Geography Department > Graduate Study > Masters Program > Administration
The Administration of the MA Program
The role of the advisor
All incoming graduate students will be assigned an interim advisor based on information provided by the student at the time of application. It is recognized that such information may not always be an accurate reflection of the student’s interest, which may often change in the course of the first few semesters. The function of the interim advisor is, therefore, to direct and guide the student’s program of courses and research until a permanent advisor and advisory committee is appointed, typically by the end of the second semester. In many cases the interim advisor will become the permanent advisor, but students should always try to identify the faculty with interests most closely related to their thesis topic. One of the most common problems experienced by graduate students is an inappropriate choice of advisor.
The advisor, who is chair of the advisory committee, is primarily responsible for directing the thesis research, scheduling all formal meetings of the committee, and communicating decisions of the committee to the student, geography faculty, Graduate Chair, and Graduate Division, as appropriate. The advisor must be a member of the graduate faculty and is usually the faculty member with the greatest expertise on the thesis topic. The advisor will work most closely with the student on the proposal, development and completion of the research.
Please note that advisory services are provided to assist the students, but the student is responsible for following the procedures of the department and the Graduate Division.
The role of the M.A. advisory committee
The M.A. advisory committee consists of three or more members of the Graduate Faculty, of whom at least two are from the Department of Geography. The student, in consultation with the interim advisor, proposes an advisory committee to the Graduate Chair and / or the GPC. If approved the Graduate Chair will then recommend approval by the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division. The advisory committee should consist of the best qualified faculty to guide and evaluate the proposed thesis research. The committee should be selected as early as possible, and ideally by March 1 for students entering in the previous Fall. It is possible to change the composition of the committee should this be necessary-such as when faculty leave on sabbatical-but this must also be approved by the Graduate Chair and / or the GPC.
The advisory committee will meet with the student to review progress, typically when the student and advisor decide that the student is ready to begin thesis research. At this point the committee will review the Synopsis of Program and discuss the thesis proposal. The committee must approve the proposal in order for the student to advance through the program, and it will often require revisions. Once approved there should be regular consultation between the committee and student concerning progress in the thesis research. The committee must approve the final product so it is highly recommended that the student inform them of progress and any deviations from the proposal as they occur.
The role of the Graduate Program Committee (GPC)
The Graduate Program Committee is advisory to the Graduate Chair and arbitrates for faculty or students on all graduate program matters and recommends changes in the graduate program for consideration by the Graduate Faculty as a whole. The GPC consists of members of the faculty and may include students as representative of the diverse interests of the department as is possible. Functions of the GPC may include: 1) reviewing the composition of advisory committees; 2) receiving and acting upon the student’s statement and advisor’s report in the annual progress review; 3) reviewing the Synopsis of Program made by each student prior to approval of thesis topic; 4) deciding upon graduate program petitions for such matters as the waiver of departmental requirements; 5) reviewing the M.A. program periodically and may recommend changes to the Graduate Faculty as a whole; 6) deciding in cases where there may be disagreements between students, advisors or the Graduate Chair on rules and procedures; and 7) performing other functions that the faculty, Department Chair or Graduate Chair may request with relation to the graduate program.
The role of the Graduate Chair
The Graduate Chair administers the graduate program and serves as a liaison between the Department of Geography and the Graduate Division. This person administers the application process for admission to the department graduate programs, answers routine questions, maintains student files, schedules conferences and examinations, advises students about tuition waiver awards, and signs all official forms marking a student’s progress through the degree.
