Graduate School Policies

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Graduate School Policies ProceduresCharting
Your Course
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Graduate Student Handbooks
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Choose an Advisor

• You have been assigned a temporary advisor
• Your permanent advisor will be your
• mentor
• primary research supervisor
• colleague
• Select an advisor as soon as possible

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Choosing an Advisor

• Meet the Graduate Faculty in your Program
• Ask about their
• Research interests?
• Expectations for students?
• Are they accepting students?
• Read some of their recent publications
• Talk with other students

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Select an Advisory Committee

• Masters Thesis Committee
• Three Members
• One from minor department if you have a minor
• Doctoral Dissertation Committee
• Five Members (4 in TL)
• One is Member-at-Large

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Convene Your Committee

• Schedule a committee meeting
• Discuss
• Your Progress
• Research Proposal
• Program of Study

I recommend that you meet with your committee at
least twice a year.
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Submit a Program of Study

• List of courses credits that you will need to
  graduate
• Includes required elective courses
• It is your responsibility to follow your Program
  of Study
• Pre-requisites are important
• You will not be allowed to register for courses
  out of sequence without special permission
• Inform the Graduate School if your Program of
  Study changes.

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Submit a Topic Proposal

• Narrative description of your proposed research
• Nature of the problem/study
• Procedure or methodology
• Anticipated outcomes
• You must have an approved Program of Study before
  a Topic Proposal is approved
• You must have institutional approval for research
  involving human subjects, animals, biohazardous
  agents and radiation

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Advance to Candidacy

• Requirements include
• Approved Status
• Committee appointed
• Topic proposal approved
• 3.0 GPA
• Passed comprehensive exam (Doctoral students)
• Completed at least 12 credits (Masters)

You must advance to candidacy at least one
semester prior to the semester in which you plan
to graduate!
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Apply to Graduate

• Simple but essential process
• Complete Application for a Graduate Degree
• You provide
• Expected graduation date
• Major/minor degree
• Your name as it will appear on your diploma
• Advisors signature

You must be registered in the term that you
graduate.
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Write it Up!!!

• Prepare a draft of your project, thesis or
  dissertation
• Follow Graduate School style guide for thesis and
  dissertation
• Submit draft to your advisory committee
• Seek Preliminary Approval

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Preliminary Approval

• Tentative acceptance by committee of
• Content
• Organization
• Form of Expression
• Style Usage
• Due
• 1 week prior to defense (Masters)
• 2 weeks prior to defense (Doctoral)

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Final Defense of Thesis or Dissertation

• You are required to appear before your committee
  for a final examination
• Doctoral defenses are open to the public
• Masters defenses may be open or closed
• Consult your program director for specific details

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Petitions

• In instances of missed deadlines, registration
  errors, incomplete grades, etc. you have the
  right to petition the Graduate School to correct
  the problem.
• Examples
• Adding a course after the deadline
• Enrolling in more credits than allowed
• Filing for graduation after the deadline
• Repeating a course with a C or better

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Graduation

• You must have met all degree requirements have
  final approval of your thesis, dissertation or
  final project

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Good Luck!