Colleagues, Many thanks for all the responses to the above, some to jiscmail and some to me individually. I shall compile a profile of the range of answers and circulate later this week. It seems important because QAA appear to be pressuring some places to exclude the supervisor on the basis that they are "out of step" with the rest of the UK. Evidence from this exercise would contradict that notion. More later. Regards, Pól. Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh Dean, Faculty of Arts Vice-President, Association for German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland Faculty of Arts University of Ulster Coleraine, BT52 1SA N. Ireland Tel: +44 28 7032 4517 Fax: +44 28 7032 4925 E-Mail: [log in to unmask] Web: www.arts.ulster.ac.uk Web: www.cutg.ac.uk