Teaching and Learning Graduate Handbook

“United Together: Envisioning a bold future”

We envision humanizing education contexts that are critical, inclusive and equitable, and that disrupt and decolonize systems of oppression, where all people are committed to working towards equity, anti-racism, and racial and linguistic justice.

The mission of the Department is to generate knowledge with communities and educators about effective practices for learning and teaching processes affecting people in diverse schools and environments, families, and communities through world‐class research, innovative teaching, and responsive service that addresses pressing educational problems both locally and globally. We are especially concerned about preparing researchers, educators, and teachers who understand and enact social justice for under-represented groups, for emergent bilingual students, and for children and youth from immigrants and refugee communities.

Accordingly, the major focus of the department is the preparation of students:

• To be well prepared in theory, evidence-based, and research-based practices in pedagogy.
• To develop the knowledge, pedagogical abilities, and dispositions within a strong social justice framework to effectively teach diverse learners in ways that are culturally relevant and sustaining.
• To become leaders in the field, helping to critique and re-conceptualize knowledge and pedagogy for academic content, critical inquiry and reflection, and learning processes.

Our mission and vision link directly to The Ohio State University’s as well as the College’s Vision, Mission, Values and Goals. The four core elements are critical components in terms of achieving the university’s goals:

• To provide unsurpassed, student-centered learning experience led by engaged world- class faculty and staff, and enhanced by a globally diverse student body;
• To create distinctive and internationally recognized contributions to the advancement of fundamental knowledge and scholarship and toward solutions of the world’s most pressing problems;
• To advance a culture of engagement and collaboration involving the exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of reciprocity with the citizens and institutions in Ohio, the nation, and the world;
• To be an affordable public university, recognized for financial sustainability, unparalleled management of human and physical resources, and operational efficiency and effectiveness.

These values guide our mission, strategies, goals, and daily work as we adhere to the democratic principles of equity and shared governance.

Interim Chair

Binaya Subedi
subedi.1@osu.edu

Interim Associate Chair

Francis Troyan
troyan.14@osu.edu

Graduate Studies Committee

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Faculty Advisors

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TLES information

Graduate School Handbook

Read more about graduate admissions in the graduate school handbook.

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Learn more about the graduate and professional admissions requirements.

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Learn more about the program admission requirements for Teaching and Learning.

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Read more about registration in the graduate school handbook.

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Visit the Registrar website to get more information on course enrollement.

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Follow these instructions for course registration.

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If you are a graduate student in Teaching and Learning or Educational Studies registering for one of our classes that requires instructor permission, fill out this form. Include the course number, the class number (this is the number that distinguishes multiple sections from one another) and the number of credit hours (if applicable). If the class is full, the instructor should let TLES know that it is ok to override the course limit.

Read more about course credit in the graduate school handbook.

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Instructions

Students must first obtain Faculty Advisor permission/approval for individual transfer credits. If needed, the Faculty Advisor will confer with specialization to confirm transfer credit is appropriate. If approved, the student will submit the transfer credit form in GRADFORMS and the faculty advisor will approve it.

Course Substitutions: Students must first obtain faculty advisor permission/approval for substitution requests. Then, the faculty advisor will confer with specialization to confirm course substitution is appropriate. If approved, substitution needs to be recorded on student's program sheet. Student will submit their completed and signed Program Sheet to TLES the term of graduation. T&L core coursework cannot be substituted. 

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To seek an exception to normal procedures, T&L graduate students should first discuss their intended request with their Faculty Advisor. If the Faculty Advisor agrees to support the request, the student is required to write a formal letter addressed to the T&L Graduate Studies Committee Chair explaining the situation, and if applicable, any extenuating circumstances that should be taken into consideration. Students should submit their letter addressed to the T&L Graduate Studies Committee Chair to TLES.

T&L has an Appeals Process highlighted below to assist and support students in acquiring a resolution to any type of academic-related grievance involving a T&L faculty or staff member. Students should attempt to settle these problems through constructive discussions with the individual(s) closely connected to the problem before seeking the formal appeal. The student is required to submit his or her written Appeal to the Department Chair's Office. This statement must present the student's case and the steps taken to resolve the issue. If the Appeal cannot be resolved through the Department Chair, the student may submit it to the Graduate Studies Committee Chair (GSCC). The Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) acts as an Appeals Committee for the Department.

For select situations, the Graduate School has an Appeals Process 

Read more about the Master's Degree in the graduate school handbook.

