Advising

Faculty advisors serve as intellectual and professional mentors to graduate students. They are expected to provide knowledgeable support concerning policies for graduate studies, help prepare their students to be competitive for employment, maintain a high level of professionalism, and establish expectations concerning advisor/advisee relationships consistent with university and department standards. General university policies on advising and the conduct of research can be found on VPGE’s Advising Initiative opens in a new tab website.

Master’s students are assigned academic program advisors at the start of their program.  A master’s student can request a change of advisor provided the change of advisor is made within the same program. The student is expected to inform their old and new academic advisors and the department’s student services office of such a change. 

Master’s students are expected to meet with their academic program advisors regularly to discuss their degree plan. MS students are encouraged to prepare a list of classes they would like to take before meeting with their advisor. Students are responsible for understanding the requirements of their degree program and working with their MS program advisor and the CEE Student Services team to ensure they are meeting degree requirements. They are empowered to request an appointment with their advisor at any time throughout the school year to discuss any problems with their studies or changes in their academic plans. If they have difficulty meeting with their advisor, they can ask the student services team or the directors of graduate studies for advice or assistance.