This paper employs an intercultural perspective to examine students’
views on master’s thesis supervision and the roles and responsibilities
of supervisors and students. The 302 respondents who answered the online
questionnaire were enrolled in international master’s degree programmes
in four Finnish universities. The study revealed asymmetric views by
students regarding the division of responsibilities between themselves
and their supervisors. It was found that very few students and
supervisors discuss the differences in study cultures between Finland
and students’ countries of origin, their cultural backgrounds or the
aspects of Finnish society that students do not understand. The research
suggests that supervisors and students need to conduct early
discussions on supervision and culture.