A dissertation supervisor is an academic employee of the University of Malawi or approved external consultant who is responsible for providing support, assistance and mentoring to a postgraduate research candidate in conducting a research project and is appointed by the PHFMPRC.
The purpose of this assistance is to enable the candidate to complete the research project and, to the best of their ability, produce a dissertation that will be accepted by examiners as making a contribution to the field.
A Dissertation Supervisor should provide guidance, instruction and encouragement in the research activities of their student(s) and to participate in the evaluation of their progress and performance. The student and the supervisor should sign a contract at the beginning of the dissertation work.
The roles of the Dissertation Supervisor include:
- Chairing supervisory team, who shall approve the proposed study
- Monitoring the candidate’s progress
- Arranging regular meetings of the candidate with the supervisory committee if necessary
- Responding to all material produced by the candidate.