After you have chosen a prospective supervisor and programme that you would like to apply to for your PhD, you should contact the prospective supervisor to see if they are able to supervise your work before completing your application to the programme. In the United States, students are not expected to have chosen a supervisor before applying to a PhD programme. However, in the United Kingdom, you are expected to have a supervisor before applying to a PhD programme. You can apply without having a supervisor, but your chances of success are much greater if you have already identified someone in the department who is willing to supervise your work.
How do you go about contacting a prospective supervisor?
1. Make sure that you have done thorough research on the person that you are approaching: You should look at the academic profile page of the prospective supervisor on their department’s website, their own personal website or elsewhere. You should also read some of the research papers that they have written. This is to ensure that their research interests align with yours. Read more here about choosing the right PhD programme and supervisor.
2. Have a draft of the research proposal of what you would like to study during your PhD: This should go as an attachment to the email. Here is a blogpost on how to write a research proposal.
3. Prepare your CV: This will also be an attachment to the email that you are writing your prospective supervisor.
4. Craft an email:
a. Have a subject line that states explicitly the intent of your email such as “Prospective PhD Student in Sociology.”
b. Use the correct title for your supervisor. Don’t write “Dear Dr. B” when you ought to write “Dear Prof. B.”
c. Introduce yourself and your academic background, what you studied, your grades, where you studied (include information about the university you are applying from if you are based abroad) and state why you are contacting the prospective supervisor.
d. Explain your research interests and how they are compatible with your supervisor’s research interests.
e. Discuss any prior experience that you may have had with research that has prepared you to undertake the PhD.
f. Make sure you mention any attachments in the body of the email.
5. Be brief: Faculty receive many emails from students who would like them to supervise their PhDs and have limited time to take a look at these emails. Make sure that you are straight to the point so that the faculty member is able to understand the crux of your email quickly.
6. Be polite throughout your correspondence with your prospective supervisor.
7. Be patient: Faculty members are most times very busy people between teaching, conducting research and administrative duties so may take a while to respond to your email. If you don’t hear back from them in two weeks, send a polite reminder.
8. You can contact multiple supervisors in different departments/institutions at the same time provided that you don’t mislead any of the supervisors into thinking that they are the only one whom you are considering to supervise your work.
9. If you don’t hear back from a prospective supervisor or they say they are unable to take you on, don’t give up but contact someone else who could possibly supervise your work.
Here is a sample email that provides a template for how to contact a prospective supervisor:
Dear Dr. C,
My name is Atinuke Olalekan. I graduated from Excellence University (currently ranked within the top ten universities in Nigeria) with a first-class bachelor's degree in African Studies in 2016. I wrote my senior honor's thesis which was given a first-class mark on the experiences of unemployed graduates in Nigeria. My thesis was also rated the best senior thesis in African Studies at Excellence University in that year.
I am writing to you because I am interested in joining your team as a graduate student to pursue an MPhil and then a PhD in Sociology. My research interest is in the area of work and more specifically entrepreneurship, which is why I desire to complete my PhD under your mentorship since you also focus on work. My interest in the sociology of entrepreneurship stems from both practical and intellectual interests. I would like to study entrepreneurship in Nigeria to contribute to understanding how we can build sustainable businesses to curb the problem of high unemployment and utilise the vast human resources that the nation is blessed with. Specifically, I am interested in studying start-up incubators and how their culture is impacting the creation of sustainable businesses in Nigeria. I have attached a draft of my research proposal to this e-mail, which fleshes out the particulars of my proposed project.
I believe that I will be able to complete a successful PhD under your mentorship because of your interest in Africa coupled with your interest in the sociology of work. I also admire the interdisciplinary approach that you take to your work integrating psychology, sociology and economics and I stand a lot to gain from learning from your approach especially since understanding entrepreneurship requires a multidisciplinary approach.
I am attaching my CV to this email, which shows the different opportunities for research I have pursued and my involvement in teaching at both the secondary and the university level. These experiences have shaped me positively and inspired my decision to pursue an academic career. Furthermore, writing an undergraduate dissertation and being a research fellow with the Future African Scholars Project, has equipped me with skills in critical thinking, reading and writing and prepared me for graduate school. I would like your advice on my proposal draft and am open to changes in the nature of the topic. I am also applying to both internal funding opportunities and external funding sources to support my graduate studies.
I am hopeful for a favourable response.
Sincerely,
Atinuke Olalekan
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