Academic Support

Academic Advising

The essence of a quality graduate experience is academic advising. Each program has its own system for delivering information and monitoring the progress of its students. It is essential that each graduate student contact the assigned advisor upon admission. Early contact with the advisor is most important to avoid scheduling conflicts and problems with course sequencing and to ensure understanding of the steps required to complete the program. Ultimately, the final responsibility for knowing and meeting all graduation requirements rests with the individual student.

Chairs are available for informational interviews prior to applying and for assistance with course registration. Students are encouraged to contact the Center for Career and Academic Planning for help with general problem-solving and other needs.

Long-Range Plan

This tool tracks progress from initial registration to graduation for the student and advisor. Long-range plans should be revised as needed. Each graduate student should have a long-range plan on file by the end of the first semester. Students should contact their academic advisors to complete this plan.

Scheduling

As a convenience for working students, the majority of graduate courses meet evenings or weekends. Semesters begin in early September, mid-January, and mid-May. Registration/orientation sessions are held each semester for newly admitted students.

Study Hours

In general, students are expected to spend two hours per week in outside reading, assignments, research, library work, etc., for every one hour they spend in class. For example, a student who is enrolled in 15 credits during a semester will spend 15 hours per week in class and another 30 hours each week engaged in academic pursuits outside the classroom, for a total expected time commitment of 45 hours per week (also subject to change).