Social support

Supervisors

From the outset, be transparent and clearly convey your most important needs. Sometimes it can be difficult to share your difficulties with your supervisor for fear that they will judge you or doubt your abilities. Identifying your needs and sharing them will reduce pressure and prevent misunderstandings. Ultimately, this will foster a better relationship between you and your supervisor, who is one of the most important people involved in your PhD.

You can consult the MSc Supervisory Relationship Implementation Guide for Faculty and Students (in French), however, please note that certain differences between completing an M.Sc. thesis and a doctoral dissertation (scope, duration, expected scientific contributions, publication goals, etc.) may have an impact on the supervisory relationship.

To whom should you address your questions?

Contact your student advisor about any administrative questions you may have. From admission requirements to graduation, including course registration, your counsellor is there to guide you through various administrative processes regarding your student file.

Their role is to:
• guide you in your course selection, forming your phase II and/or phase III committee, etc.;
• invite you to research activities organized within your discipline or department;
• follow your progress in the program and helping you resolve any difficulties along the way.

You can contact this person for the following:
• Phase II and phase III forms;
• the procedure to follow when preparing for your comprehensive exam, or your dissertation proposal or defence;
• updating your file depending on the stage you are at;
• securing shared workspace (the PhD program office has a few offices that it makes available to program members writing their thesis);
• Requests for information about the program.

You can contact this person for the following:
• an exemption from tuition fees;
• your funding and terms of payment;
• Conditions for maintaining your funding and rules for accrual of external funding described in the
Guide on Using Funding Offered by HEC Montréal (in French).

Feel free to talk to your fellow doctoral students, whether they have just arrived in Montréal or have been here for some time. The questions you are facing are likely to affect them in one way or another. These discussions can cover a variety of practical topics (e.g., the PhD process, available scholarships, relationships with supervisors, writing, research). In addition to potentially providing information, these discussions will help you develop a sense of academic community, which will help you adjust to your new role.

To support your PhD journey, the AECS organizes writing activities, social outings and support groups, and makes useful resources available.

Social support is key

Supervisors

To whom should you address your questions?

Support groups for PhD students

Supervisors

To whom should you address your questions?

Resources