Master's Program Advising

Master's students have access to a number of advising resources, through faculty within the department, as well as staff with the School of Architecture & Environment and the College of Design.  See the MLA Handbook for specific advising roles amongst faculty and staff.

Your primary role as a student is to keep the Director of Graduate Studies informed about matters concerning your progress toward degree completion. The amount of time you spend with your advisors is up to you, and you are expected to take the initiative in arranging advising meetings.

PhD Advising

When you are offered admission to the PhD program, the department assigns a provisional advisor. The advisor serves as your primary source of advice and guidance on academic and departmental matters, including department and university requirements for graduation. The advisor's initial role is to help you develop your program of study and research directions, select an outside area of specialization, and become acquainted with the faculty who share relevant interests. The Graduate Studies Committee also serves as a second source of oversight for each PhD student. The role of the provisional advisor continues until the formal designation of the dissertation major advisor once the student has advanced to degree candidacy. While in many cases the provisional major advisor may continue as your dissertation major advisor, it may turn out that the most appropriate person for that role shifts as you refine your dissertation topic and gain experience working with individual faculty members.

Your primary role is to keep your major advisor informed about matters concerning your progress toward degree completion. Each academic year you, in consultation with your major advisor, submit an annual progress report. The report is used as part of a broader process to guide your progress and assess whether you are making sufficient progress toward completion of your degree.

Career Advising

In addition to your faculty advisor, you can access assistance from a college-wide career advisor to help you develop career goals, design an internship/job search strategy, create career application materials, and strengthen interviewing skills. You can schedule an individual appointment, enroll in a career development course (DSGN), and access resources through the Career Services website.

Learn More about Career Advising and Education