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The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Teaching and Learning provides a post-baccalaureate degree for:

1. Trained and experienced educators at various levels of education
2. Individuals interested in eventually pursuing a doctoral level degree and becoming scholars and teachers at the college or university level
3. Professionals who are interested in offering educational services in a wide variety of social and community settings outside the public schools. Such settings may include social service fields that provide educational programs and services for children and young adults; education departments of art, history and science museums; and educational service programs connected with parks and recreation systems.

The structure and content of the M.A. aims to broaden and deepen perspectives around four areas central to high quality education for all learners

1. The nature of learners and learning
2. Pedagogy
3. Disciplinary content
4. Diversity, social justice, and educational equity

Information and policies about the M.Ed. program can be found in the Pre-Service Teacher Handbook.

Students who accept their admission offer to the M.A. will be provided with the M.A. Program Sheet. In addition to the required credit hours, this document lists the curriculum for the program, which consists of core departmental courses, a research course, and specialization courses. It is crucial for students to communicate with their Faculty Advisor at least once every term to consult the selection of specialization/elective coursework and ensure satisfactory progress toward their degree. Advising and curriculum sheets can be found on the TLES website.

MA students must select an “exit” or Final Examination option that supplements the completion of their required coursework for the MA degree: the Thesis option or Non-Thesis option. The decision as to which option to select, as well as the variety of choices available within the Non-Thesis category, should be made in consultation with the student’s Faculty Advisor. For students pursuing the Thesis option, the decision should be made at least two semesters prior to graduation to allow sufficient time for the planning and completion of the thesis. Those who select the Non-Thesis option should do so before their graduation semester. More information about graduation and the final semester can be found on the TLES website.

Students Planning to Graduate in Summer Term: Faculty members are officially on duty from August 15 to May 15 each academic year and are not required or expected to participate in any Master’s Examination-related work during the summer off-duty period. Students wishing to receive responses to their work or to hold a Master’s Examination defense during Summer Term should consult with their Faculty Advisor and committee members well in advance regarding faculty availability for that period of time.

Thesis: The purpose of the Master’s thesis is to reflect the student’s growing understanding of scholarship in an academic field. Thus, a thesis is beneficial for students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree, since it provides them with research experience. To develop a thesis and adhere to a structured timeline, MA students are required to consult closely with their faculty advisor to:

1. Determine a topic
2. Develop plans for the research to be conducted
3. Select a Committee Member (second reader)
4. Schedule the Oral Portion of the Master's Examination.

Non-Thesis: MA students who select the non-thesis option will need to consult with their Faculty Advisor to determine the appropriate form of the Final Examination. Options include:

1. Standard examination
2. Substantial paper
3. Structured portfolio
4. Site-based educator research project.

Standard examinations must follow these guidelines:

1. 4-hour written exam
2. Must be 3 to 5 questions developed by Faculty Advisor and Committee Member
3. Students are not permitted to use notes, books, or other resources during the exam.

Typically, faculty advisors provide their advisees with the questions prior to the exam to adequately prepared. T&L guidelines for other MA options are developed within each specialization. Each option requires an oral defense in addition to completion of the designated written work. Specifications for the oral defense are developed by the student’s specialization.

Students who successfully complete and are awarded the MA degree in T&L have the option of applying to transfer to the PhD program in T&L. These candidates will need to complete and submit the Graduate Inter-University Transfer application via the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions website. The deadline for T&L MA graduates to apply to transfer directly to the PhD program is the Graduate and Professional Admissions application close date for the semester the student wishes to transfer. Any MA graduates who choose to apply to transfer to the PhD program after the next PhD admission term following their graduation must adhere to the regular T&L PhD application deadline. All applicants who previously earned a T&L MA degree only need to submit their application and any required Graduate and Professional Admissions documentation for their application to be considered complete. The application will be reviewed by the appropriate specialization, and the student will be notified of the final decision by the Graduate School.

Read more about doctoral degrees in the graduate school handbook.

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The PhD is a rigorous research-based degree designed to prepare graduates to work and succeed in research-intensive settings. T&L doctoral students are engaged in nationally recognized research, and continue to receive prestigious national awards, complete peer-reviewed journal publications prior to graduation and present papers and posters at national and international conferences.

Doctoral students are expected to be active participants in the community of researchers that constitute their specialization at the department level, the university level and at the national level. It is the responsibility of the student’s Faculty Advisor and of faculty in the student’s designated specialization to communicate their expectations and standards for participation in that particular research community. Among the activities that specialization faculty may recommend are:

1. Participation in informal seminars, lectures, discussions and colloquia held at the university
2. Attendance and participation at national research conferences
3. Assisting in the review of manuscripts for a journal or of proposals submitted to a conference.

