What is the role of my doctoral advisor?
Your doctoral advisor guides you throughout the program. This should be someone with an expertise area that is compatible with the expertise you are developing so that he or she can adequately guide and mentor you, although you will play the dominant role in developing your expertise fully. Your advisor chairs the 3-member faculty program committee who will assist you with course selection and formally approve your coursework. After completing the written comprehensive exams at the end of the coursework phase (a process managed by your advisor), you may choose to continue with the same advisor in the dissertation research phase or may decide that a different faculty member’s research is a better fit for you. Your dissertation advisor chairs the 5-member faculty committee that guides and formally approves your dissertation. Throughout the entire degree program, your advisor is a primary contact for (a) networking with other professionals in the field, (b) mentoring you in preparing and
