Depending on the program, you may need to find a potential supervisor before applying, be assigned one after acceptance, or not need a supervisor. To learn the procedure for your program, review the research supervisors sections of the program you would like to take.

When looking for a potential supervisor, we suggest making a list of supervisors to contact. Here are two ways to find USask faculty who can supervise graduate students:

1. View the list of research supervisors for the program.
2. Use our find a supervisor search to find supervisors based on research interest.

Before Contacting

• Review faculty profiles, which include research interests, publications, education, and availability.
• Learn the specifics of the program.
• Ensure you meet the admission requirenments which can be found on program pages.
• Allow yourself enough time to contact potential supervisors before applying. Faculty receive many emails from prospective students, so their responses may be delayed.

When contacting potential supervisors, introduce yourself with two or three sentences about who you are. State your academic experience and your research interest. Give a clear statement indicating that you meet the admission requirements which includes your grade point average and, if required, your English proficiency test results. If you do not have proof of English proficiency, state when you plan to take an approved test.

Writing tips

Professors get dozens of emails from potential students. If you want to get your email noticed, you must give the professor the information they need, quickly, clearly, and professionally.

• Use proper titles – ex. Dr. Smith
• Keep your email short, just three paragraphs, no more than 250 words
• Use complete sentences
• Use spell check

Sample Email

Email to supervisor example:

Dear Dr. Smith,
My name is XX XX and I am from the University of XX. I am in my final year of a masters in Biology with focus on plant breeding research. My GPA is 86% and my TOEFL iBT is 100.

Make a connection and provide reasons to be considered: Use specific references to make a connection between the work that you have been doing and the research projects that the professor is working on. Important points to include:

• Papers, journal articles, either published, accepted or submitted.
• Conference papers given;
• Scholarships won

My current research project for my master’s program is in canola breeding for fungus disease resistance and I have just submitted a co-authored article which was accepted by XXX. I have attached a brief research interest statement with more details. I was reading about recent work in genetically modified wheat on the website and it looks very interesting. I am interested in building upon my master’s experience and expanding my research into related areas. I have attached a copy of my C.V. for your review.

State your request; tell the professor what you are looking for.

I wish to begin a PhD program in XX in September YYYY and would be very interested in working under your supervision. I would appreciate if you could review the attached documents and let me know what the possibilities might be.