Academic Advisors

Funded graduate students are assigned an advisor with their initial financial offer. This advisor supervises your research as well as your progress to degree completion.

Unfunded graduate students must identify an academic advisor based on their indicated area of interest within their first year of study. Students are required to notify the Graduate Office as soon as the advisor has been determined by completing the Declaration of Academic Advisor Form. Students who need assistance with initial advising or need assistance finding a permanent advisor should contact the faculty coordinator [remove link] for their preferred research area (below).

Changing Academic Advisors

On occasion, a student or advisor may determine that it is not in their best interest to continue working together. Students who are not funded by a faculty member are free to change academic advisors within their research area at any time; the student just needs to notify the former advisor and also the Graduate Office.

Students who are funded and need to discontinue their relationship with their advisor should first discuss the issue with the Associate Chair for Graduate Programs. If the issue cannot be resolved, the student will be assigned a new advisor. All efforts will be made to keep the student funded; however, there is no guarantee that the student will continue to be funded after their current contract expires.