Graduate Handbook | Student Department

Intellectual/Course Progress – In navigating your intellectual and course progress as a graduate student, consult with your Counselor or Major Professor.  Additionally, as you establish your guidance committees for qualifying exams and dissertation work, those faculty members will also provide essential guidance.

Navigating the University Bureaucracy – No matter how careful you are in reading and rereading the various guidelines, forms, and explanatory emails, any bureaucracy can seem incomprehensible and it is easy to miss steps.  In these situations, Joe Styles, the Graduate Administrator, is your best source of assistance.  Contact him during his office hours if you have a quick question or set up an appointment to get more detailed guidance.

Questions about Department Policy – If you find yourself confused by a department policy (or feel there are grounds for a change or exception), contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).  Together with the Department Chair and the Graduate Studies Committee, they can provide authoritative answers regarding department policies and sound advice on moving through the program.

Teaching Advice or Assistance – Your first line of support in teaching is the Course Instructor.  He or she has the experience to help you in developing necessary skills, familiarity with the material that you are trying to teach, and authority to make decisions about course policies.  For additional advice or questions about your role as a Teaching Assistant, you may want to speak with the member of the Graduate Studies Committee assigned to oversee Teaching Assistants.  Of course, good teaching advice is not constrained to institutional relationships; your fellow teaching assistants, graduate student colleagues, and other faculty members can all offer valuable insight.