Finding a Supervisor for M.Eng Project: How to Approach?

[sandy.bridge]

Hey all,

I am interested in pursuing an M.Eng upon completion of my undergraduate. At my university, this entails 30 credit units and a project. Hence, the main priority is for one to find a professor who is willing supervise them during the project. I am completely ignorant when it comes to how I should be approaching prospective professors. I am mostly taking further education for the classes; however, the project is required. Should I have a particular project in mind, or what does this vary depending on the university?

 

[jedishrfu]

Have a project in mind but go talk with the professors you like, tell them your interest in getting a more advanced degree and see if they have any projects in mind.

If they have an interesting project then you can consider whether or not its right for you. Based on how the discussion progresses you could bring up your own project and see what they think about it.

If they don't have any active projects then tell them about your project and see if they are interested in sponsoring you. They could also give you advice on how to extend the project if its too narrow or restrict it if its too broad.

I often think of these kinds of talks as work project proposals. You have something in mind and you want your boss to sponsor you or at least give his blessing. Sometimes you might work on it quietly and then when you have something a bit more tangible present it to your boss and see if he'll sponsor you. Bosses favor employees who find problems, come up with solutions and then include the boss in the project. It shows upper management that they are good managers with talented employees.

Its sometimes known as "Completed Staff Work":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Completed_Staff_Work