Although faculty have the responsibility to communicate their expectations for participation in one’s research community, it is the student’s responsibility to pursue and initiate opportunities. Note that may of these activities will be part of the “Professional Experiences.”

Doctoral students in the Department of Teaching and Learning will complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of professional experiences across the duration of their program of study (2 credit hours of required experiences, and a minimum of 4 credit hours of elective experiences). Typically, students will enroll in at least 1 credit hour of professional experiences for both autumn and spring semesters for their first three years of the program (e.g., enrolled in professional experiences credit for 2 semesters per year); students in conjunction with their advisors may elect to complete credit hours in summer and/or to enroll in more than the 6 credit hour minimum, though additional hours would not fulfill other curricular requirements. Credit hours may be taken with the student’s advisor or with other faculty members. All credit hours are graded as satisfactory, unsatisfactory or incomplete. Note that graduate research/teaching associateships (e.g., paid positions) and activities completed for course credit cannot also earn professional experiences credit hours, although these are certainly professional experiences and can be included in the annual professional experiences plan. The goals of the professional experiences component include:

1. Meeting PhD program goals, including milestones of poster and spoken presentations
2. Explicitly communicating the expectation that students will engage in research, teaching, and other professional activities outside of coursework
3. Better preparing students for their intended careers (e.g., research focused, teaching focused, outside of academia)
4. Meeting individual students’ professional goals and learning needs
5. Supporting equity in opportunities and advising.

The professional experiences component will be integrated with the doctoral student annual review process. As part of the annual review, students will reflect on their professional, career and learning goals; discuss these and a professional experiences yearly plan that helps meet these goals with their advisor and/or committee and document past professional experiences as well as the agreed-upon plan in annual review materials. Students and advisors (or the faculty member with whom the student is enrolled in professional experiences credit) will check in at least once a semester, such that the faculty member is able to determine satisfactory/unsatisfactory performance. Yearly professional experience plans are works in progress, such that the student and advisor/faculty member may adjust plans as needed during the semester; adjustments should be documented by the student in their annual plans. Faculty are encouraged to use incomplete grades if the student has not met expectations for a satisfactory performance in a given semester (this may also be reflected in a determination of "Not in Good Standing" or "Conditional Good Standing" in the annual review); the student will be expected to address outstanding issues in the following semester (no later than the 6th week of the following term) for a grade of satisfactory. The list below provides ideas as to what might constitute professional experiences across a variety of categories. This list is not exhaustive; with approval of their advisor, students may engage in and document other types of experiences to satisfy the professional experiences component. Students are encouraged to take advantage of workshops, events and other opportunities offered by sections, specializations, the department, the college, the university, the broader community and professional/external organizations for meeting their professional experience goals. Students are strongly encouraged to engage in research projects as part of their professional experiences, particularly given the need to craft conference presentations ahead of candidacy.

All students complete 2 credit hours of required experiences (the research poster and the research talk, presented at T&L PhD Day), described below.

• Research Poster Presentation (Fall, Year 2): The poster project is a small research project that you would typically conduct sometime during your first year and present during fall of your second year (though part-time students or students taking a leave of absence may arrange an alternative timeline with their advisor). The goal of the poster presentation is to have an opportunity to engage in the research process as a whole, from conceptualizing and justifying a question, to analyzing relevant data or literature, to offering conclusions based on your analysis. This project is very small and should be done in conjunction with your advisor. You and your advisor should agree on a research question that is of interest to you, which you can address using data that has already been collected (or that can be collected easily). The goal here is not to do a mini-dissertation, but rather to be able to work through the entirety of a research cycle. Students could build their projects off of coursework from 8003, from a research methods class or from a graduate research appointment. The project that you complete will be presented at the Teaching and Learning PhD day, discussed below.
• Research Talk (Fall, Year 3): The research talk is another small research project that continues to push and develop your abilities as an independent researcher. To be clear, by independent we mean not something that is done alone, but rather something that you are able to conceptualize and defend and take ownership over. The research talk project can be an extension of your research poster project or something totally different; it could build from course work or from research you’ve conducted through research group or grant work. Regardless, the topic of the project should be developed in consultation with your advisor. The project that you complete will be presented at the Teaching and Learning PhD Day, discussed below, typically during fall of your third year (though part-time students or students taking a leave of absence may arrange an alternative timeline with their advisor).
• T&L PhD Day: Students present their research poster and research talks during T&L PhD day (Friday morning, mid-September, coinciding with the September faculty meeting). As outlined above, second year students typically present research posters, and third year students typically present research talks, though this timeline may vary for part-time students or students taking a leave of absence. Research posters are presented simultaneously in a poster session in which participants circulate to discuss the projects, while research talks are more formal–typically a 15-minute talk followed by 5 minutes of questions. The purpose of this session is for students to share the work they have been conducting and to get feedback for that work. In addition, this serves as an opportunity for students to have an experience that approximates academic conferences in a setting that is supportive and geared towards improving ideas. Two to four faculty members are assigned to review students’ posters or talks; these reviews reflect on the following categories:
  • Clarity and significance of research problem
  • Theoretical/conceptual framework
  • Appropriateness of analytic approach
  • Soundness of conclusions
  • Organization and clarity of presentation
  • Response to audience.

