©2015 James publications MSE│2015│Vol.115│1450-1470 M i t t e i l u n g e n S a e c h s i s c h e r E n t o m o l o g e n ISSN: 1866-6957 Volume 115 Focus Theme: Conceptual research in art and humanity 2015 Research Article Uncovering The Hidden Norms (Hidden Curriculum) Affecting The Selection of The Supervisors:A Qualitative Research Saeid Safaei Movahhed * 1 , Rahman Alipour 2 1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Psychology & Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 2 M .A student of training and human resource development, University of SHhid Beheshti. Tehran, Iran *Corresponding author ABSTRACT : Hidden curriculum in higher education includes indefinite rules which seem to be essential in successfully completing formal education. One of the most important dimensions of higher and secondary education which is accompanied by certain dynamism and performs a fundamental role in forming a hidden curriculum is doing a dissertation. In this study, given the special dynamism in the supervision relationship in carrying out projects, great efforts have been made to study the unstated norms which the graduate students of curriculum development in one of the universities in Tehran take into account when choosing a supervisor. This research has been conducted using a qualitative approach and the data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Based on the results of this study obtained by interviewing 6 graduate students of curriculum development who were in the supervisor selection stage, the criteria for choosing a supervisor can be classified into six main categories: the behavioral traits of the professors, professors’ position, academic criteria, non-academic criteria, possible support and the limitations. The results of this research also show the students gain knowledge of these norms by observing the performance of the professors in class and in the defense sessions as well as through the informal networks such as the alumni network. KEYWORDS: Hidden Curriculum, Inarticulate Norms, Supervisor, Student, Dissertation 1.INTRODUCTION Although hidden curriculum is one of the grand concepts arriving from the field of curriculum development and is considered as one of the conceptual capital of the field (Mehr Mohammadi 2008), its essence and definition have always been an issue of controversy. Perhaps the controversy results on one hand from the ambiguity of the term “curriculum development” and on the other hand from the word “hidden”. Some (Eskandari, 2008) believe a curriculum needs to have stated goal, definite strategies, and a clear beginning and end, therefore; referring to students’ experiences which are previously gained and determined as a curriculum is inaccurate. It should not be forgotten that throughout the history of the James Publications