Graduate Student Advising

Students must have each semester's coursework approved by their Supervisor and/or the Graduate Advisor prior to registration. All applicable advising and registration forms must be emailed to Kelly Houck in order to be cleared for registration.   

Students should also make note of important dates on the academic calendar, including the first, twelfth, and last class days, registration access periods, final exam periods, and drop/withdrawal deadlines.  

Ph.D. Milestones

The Milestones Agreement ensures that doctoral students are aware of the general requirements, expectations, and timeline of the MELC program. Students must sign electronically before being able to register for classes. Milestones will be tracked by the Department and the Graduate School. Students can review their progress using the Graduate Degree Planner. 

Who's Who 

Graduate Coordinator, Kelly Houck 

The Graduate Coordinator handles all administrative matters related to the graduate program. The Graduate Coordinator assists students and faculty on policies and procedures related to the graduate program. Unlike the Graduate Advisor, who is a member of the faculty, the Graduate Coordinator does not weigh in on academic matters. 

Faculty Mentors

Graduate students in MELC are assigned a faculty mentor at the beginning of their first semester in the program. The mentor provides guidance on academic matters such as course selection and thesis/report topic development. Mentor assignments may change as the student’s interests evolve.

Supervisor

The supervisor will have a tremendous influence on your coursework and research. Their role is to guide students while they fulfilling degree requirements in relation to their research and scholarly interests. They also ensure that the student is making adequate progress toward degree milestones. Semesterly advising sessions with the supervisor are required. 

Graduate Adviser, Bruce Wells

The Graduate Adviser offers students further information on fulfilling degree requirements, making adequate progress towards the degree, preparing for the thesis/report/comps/dissertation, academic integrity, among other issues. After your supervisor, the Graduate Adviser is the final departmental approver of petitions, exceptions, and other special requests. The Graduate Adviser is also the final departmental approver of coursework applied to the degree and graduation applications.