The evaluations of student presentations are intended to be educative. Students and their advisors receive a copy of the anonymized feedback from faculty evaluators.

In preparation for each annual review with their advisor, students should compile a portfolio documenting their Professional Experiences, detailing their completed activities from the above list. The Professional Experiences Portfolio can be formatted according to the students’ preferences (e.g., slides, PDF), but should be contained within a single file and should include:

1. Documentation from the two Key Required Experiences (Research Poster and Research Talk), such as abstracts or faculty reviews and
2. Reflection on alignment between these experiences and any of the T&L program goals.

During each annual review meeting with their advisor, the student will present the updated portfolio.

Students who accept their admission offer to the PhD in T&L will be provided with the PhD Advising Sheet. In addition to the required credit hours, this document lists the curriculum for the program, which consists of core departmental courses, specialization required and elective coursework, a Breadth Requirement, Research Methodology courses and Research Apprenticeships. It is crucial for students to consult with their Faculty Advisors at least once every term the selection of specialization, Breadth and Research coursework and ensure satisfactory progress toward their degree. With the approval of the Faculty Advisor, the PhD curriculum may also include coursework outside of T&L. In addition, the PhD Program Sheet provides details about the Candidacy Examination, the residency/degree requirements that must be met and the Dissertation. Once students are preparing for their final semester or term in the program, they are required to submit a completed Program Sheet to TLES Academic Services signed by the Faculty Advisor. This serves as the official contract for the student’s program of study as defined by the college, the department, and the student’s specialization. Advising and curriculum sheets can be found on the TLES website: https://u.osu.edu/tles/curriculum-sheets/. 

The following must be complete by the end of the semester a student plans to complete their candidacy examination.

• Coursework: Full-time PhD students typically use their first two years in the PhD program to complete required and elective coursework. As indicated in the PhD Program Sheet, this includes the two required core courses (EDUTL 8003 and 8015) in addition to specialization required and recommended courses, the “breadth” course outside the specialization but within T&L, research methods courses (at least 9 credit hours) and the Research Apprenticeship (at least 6 credits), which is described below.
• Research Apprenticeship: All PhD students must complete a minimum of 6 research apprenticeship hours (and additional hours as determined by a faculty advisor or specialization) prior to the candidacy exam but no earlier than the beginning of the second year into the student’s doctoral studies. The purpose of the research apprenticeship is to provide students with directed experiences in the research enterprise in addition to the dissertation work. Each student who holds a research apprenticeship should work directly with selected faculty member(s) to plan and implement all or part of a research project—and must play a non–peripheral role therein. Upon completion of a research apprenticeship, each student is expected to produce demonstrable outcomes deemed as appropriate by the faculty member. A Research Apprenticeship form, outlining the approved topic and research plan, should be completed and submitted to the faculty member who supervises the apprenticeship.

Students may receive a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MA) degree based upon successful completion of the Candidacy Exam relative to the following circumstances:

1. Doctoral students who did not complete a master’s degree prior to admission to the PhD program may receive the MA upon successful completion of the Candidacy Examination and approval by the faculty advisor. 
2. Doctoral students who did complete a master’s degree prior to admission to the PhD program may receive a second master’s degree upon successful completion of the Candidacy Examination if they meet the following criteria: 
   • The MA was not completed in T&L
   • The MA is in a different area than the student’s first/previous master’s degree, as determined by their faculty advisor
   • The student has completed an additional 30 graduate credit hours over and above the minimum number of hours required prior to candidacy (30 hours for the first master’s plus an additional 50 hours)
   • The Faculty Advisor approves the pursuit of an additional program of study.
3. Doctoral students who successfully completed their candidacy examination but later determine they will not complete their dissertation may receive an MA with the approval of their faculty advisor as long as they do not previously have an MA in T&L.

