Academic Advising

Academic Advising

Program coordinators serve as academic advisors for graduate students, aiding them in the selection of courses that they will need to complete in order to receive a degree.

Plans of Study

The “plan of study” is a list of courses, prerequisites, and capstone requirements needed to complete the specific program in which you have enrolled. Students complete plans of study with their graduate program advisors within one month of their acceptance into their programs.

During the initial advising session, a student and advisor agree on the student’s course of study throughout his or her degree program, indicating the semesters in which courses will be taken.

If a student proposes to transfer graduate courses taken at another institution, those courses, with the grades and credits received, should be noted on the plan of study at the initial advising session. In addition, the transcript for each course proposed for transfer credit should be attached with a course description for the proposed transfer course. Only courses that have NOT been part of another degree program can be proposed for transfer credit.

Plans of study may be changed during a student’s degree program. Such revisions are entered on the plan of study form, approved first by the graduate program coordinator, then by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and forwarded to the registrar.

Directed Study

During the final third of a degree program, a graduate degree student may participate in a directed study. A directed study proposal must be developed in consultation with the faculty member who will supervise the work and must be submitted as part of the application for directed study. The proposal must then be approved by the instructor, the program coordinator and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies before the student may register for the course. Tuition remission, waivers and vouchers may not be applied to costs associated with directed study courses.

Changes in Registration

Students must notify the School of Graduate Studies and meet with their program coordinators to update their plan of study when there are any changes in registration. Any adds, drops, and changes of course section or academic status may be done through the student’s Navigator account. Failure to complete appropriate registration actions in Navigator during established dates and deadlines may result in errors on the student’s permanent record.