.
• The involvement of the faculty member as holder of an office in academic organizations, as a major speaker at academic conferences, as a member of editorial boards, as a reviewer for grants, articles, etc. and as an external examiner/consultant for other departments, universities, or other sport/physical education related organizations
• The faculty member's research and scholarly links with other departments/faculties on campus, the number of students currently supervised, and the ability of the staff member to fund students