Students who are approved to receive the MA based on the successful completion of their Candidacy Examination will need to complete and submit the Application to Graduate through the GRADFORMS.OSU.EDU system by selecting “Master’s-Candidacy Exam” for the “Graduation Level” option. PhD students who wish to receive their MA based on the completion of their Candidacy Exam must complete their Application to Graduate with their MA during the same semester they complete their Candidacy Exam. An exception to this will be made for a student who has completed their Candidacy Exam and later wishes to withdraw from their PhD program. Students in this situation may submit an Application to Graduate with their MA during their final semester of enrollment before withdrawing from the PhD program.

Students are required to produce a Dissertation Proposal that is formally approved by the dissertation committee. Specific expectations for the content of the proposal are determined by the student’s specialization and dissertation committee. The approved proposal should be completed no later than two semesters after completion of the candidacy examination. The dissertation research must consist of independent, original scholarly work that is rigorous, of high quality and that makes a substantial contribution to its scholarly field.

It is the responsibility of the candidate to schedule his or her Final Examination for a date and time that is convenient to all members of the examination committee. Faculty who are part of a Dissertation Committee should not be expected to participate in a Final Examination during an off-duty semester.

• Timeline for Final Oral Examination and Final Dissertation Approval: Typically, three to four weeks prior to the Final Oral Examination date, the Dissertation Committee reviews the Dissertation Draft. Because committee members may wish for revisions of the draft before approving it for the Final Oral Examination, it is recommended for students to provide the review Dissertation Draft sooner than the aforementioned timeline. In addition, the student should seek the Dissertation Committee members’ preference of a hard copy or electronic version of the draft to review.
• Public Defenses: The Graduate Studies Committee and Department of Teaching and Learning faculty support the opportunity for doctoral candidates to share their research with invited students, faculty and other guests who may learn from the research during the Oral Examination. Students must seek approval from their Faculty Advisor and Committee Members for attendance of guests, including those who are not graduate students or other faculty members. If the candidate and Faculty Advisor wish to open the exam to invited guests, only the first thirty minutes of the exam time should be dedicated to the public portion of the exam, such as the candidate’s research overview and questions from attendees who are not Dissertation Committee Members. Depending on specific policies regarding public defenses within the specialization, students may be encouraged to post announcements of their defense, electronically and/or in print form, at least one week prior to the defense date.
• Final Oral Examination - Additional Information: Following the public portion of the Oral Examination (if applicable), the exam would then proceed in the next hour and a half with the advisor/s, candidate, Dissertation Committee Members, and the Graduate Faculty Representative. The Faculty Advisor, who chairs the Final Oral Examination, determines whether and how the option will be implemented. Students are normally expected to give a presentation based on the dissertation at the beginning of the Dissertation Defense. To ensure sufficient time for the question period that follows, this presentation should be brief and succinct (e.g., 20 minutes in length), and the student should arrange details about the presentation with the advisor well before the defense.

Faculty members are officially on duty from August 15th to May 15th each academic year and are not required or expected to participate in any candidacy defense or dissertation-related work during the summer off-duty period. Students wishing to receive responses to their work or to hold a candidacy or dissertation defense during the summer off-duty period should consult with their advisor and committee members well in advance of the summer semester regarding faculty availability for that period of time.

The Department of Teaching and Learning conducts a mandatory “Annual Review of Doctoral Student Progress” that is administered by each specialization in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee. All PhD students must participate in this process, and upon completion of the review are deemed by faculty in their specialization to be in “Good Standing” or “Not in Good Standing.” PhD students must be in “Good Standing” in order to maintain enrollment in the PhD degree program. Faculty and students are responsible for reviewing and understanding the timelines, regulations and implications for unsatisfactory progress at all stages of the PhD program. In addition to the criteria for being in good standing listed in the Graduate School Handbook, the Department of Teaching and Learning also requires students in the doctoral degree program to act in a professional and ethical manner in all aspects of the program, including their interactions with faculty, staff and other students.

