Advising

Upon his/her admission to the graduate program, the director of the graduate program will assign a "temporary" faculty advisor to the student. This assignment is made on the basis of the area of specialization that is selected by the student. The temporary advisor helps the student during their first semester of registration by familiarizing him/her with various rules, regulations, and procedures of the Department. Graduate students pursuing the M.S. degree are required to select their "permanent" advisor before the end of the first semester of their program or before completing 9 credit hours of coursework. Ph.D. candidates are required to select their "permanent" advisor either before the end of their second semester or before completing 18 credit hours of coursework. The student must choose a permanent thesis/dissertation advisor from faculty that holds a regular faculty appointment within the Mechanical Engineering department. The student must inform (in writing) the Director of Graduate Studies of his/her selection for advisor.

An advisor may indicate at any time that they no longer wish to retain the student under their supervision by informing (in writing) both the student and the Director of Graduate Studies. A student can also end the association with his/her advisor by informing the advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies in writing. The student must then find another faculty member in the department to serve as his/her advisor.