The responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of a graduate student lies with the student's Advisory Committee. Master's level committees consist of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty, two from within the department and one from outside the department. Doctoral level committees consist of at least four members of the Graduate Faculty, three from within the department and one from outside the department. All these committee members must be members of the Graduate Faculty at Texas A&M University in College Station. It is possible include other members of the Graduate Faculty in the Advisory Committee, e.g., faculty members at other institutions, researchers in industry or at national labs, faculty at TAMUQ, etc., however, this has to be done in addition to the minimum committee requirements mentioned above. Additional details about the Advisory Committee appear in the Graduate Catalog for each graduate degree.
Selection of Advisory Committee Members
Selection of Research Advisor. Advisor selection will be held in the Fall semester for students who are not pre-assigned to a research group at the time of admission. The procedure for this is outlined in the timeline below for the case of students entering in the Fall academic semester.
- Graduate Student Orientation: The Director of the Graduate Program gives students a general overview of the advisor selection process; students receive packet of abstracts outlining PhD and MS projects available.
- First week of class: students begin attending research seminars. There are four to six 30 min slots each week for faculty to give talks to the students. These generally take place for 2-3 weeks, depending on how many faculty need to present.
- Third to Sixth week of class: students will be required to submit their choices for advisor selection to the Graduate Program Director.
It is essential that the students carefully consider all options when picking a faculty advisor. As part of the advisor selection process, all students must speak with at least five faculty members who are recruiting students during that academic year and all students must speak to any junior faculty member seeking to recruit their first two PhD students. Students will be given forms to have the faculty sign verifying that they have spoken. Beyond these specific requirements, the students are encouraged to meet with all faculty members. This is a unique opportunity for both the new graduate students and faculty to become acquainted with one another and to help build ties and communication between the students and faculty.
In the week after submission of the student lists, the Department Head, in consultation with the Graduate Program Director and the faculty, will assign students. Assignments will be made considering student choices, faculty choices, availability of funds, and other Departmental requirements. In the event that not all students are successfully paired with an advisor, the unassigned students will be asked to submit a second list of faculties with openings. The remaining students will then be assigned based on consultations between the Department Head, Graduate Program Director, and relevant faculty (i.e. those with funded openings not filled in the first round).
The selection of a research advisor is the most important decision a graduate student will make and should not be taken lightly. Ultimate responsibility for finding a research advisor lies with the student. Changing advisors can not only adversely impact the student, but can hurt the research program of the advisor and other students who may have wanted to join that group but were unable. Once an advisor selection has been made, the Graduate Program Director must approve a change of advisor. Unless there is cause, such as misconduct or loss of funding, such requests will not likely be granted.
If you are having problems with your research, speak first to your advisor honestly and openly. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, then speak to the Graduate Program Director about the situation in your research group.
Selection of Committee Members. After the student has a Research Advisor (who also serves as the Committee Chair), the student and the Advisory Committee Chair jointly select the remaining members of the Advisory Committee, subject to the stipulations given in the Graduate Catalog. More than the minimum number of committee members may be appointed. The membership of the Advisory Committee is established formally by submitting the degree plan online at http://ogsdpss.tamu.edu.