Advisor Selection

Each graduate student must have a faculty adviser while in the graduate program. It is also permissible to have one or more co-advisers. The adviser(s) is an important part of your graduate program as they assist in selection of courses, provides guidance on research or project work, and helps you progress toward completion of your degree in a timely fashion. Graduate students typically have a much closer working relationship with their adviser than is the case for undergraduate students. Each student should meet regularly (e.g., weekly or biweekly intervals) with their adviser to discuss progress in coursework and in research. Regular communication with your adviser is extremely important.

Typically an incoming student is paired with an adviser during the recruitment and admissions processes. This pairing could occur via direct involvement of the student through email, phone, or face- to-face conversations with the faculty of the department. Conversely, students may be assigned an adviser based on the personal statement submitted with their application. In other cases, the Grad Studies Committee (GSC) representative is assigned as the adviser temporarily until a permanent adviser is arranged. If you do not have an adviser or do not know who your adviser is, contact the faculty representative on the GSC from your program area immediately. The Graduate Program Coordinator initiates advisor assignments and updates in the Graduate School tracking system. As soon as you know who your advisor is let the Graduate Program Coordinator know so your information can be updated.

For a student admitted with an academic appointment, the faculty member who is the supervisor of the research project is typically the student’s adviser because a RA usually incorporates the research performed for the funded project into their thesis. For a student awarded a graduate fellowship or wholly funded on a teaching assistantship (TA), the student’s immediate funding is not tied to a particular faculty member or project. Nevertheless, even for fellowship or TA students, promised funding beyond the initial fellowship or TA position may be in the form of a RA position that is linked to a particular faculty member. The student should consult their award letter for more details concerning funding and adviser(s).

Students who are paying for their graduate education using funding sources from outside the University (e.g., external fellowships, employer, and personal funds) are entirely flexible in selecting an adviser, but should do so in consultation with the faculty in their program area. New students should contact the faculty representative on the GSC for their program area (page 5) for further information concerning adviser selection.

Situations occasionally arise in which a change of advisers is appropriate and desirable. For example, you may find that your research interests are matched more closely with another faculty member.

Changing advisers is permissible. Nevertheless, you should recognize that changing advisers is a major decision that should not be taken lightly, especially if you have been in the program for several semesters. In some cases, your adviser may have invested substantial time and research support into your development. Furthermore, changing advisers may result in the termination of an assistantship and could delay your graduation. Whether another faculty member is available to guide you in your thesis research and whether funds will be available for a graduate assistantship are important issues that you need to consider before requesting a change. If possible, you should discuss the proposed change with your current adviser as soon as possible. If that is not possible, you should meet with the DGS. After a decision has been made to change advisers, you should notify your former and new advisers, DGS, and the Graduate Program Coordinator to change your adviser.