Purdue University College of Liberal Arts
Information for
Ph.D. Advisory Committee
Upon entering the program, each student will consult with the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, who will assist him or her in planning the first semester of work. At the end of the first semester, the student shall, in consultation with the Chair of the Graduate Committee, select an Advisory Committee appropriate to the student's individual needs and interests; this committee shall consist of three faculty members.
The student should make arrangements to meet with his or her Advisory Committee as soon as possible in the beginning of the second
semester. The Advisory Committee will aid the student by suggesting courses and areas of study which will foster his or her interests and remedy any deficiencies in his or her background. The Committee will also work with the student to decide how each of the area requirements is to be met, and more generally, to help the student draw up a plan of study. A plan of study must be drawn up in consultation with the Advisory Committee before the Graduate Committee holds its annual review of progress in early March; thus the student should request a meeting of his or her Advisory Committee during January or February. From time to time, the plan of study may be changed with the approval of the student's Advisory Committee, to reflect the changing interests of the student. The Advisory Committee guides the student's work until his or her admission to Ph.D. candidacy. The membership of the Advisory Committee can be changed to reflect the student's changing interests. This needs the approval of the Graduate Committee as well.
As soon as possible after the Advisory Committee has met and approved a tentative plan of study, the student should give the Chair of the Graduate Committee a copy of that plan, along with the names of the members of his or her committee. The Chair will review the plan to make sure that it is consistent with the formal guidelines and general expectations of the department; if questions arise, the Chair may wish to consult with the Advisory Committee or the department. Any subsequent changes to the plan should be similarly submitted and reviewed as promptly as possible.
In addition to this first meeting, the Advisory Committee will meet with the student during January or February of the student's second year to review his or her course grades and written work, and may consult with others who have worked closely with the student, in order to evaluate the student's progress in the Ph.D. program of study at Purdue.