在英系教育制度中博士没有必修的课程，再加上文科博士往往都是独立研究，一名博士生有2-3名导师，根据学生与导师研究方向上的匹配程度，系里会明确每位导师负责的比重，一个学生有来自不同系的导师也很常见。一般导师有主副之分，主导师算往往在其领域内也小有名气；副导师则是一位工作热情十足的“引路人”。
导师的英文是supervisor，直接翻译是“监督人”，字面上并没有“教”和“师”的含义；在这里，如果想问对方的导师是谁，很普遍的方式是“Who are you working with？”(你和谁一起工作)。这是我体验到的澳大利亚师生关系与国内最大的不同——导师更像同事，是工作上的前辈，明确地处于“公私界限”中“公”的那一边。
还有一些需要注意的，导师的英语表达：supervisor(论文导师）,注意tutor是不对的！tutor在大学里面相当于国内的辅导员，比助教还低一个档次的教师。sometimes use the word advisor,but supervisor is formal.
助教： tutor
讲师 lecturer
教授 professor
导师supervisor
博士生导师：doctoral supervisor或者是PHD supervisor
另：博导 Ph.D supervisor ; doctoral advisor
导师：supervisor， advisor
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How to say "师兄"
During a delightful meeting with some readers last week at Beijing Institute of Technology, a student from Renmin University of China asked: "How to say '师兄/师姐' in English?"
That's a good question.
"师兄/师姐", or "师弟/师妹"，is from Chinese martial arts culture. Fellows learning from the same master (师父) are "senior/junior male/female fellow apprentices". As the saying goes, "The master teaches the trade, but the apprentice's skill is self-made" (师父领进门，修行在个人).
On campus these words refer to students who're studying in or have graduated from the same major at the same university. "Alumnus" (校友) may be the closest word in English. But a sentence like "John and I are both alumni of Ohio University" indicates both John and the speaker have graduated.
So, to translate "师兄师姐" into English, we have to describe instead of using single words.
Several suggestions are:
* "We're both majoring in business at Ohio University." (我们是在俄亥俄大学学商务的同门。)
* "She shares the same major as me but is senior/junior to me." (她是跟我同专业的师姐/师妹。)
* "He's in my same major but a year ahead." (他是跟我同专业的上届师兄。)
* "He's in my major but a year below/behind me." (他是跟我同专业的下届师弟。)
