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Appointment of the External Supervisor

1. The external university nominates an external supervisor from among its faculty members in accordance with its own rules and regulations, and in line with the terms stipulated in the contract or agreement signed with the external university. The external supervisor shall serve as the primary supervisor of the thesis.
2. The nomination of the external supervisor must be approved by the Department Council, the College Council, and the Permanent Committee of the Program.
3. An assistant external supervisor may be added, or the external supervisor may be replaced if necessary. The nomination must be approved in accordance with the external university’s regulations and the signed agreement.

 

Responsibilities of the External Supervisor

1. To carry out academic supervision duties during the student's study period.
2. To commit to visiting the university annually or as agreed upon in the admission agreement, in order to monitor the student's academic and research progress, with each visit lasting no less than three days.
3. To prepare a detailed report on the achievements of the visits as outlined in Article (27) of these rules, and to inform the Joint Supervision Management of any shortcomings or decline in the student's academic performance.
4. To prepare semi-annual reports on the student's progress and send them to the Joint Supervision Management.
5. To collaborate effectively with the student and the Joint Supervision Management, maintaining continuous communication through available channels.
6. In the event that the student visits the external university, the external supervisor must prepare a report on the student's visit.

 

Rights of the External Supervisor

Based on Article 60 of the Unified Regulation for Graduate Studies in Saudi Universities, which states that, when necessary, the external supervisor may meet with the students under their supervision, with the approval of the Graduate Studies Deanship Council of the university to which the faculty member belongs, based on a request from the university to which the student belongs. The external supervisor may be assigned to supervise master's and doctoral theses, provided that the duration of the assignment does not exceed three days each time. The benefiting university shall bear the expenses of the faculty member assigned to supervise its students' theses according to the regulations set for their academic rank.

Appointment of the Internal Supervisor 

1. Each student shall be assigned an internal supervisor from among the faculty members of the relevant academic department, based on a recommendation from the department council and subject to the approval of the Deans of the College, Graduate Studies, and the external university. The internal supervisor serves as an assistant to the external supervisor.
2. The internal supervisor must hold at least the academic rank of Associate Professor. If that is not possible, a faculty member at the rank of Assistant Professor may be assigned, provided they have held the position for at least two years and have published a minimum of two research papers in peer-reviewed journals.
3. The internal supervisor may belong to a different department within the university, provided that their specialization is related to the student’s research.
4. An internal supervisor may supervise a maximum of two students simultaneously within the joint supervision program. The total number of theses supervised by the internal supervisor—whether within the joint supervision program or for graduate students inside or outside the university—must not exceed five. Each thesis supervised within the joint supervision program shall count as two credit hours toward the faculty member’s academic load.
5. If the internal supervisor is unable to continue supervising the student, the academic department shall propose a replacement, subject to the approval of the department council, the college council, and the program’s permanent committee.
6. The student has the right to request a change of their internal supervisor if there are valid reasons. The request must be submitted to the academic department, which shall forward it to the department council. The replacement is subject to the approval of the department council, the college council, and the program’s permanent committee.

 

Responsibilities of the Internal Supervisor

1. Supervising the implementation of the student’s academic and research plan as approved by the external supervisor.
2. Assisting the student in overcoming any academic or research difficulties during her study period, and acting as the academic advisor throughout her studies.
3. Coordinating with the relevant departments and units regarding all of the student’s needs, including scientific materials, equipment, and other requirements.
4. Submitting a detailed semi-annual report on the student’s academic progress, in addition to reports on her academic visits to the external university, as stipulated in Article (28).
5. Notifying the Vice Deanship of Graduate Studies for the Joint Supervision Program in the event of any shortcomings or irregularities in the student’s performance or attendance.

 

Rights of the Internal Supervisor

1. Each thesis supervised under the joint supervision program shall be counted as two credit hours toward the faculty member’s academic load.
2. If the internal supervisor is required to visit the external university for the purpose of attending the thesis defense, the visit shall be handled in accordance with Article (##) of the Unified Regulations for Graduate Studies in Saudi Universities. This article states that if the examiner is from outside the city in which the thesis is defended—whether from within the Kingdom or abroad—they shall be granted a fixed honorarium of (##) SAR for defending a doctoral thesis. This amount increases to (##) SAR if the examiner is coming from outside the Kingdom. Additionally, a round-trip travel ticket, appropriate accommodation, and meal expenses shall be provided for up to two nights. The Graduate Studies Council may approve an extension of one or two nights in necessary cases, depending on the nature of the study and based on the recommendation of the department council, the college council, and the program’s permanent committee.