Throughout the program, the advisor is responsible for guiding the student's research and education. Early in the program, the advisor guides the student along some research initiative and helps with strategic planning for courses and other educational activities. Later, the advisor helps to focus the student's research interests towards a thesis topic. Toward the end of the program, the advisor chairs the student's thesis committee, and helps to select the other members of the committee. The advisor also provides the student with career advice.
Students base their faculty preferences on research interests.
They can learn about an individual faculty member's research interests by attending the faculty's research presentation during the IC, by reading the Department's annual Faculty Research Guide, and from meeting individually with different faculty members during their first month here. There is flexibility in the kind of relationship a student has with his or her advisor. Some students work more closely with their advisors than any other faculty member, and some students work more closely with another faculty member on a particular research project. A few students have two advisors. It is also relatively easy to switch advisors and is often done because of a shift in the student's research interests.