More than a signature: how advisor choice and advisor behaviour affect doctoral student satisfaction

A satisfactory relationship between doctoral students and their advisors is an essential component of successful doctoral training. Using responses to a national survey of doctoral students in the US from 27 universities and 11 disciplines, this paper explores factors affecting students' satisfaction with the advising relationship. We find that both the criteria used in selecting an advisor and reported advisor behaviours influence satisfaction. Moreover, there are pronounced disciplinary differences in both choice criteria and advisor behaviour, and these are more robust predictors of satisfaction than individual characteristics.