Mentorship Agreements are documents that clearly outline the relationship between a mentor and mentee. They describe the responsibilities of each party and provide an opportunity to align expectations. Mentorship agreements are considered a best practice and are required of all graduate faculty mentors and their mentees in the College of Science.
Mentorship Agreements - Required Components
The format of the Mentorship Agreements is up to the faculty mentor. However, at a minimum, the agreements must clearly address the following:
- Expectations for Faculty (manuscript turnaround, funding support, regular meeting time, how you will help student build a professional network)
- Expectations for Students (productivity, hours)
- Teaching Assistants vs. Research Assistants
- Time Off: Vacation & USU Holidays
- Authorship
- Data Management and Ownership
- Strategy for Resolving Disputes
- Communication Plan
Example Mentorship Agreements:
Download Mentorship Agreements template
Mentorship Agreement Template
Resources
- CIMER: Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research
- CNERG Community Expectations (Computational Nuclear Engineering Research Group)
- Great Mentoring in Graduate School: A quick start guide for protégés