Advisors

Each graduate student must have a faculty advisor whose responsibility it is to help form an academic program, monitor progress through the agreed-upon program, implement necessary procedures that require signatures at various steps along the way, and guide the thesis (if any) or dissertation research that forms part of the student’s course of study.

In order to select a faculty advisor, please go to faculty directory. Choose a research area that interests you and visit the websites of the faculty members listed. Establish contact with the selected faculty member by e-mail to inquire about GRA opportunities. Faculty advisor selection may also be made after arrival on the OSU campus.

Faculty members within ECE and outside of ECE can hold graduate faculty status within ECE. In addition, some research scientists within ECE hold graduate faculty status. These graduate faculty members are either Category M or Category P. Category P faculty members can advise PhD and MS students and serve on all student committees within the department. Category M faculty members can advise MS students and serve on MS exam committees. In addition, M status faculty members can serve on the committee for PhD candidacy and final exams with the approval of the graduate studies chair. If the student wants non-Graduate faculty to serve on the committee, a petition from the graduate studies chair can be made to the graduate school to gain approval. However, it is not guaranteed that the graduate school will approve the petition.

Currently, all tenure-track faculty members within ECE hold Category P. There are also a few emeritus faculty members within ECE and faculty members from other departments with P status in our department. There are a number of research scientists and Non-ECE faculty with M status as well.

A new graduate student is usually assigned a temporary advisor for the first (or first few) quarters here. Often, this relationship is satisfactory to both the student and the advisor and the relationship becomes permanent. Just as often, however, it becomes clear that another faculty member may be a more appropriate advisor. In that case, after discussing the change with both the current and new advisors, the student should use the change of advisor form, have both advisors sign it, and submit the form to one of the graduate program coordinators, who will record the change. Changes in advisors should not be made frivolously, but the student is encouraged to seek the advisor best suited to his or her research or study interests. If a permanent advisor is not found by the beginning of the second quarter the student will automatically be assigned to one of the graduate program coordinators. As a non-faculty member, the graduate program coordinators will be unable to sign any forms requiring faculty advisor approval.

For BS/MS students, the students should fill out a change of advisor form to switch from their undergraduate advisor to a faculty advisor once they have finished the BS degree.

Visit the graduate program contact page for a list of current contact information.