Selecting A Thesis Advisor

The major component of your graduate degree is a thesis that describes original research YOU conduct in the lab of a faculty advisor YOU select. Students typically choose an advisor based on a shared research interest and/or a good rapport with that faculty member. Many students entering the graduate program will have limited experience upon which to base this important career decision. We recommend that you do at least two "rotations" in your first semester, i.e.; work in a lab for a short time on a trial basis. The program is set up to allow you to rotate for two 8-week sessions during the semester (a third rotation may also be done during the summer before classes start). You will choose your first rotation after interviewing faculty whose research attracted you during the faculty presentations in orientation, and make your second choice at the end of the first 4 weeks when you have had an opportunity to acclimate. After the second rotation, all students will submit their choices for an advisor to the Graduate Program Subcommittee, and final assignments will be made.