Advising and Mentoring of Ph.D. Students

As mentors and advisors faculty are responsible for assisting graduate students in discovering and participating in appropriate channels of scholarly, professional, and disciplinary exchange; and for helping students develop the professional research, teaching, and networking skills that are required for a variety of career options, both within and outside academia. By doing this, faculty play a crucial role in the development and success of our graduate students, engaging with the next generation of researchers and scholars.

The relationship between a student’s dissertation advisors and the advisee is a cooperative partnership that should be based on mutual respect and acceptance of responsibilities. This document describes the main responsibilities of the advisors and the advisee, as well as the channels available to resolve problems, should they arise.

Responsibilities for faculty serving as advisors

Advising and mentoring students is a core responsibility of faculty members. Each student will typically have one primary advisor and additional non-primary advisors that also serve on their dissertation committee. Some students may have two committee co-chairs that effectively both serve as primary advisors. While all committee members share responsibilities in advising and mentoring, the primary advisor will typically meet with the advisee on a more frequent basis, give direct feedback more often, and have research expertise that most closely aligns with the dissertation topic of the student.

Effective advisors, both primary and non-primary, fulfill the following responsibilities:

  • Have basic knowledge of Ph.D. program requirements and the Graduate School policies regarding academic milestones.
  • Listen to and support the advisee’s scholarly and professional goals.
  • Communicate clearly and frequently with the advisee about expectations and responsibilities.
  • Meet regularly with the advisee to review progress, challenges, and goals.
    • Primary advisors: Ideally primary advisors should aim to meet often with their advisees.
    • Non-primary advisors: Meetings should be scheduled with frequency mutually agreed upon by the advisor and advisee.
  • Provide constructive, honest, and timely feedback on research progress and presentations.
  • Be aware of institutional resources that can provide support to advisees in times of academic, professional, and personal challenges.
  • Notify the Director of Graduate Studies if they know or suspect that their advisee is facing significant academic or personal challenges.
  • Write recommendation letters for advisees who are applying for grants and post-graduation positions.

Primary advisors additionally fulfill the following responsibilities:

  • Help the advisee develop a timeline for completing academic requirements and meeting professional goals. Take reasonable measures to ensure that this timeline is met.
  • Encourage openness about any challenges or difficulties that impact the graduate student experience and work with the advisee to resolve any challenges.
  • Act as a liaison between the student and the Director of Graduate Studies and the department.

Responsibilities for students

To be an effective advisee and mentee, students have the following responsibilities:

  • Be familiar with the graduate program requirements and the Graduate School policies regarding academic milestones.
  • Work with their primary advisor(s) to develop a timeline for completing academic requirements and meeting professional goals.
  • Devote an appropriate amount of time and energy toward achieving academic excellence and earning the Ph.D. in a timely fashion.
  • Take the initiative. Be proactive in finding answers to questions and in planning future steps.
  • Have regular contact with advisors, according to a mutually agreed-upon schedule. Ideally, students should aim to meet often with their primary advisor(s).
  • Provide advisors with regular progress reports and notice of any emerging difficulties.
  • Be honest and open with advisors. Alert them about any difficulties that arise with program requirements, normal progress, and performance expectations.
  • Be willing to be mentored and open to feedback. Listen and respond appropriately to recommendations from advisors.
  • Be mindful of time constraints and other demands imposed on faculty members and program staff.

Problem resolution

As with any other relationship, the advisor-advisee partnership may fail to function as expected. There may be multiple reasons for this. Here are a few examples:

  • The advisee may become interested in a research topic that is better advised by an alternative faculty member.
  • The advisor or the advisee may repeatedly fall short in satisfying their responsibilities.
  • The advisor and/or the advisee may have a personal conflict that cannot be easily resolved.

If such situations are not able to be resolved by direct communication between the advisor and advisee, they should be discussed with the Director of Graduate Studies, and subsequently, if necessary, the Chair of the department. These department representatives will approach such situations as constructively and objectively as possible in order to develop a mutually acceptable resolution. Such an intervention may result in a change of advisor.

If the departmental efforts to resolve these problems are unsuccessful, students and faculty can refer to the Associate Dean or the Dean of the Graduate School for a formal resolution.