For situations involving discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence, please reach out to McGill's Office for Mediation and Reporting (OMR) to file a formal report. You can learn about policies and processes; or be connected to additional supports.
For other situations of conflict, please consider the following:
Student - Supervisor
In situations of conflict with your thesis supervisor, these steps are suggested to be followed one at a time in the following order:
- Speak to your supervisor; it is important to raise issues as they arise. For serious issues, politely confirm discussions in writing to ensure both parties have an understanding of the points discussed and expectations.
- Clarify regulations and policies with the Graduate Program Coordinator
- Speak informally with other members of your Supervisory Committee
- Arrange and hold a Supervisory Committee Meeting
- Speak to your Graduate Program Director
- Speak to the Associate Dean (Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences)
- Speak to the Associate Dean (Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies - FMHS oversight)
- Speak to the Ombudsperson
Supervisor - Student
In situations of conflict with a student under your supervision, these steps are suggested to be followed one at a time in the following order:
- Regulations and policies with the Graduate Program Coordinator or Graduate Program Director
- Speak informally with other members of the student's Supervisory Committee and if necessary
- Arrange and hold a Supervisory Committee meeting
- Speak to your Graduate Program Director
- Speak to the Associate Dean (Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences)
- Speak to the Associate Dean (Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies - FMHS oversight)
*New: Guidance on Supervisory Changes
Every graduate student must have a supervisor to make progress towards their thesis research, which is necessary to remain in-program. Most graduate students do not change supervisors during their program. Rarely, a student may lose the guidance of a supervisor and thus be unable to continue with their initial thesis research project.
Situations and resolution strategies
The supervisor is incapable of continued supervision
- The Chair of the Department will arrange for a new permanent supervisor or co-supervisor as the occasion requires (e.g. in case of illness or death of a supervisor, or their departure from the university).
- The replacement supervisor will be agreeable to the student, have sufficient time, and when applicable, space and funds to support the student.
- Ideally, the student will need not change the fundamental aspects of their thesis research.
The supervisor cannot continue as the primary supervisor
- The supervisor and Chair of the Department will add a co-supervisor to the student’s supervisory committee when the primary supervisor retires, moves to emeritus status, or goes on leave (including sabbatical).
- The co-supervisor will be agreeable to the student, have sufficient expertise in the thesis research to guide the student, time, and when applicable, space and funds to support the student.
- The home faculty will be responsible for assuring funding.
- Ideally, the student will maintain the fundamental aspects of their thesis research.
The supervisor declines to continue supervising the student
The supervisor may decide that they can no longer supervise the student. This situation may be adversarial with little or no communication between the supervisor and the student.
The department will actively aid the student in finding a new supervisor.
Steps include:
- The supervisor must declare their intention to withdraw supervision in an email to the student, Chair of the Department, GPD, co-supervisor (if any) and supervisory committee members. If the student is funded by the outgoing supervisor, that supervisor must agree to continue the stipend of the student for the next 3 months.
- A detailed Letter of Understanding (LOU) must be in place regarding use of offices and research areas, data and research materials, role in authorship, publications, intellectual property, etc.
- Once notified, the GPD will meet with the student. The student will be explicitly informed orally and in a written document that a new supervisor must be engaged within 3 months.
- The student must provide the GPD with the names of potential new supervisors within the department, a cover letter, and a brief description of their research interests and skills.
- The GPD will circulate the student-created information to the named supervisors requesting that any interested potential supervisor contact the student directly for interviews and further conversation.
- The student must inform the GPD of the name of the replacement supervisor before the 3-month period ends.
- Should the student be unable to engage a new supervisor, the GPD will send a notice of withdrawal for lack of supervision letter to the student. In this case, the student would be withdrawn from the program.
The student no longer wishes to be supervised by their supervisor
The student may decide that they no longer wish to be supervised by their current supervisor. This situation may be adversarial with little or no communication between the supervisor and the student.
The department will actively aid the student in finding a new supervisor.
Steps include:
- The student must declare their intention to withdraw from their current supervisor in an email to the supervisor, Chair of the Department, GPD, co-supervisors (if any) and supervisory committee members.
- A detailed Letter of Understanding (LOU) must be in place regarding use of offices and research areas, data and research materials, role in authorship, publications, intellectual property, etc.
- Once notified, the GPD will meet with the student. The student will be explicitly informed orally and in a written document that a new supervisor must be engaged within 3 months. If the student was funded by the outgoing supervisor, the department will arrange to continue the stipend of the student for the next 3 months.
- The student must provide the GPD with the names of potential new supervisors within the department, a cover letter, and a brief description of their skills or other documentation as they feel appropriate.
- The GPD will circulate the student-created information to the named supervisors requesting that any interested potential supervisor contact the student directly for interviews and further conversation.
- The student must inform the GPD of the name of the replacement supervisor before the 3-month period ends.
- Should the student be unable to engage a new supervisor, the GPD will send a notice of withdrawal for lack of supervision letter to the student. In this case, the student would be withdrawn from the program.