Annual Review of Academic Progress

Each year, in the Autumn semester, the faculty in the student’s specialization conduct an evaluation of the students’ progress toward the PhD degree. Students will complete and submit an annual self-evaluation form and an up-to-date curriculum vitae sometime in early October. Students complete

1. The PhD student Annual Review Form
2. Current advising report
3. Updated CV

Students email the materials directly to your Faculty Advisor, and schedule a meeting with their advisor to discuss their materials by early November. The PhD Annual Review is a formative, self-evaluation intended to provide you with an opportunity to describe your professional learning and development over the past year and look ahead to your goals for the rest of your PhD program, and beyond. The T&L faculty are committed to supporting students through the program, and helping ensure that you are maintaining Reasonable Progress as you move through your doctoral studies. This document will serve as the basis for a discussion amongst your advisor and the faculty members in your area of specialization about your achievements, growth and future plans. This evaluation is a required process according to Graduate School rules, but the information from this evaluation is only circulated internally among Teaching and Learning faculty. The Graduate School only becomes involved in student evaluation when the student’s cumulative GPA is below 3.0, which prompts a warning and potential dismissal from the graduate program. Following the annual evaluation, the faculty in the specialization recommend students for ‘Good Standing’ or ‘Not in Good Standing’ to the Graduate Studies Committee and to the Department Chair. In the case of a decision that a student is ‘Not in Good Standing’, both the Graduate Studies Chair and Department Chair must concur that the decision meets one or all of the following criteria:

1. A GPA below 3.0 (Note: if this occurs within the first 9 semester hours, the Graduate School will notify the student and advisor)
2. Failure to make adequate progress toward the degree (e.g., failure to submit an approved dissertation proposal in a timely manner)
3. Lack of contact or lack of activity by a student for two semesters
4. Failure to engage in appropriate professional and scholarly activities beyond course work as required by the faculty in a specialization (e.g., participation in and attendance at professional conferences, authoring or co-authoring manuscripts for publication, participating in research or other professional projects, etc.)

Faculty in a specialization may include criteria beyond those listed above provided they are made explicit to students in a timely manner. The faculty’s recommendation of ‘Not in Good Standing’ will include a list of actions the student needs to take to remediate a status of not in good standing. The report of ‘Not in Good Standing’ will also be shared with the Graduate School. A student found not in good standing through the process of annual evaluation will be provided no more than 12 months to remedy the situation (unless a longer period for remediation is approved by the Department Chair). However, a GPA below 3.0 will also initiate a review by the Graduate School that may result in notification of probation or, after two or more semesters without remedy, dismissal. The faculty in a specialization will inform the Department Chair and the chair of the Graduate Studies Committee of students who are found to be “not in good standing”. The Department Chair will send a letter to the student informing him/her that she/he has been found to be “not in good standing” by faculty in the specialization.

Read more about Special Programs in the graduate school handbook.

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Read more about GAs in the graduate school handbook.

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The evaluation of GAs is primarily the responsibility of the supervisor, who should include the GA in the discussion. In certain cases, participation by the Department Chair, Associate Chair, or GSC may be appropriate. Access to the evaluation should also be provided to the GA by the supervisor or the Department Chair. All GAs are expected to perform their given duties accurately, efficiently and with initiative. The degree of success in achieving these goals will be assessed by the supervisor.

Read more about fellowships in the graduate school handbook.

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Read more about benefits for graduate associates, fellows and trainees in the graduate school handbook.

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Read more about graduate faculty membership in the graduate school handbook.

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Faculty advisors have relevant expertise in the discipline their advisees are pursuing. They guide students in the development of their degree programs and serve as mentors throughout their graduate study. Students are initially assigned a faculty advisor in the specialization upon admission to the graduate program. The student and the faculty advisor work together to form an examination committee which oversees the student’s completion of the exit option selected for completion of the degree.

It is important for students to first communicate with the faculty member they wish to request as the new faculty advisor to confirm that they are willing and able to take on more advisees. Once this conversation takes place and the faculty member approves the request, students are required to complete the change of advisor form, obtain the approval of the new faculty advisor and submit the approval to TLES Academic Services for the official change in the student’s university record. It is highly recommended for students and/or the new faculty advisor to notify the current faculty advisor about the change as a professional courtesy. However, if they have any concerns about making such a change, the student should contact the Graduate Studies Committee Chair (GSCC) first. If a student’s faculty advisor leaves the university or is no longer able to serve as the student’s advisor for other reasons, the student should contact the specialization lead first for assistance in finding another faculty advisor.

Read more about the Graduate Studies Committee in the graduate school handbook.

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