Organization

Advisory Chair

This individual was identified in your letter of acceptance into the graduate program and is personally responsible for guiding and assisting you in your graduate career. Your advisor was selected based on your area of interest and has the background and qualifications to guide your work in your chosen field of study. Your advisor has agreed to make sufficient time in his/her schedule to serve as your primary mentor. You will work most closely with this individual to define your program of study, select additional members of your committee and develop your MA thesis.

Your advisor is responsible for regular evaluations of your progress and will report your progress to the department. Your advisor serves as a resource to you, but it is your responsibility to schedule regular meetings, keep your advisor apprised of your progress and notify them of any difficulties you may have.

Your advisory chair must be a full-time, tenure-track member of the History department and hold graduate faculty status.

On rare occasions a change in your primary area of focus, or personal circumstances may necessitate a change in your advisory chair. The department, not the student, will make this determination after careful consideration of all circumstances. Contact the Graduate Coordinator to discuss any change in advisory chair.

Thesis Committee

Your committee must consist of at least three members, including the advisory chair, with the expertise necessary to help you with the major aspects of your thesis. Committee members should hold graduate faculty status and are generally members of the History department. Occasionally a student may wish to include a non-graduate faculty member on the committee and in that case should consult their advisory chair about submitting a petition for an exception.

Should you choose to declare a minor field, one member of your committee must be from the minor department. Your final committee must be approved (in writing) by both your advisory chair and the graduate coordinator.

Discuss the selection of your committee members with your advisory chair. He or she can advise you on how to approach individuals, or may have advice on specialists in the field you may not be aware of.

It is your responsibility to approach each faculty member you wish to have on your committee. Provide them with a written outline of what you want to research and discuss the ideas for your thesis with them. It is also helpful to provide them with some background on you as a person. Be sure you ask them directly if they would be willing to serve on your committee. Once they have agreed, notify your advisory chair and the graduate coordinator for final approval. You should then contact the Department Administrative Assistant to submit the committee officially.

All committee members share in the responsibility of advising and directing the student concerning course work, degree requirements, research and creative work. All committee members should participate in prospectus meetings and thesis defense and will be responsible for the evaluation of the student’s performance. It is in your interest, therefore, to keep all committee members apprised of your progress and work closely with each one as you research and write your thesis.

As you near completion of your thesis, ask each member of your committee what changes you should make before scheduling an oral defense. Make any required changes and provide a draft of the thesis to each committee member for final review before you schedule the defense. The draft should be final draft quality, with no spelling, grammatical or stylistic mistakes. All committee members must agree the thesis is ready to defend before the oral defense can be scheduled.

History Department Administration

The faculty and staff of the History Department want your experience as a graduate student to be a successful and worthwhile endeavor. In addition to your advisory chair, there are several other individuals in the department with whom you should become acquainted and with whom you will work closely over the term of your MA program. All of these individuals are happy to assist you whenever possible.

Administrative Assistant/Graduate Secretary: Julie C. Radle, 2130 JFSB. 2-3816. Julie will assist you with all administrative details of your program, provide all forms, submit materials to the department or university for review, submit or make approved changes to your study program or committee, schedule meetings, assist with registration, administer financial awards or assistantships, or otherwise coordinate all facets of your graduate program. You should contact her for any questions regarding procedures, policies, applications or deadlines. ALL forms pertaining to your program should be submitted to her office.

Graduate Coordinator: Kendall W. Brown, 2117 JFSB. 2-6285. Dr. Brown coordinates and oversees the graduate program for the department. As graduate coordinator, he keeps abreast of university policies and procedures and works directly with faculty and students to ensure that our graduate program complies with university standards, departmental requirements and recognized graduate standards. Advisory chair assignments, thesis committees, any petitions or fellowship applications are reviewed and approved by the graduate coordinator. Should you have any problems, concerns or questions about the graduate program that cannot be resolved or answered by your advisory chair, you should contact Dr. Brown.

Department Chair: Arnold H. Green, 2155 JFSB, 2-8056. Contact the department chair for approvals on various forms, or for difficulties or concerns not resolved with your advisor or the graduate coordinator.

Organization

Links

Graduate Handbook