Mentoring and Advising

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) will be the “general advisor” for entering first year students and will continue to be responsible for monitoring students’ progress through the program. However, during their first year, students may request, after consulting with the DGS, an Academic Advisor, who will replace the DGS as the student’s academic mentor. By the end of the first year, students will, in fact, be required to designate such an Academic Advisor if they have not done so before.

The Second Year Paper will be supervised by a two-person committee. The chair will be the student’s Academic Advisor, the second member will be a faculty member chosen by the student in consultation with the advisor. This committee will make the final decision about whether the Second Year Paper is accepted. The same procedure will apply to the Field Exam, although the composition of the faculty committee can be changed at the student’s request.

Faculty will meet at the conclusion of every Spring semester to evaluate the progress of graduate students. The DGS will conduct this meeting and will consult with students’ Academic Advisors in preparation. Students in Years 2 and 3 will be required to complete a progress report, due in early April.

Each semester, the DGS will conduct at least one “Professional Development Workshop” in conjunction with other relevant faculty. 

• These will cover requirements for the graduate program, such as Second Year Papers and Field Exams. 
• They will also address the preparation and submission of professional papers, applying for research grants, and job market issues. 

The Graduate Division has produced two helpful guides. We encourage all students and faculty them read it in full.