Advisor Assignments and Responsibilities

Faculty members are informed of all graduate applicants and their areas of study before the Departmental Admissions Committee considers their application. If a faculty member is interested in having a particular student as an advisee, a note addressed to the department chairperson should be placed in the applicant's file. Advisor assignments are made by the department chairperson at the time of the recommendation for admission. The student may request a change of advisor within the department at any time. To recommend the assignment of an advisor the Department must have a clear understanding of the major professional interests of the graduate student.

Students should clearly specify major areas of interest on their application as part of their statement of career goals.

Additionally, students should add if they are certified in special education or not. Final assignment of an advisor will be determined by the Department Chairperson based upon the recommendation of the faculty and with full consideration of faculty advisement loads at time of admission. An applicant can request in writing the assignment of an advisor, with the understanding that it may not always be possible to assign the advisor requested.

Advising is viewed as one of the most important professional responsibilities of faculty members. The responsibilities of the advisor focus on these critical activities:

A relationship of quality and trust between advisor and advisee is considered essential to an effective graduate program. To ensure optimal effectiveness of the relationship, all graduate students will be assigned to graduate faculty who will serve on a continuing basis for the completion of degree requirements. In this capacity, the faculty member serves as a course and program advisor, a mentor, a facilitator of ideas leading to thesis proposal and dissertation, and as the director of the final oral examination committee. In view of the nature of the continuing relationship, whenever possible, choice of faculty as major advisors for doctoral students shall be assigned by the Department Chairperson after considering congruency of interest, the balance of faculty advising, and teaching loads.

Graduate students may be reassigned to a new faculty advisor upon the written request of either the student or the advisor. Approval of the change request and reassignment shall be given by the Department Chairperson, following the agreement of the faculty member to serve in the capacity of advisor. Equalization of advisee load shall be a consideration in the Chairperson's action regarding the change request.