Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC)

Guideline to your successful TAC meetings

The Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) is a group of faculty members and experts who provide advice and feedback to doctoral candidates annually at TAC meetings throughout the dissertation process.

The TAC plays a crucial role in ensuring quality, monitoring progress, and providing external advice to the doctoral candidate and supervisor(s). In addition, the TAC provides formalized support and mentoring as well as space to resolve potential conflicts or challenges.

WHO participates in a TAC

  • the PhD candidate
  • a DSE representative serving as chair (Coordinator)
  • the supervisor(s) of the PhD candidate
  • two mentors:Please note that the two mentors must NOT be involved in your PhD project and that they won't be able to serve as reviewers for the dissertation

WHEN, WHERE, and HOW to organize a TAC

When: 

  • TAC meetings should be scheduled (at least) once a year
  • the first TAC meeting can be used as preparation for the Public Presentation (FöP) (form)
  • all other TAC meetings discuss the annual progress of your PhD project (form)

Where:

  • you are free to organize wherever you want: online or in person (please book a room)

How:

  • the PhD candidate organizes a meeting date
  • the meeting must be scheduled for ONE hour
  • the TAC meeting consists of:
    • a 15-minute presentation of the PhD candidate about the dissertation
    • a Q&A part for scientific feedback of the TAC committee
    • a 10-15-minutes session without the supervisor(s)
    • a 10-15-minutes session without the PhD candidate

The PhD candidate

Before the meeting:

  • organize the meeting date
  • fill the form (before FöP or after FöP) and send it to dse@univie.ac.at before the TAC meeting
  • if applicable: send out the link and/or reminders to everyone
  • Think about what you want to get out of the meeting: what is your focus, what is most important to you right now, what do you struggle most with, ...?
  • Prepare your presentation giving an overview of your dissertation, plans, current stage, any other activities you find important to mention

During the meeting:

  • stick to the 15 minutes for your presentation
  • let the committee know about any specific questions you wish to focus on
  • in your private session without your supervisor(s), you will be asked about your general satisfaction with the project's progress and your relationship with the supervisor(s)

After the meeting:

  • you will receive the complete form filled out by the committee in the private session without you
  • follow up on any suggestions made during the meeting (e.g. courses to attend, etc.)

The Supervisor

Before the meeting:

  • Please respond to your PhD candidate's request for a TAC meeting with suggested dates that work for you

During the meeting:

  • After the PhD candidates presentation, you are welcome to share your thoughts and inputs on the project 
  • in the private session without your PhD candidate, you will be asked
    • about your general satisfaction with the project's progress and your working relationship with the PhD candidate
    • to evaluate the PhD candidate's current progress on a scale along the dimensions of communication, critical thinking and insight, general knowledge on the topic, research methods, motivation, and independance
    • about any specific recommendations or support offers you may have for the PhD cadidate

After the meeting:

  • follow up on suggestions made during the meeting

The Mentors

Before the meeting:

  • you will be asked to attend one TAC meeting per year, organized by the doctoral candidate
  • the role as a TAC mentor does not entail any other roles or commitments; you are precluded to serve as reviewer for this PhD candidate's dissertation

During the meeting:

  • after the PhD candidate's presentation, your feedback and inputs on the project are warmly welcome
  • you may give advice, recommendations, and share further (funding, course, etc.) options and strategies
  • you will be present on both of the private sessions, without the supervisor(s) and without the PhD candidate; please share your thoughts and impressions here as needed