Faculty Advisor: Definition and Eligibility
Various programs across the university use different words to describe a student’s faculty thesis advisor including mentor and trainer. The BSD Dean of Students Office will use faculty advisor to mean the individual faculty who is charged with mentoring and supervising the thesis work of a student.
Primary Thesis Advisor Requirements:
- Must be tenure-track faculty (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor).
- Must be from the Biological Sciences Division (BSD) or School of Medicine and affiliated with the degree program.
- Faculty from other divisions (e.g., Physical Sciences) may qualify if they are approved advisors in a BSD program.
- Associate Research Professor or Research Professor may only serve as co-advisor and is subject to approval by the graduate program chair
Required Milestones and Deadlines
All first-year graduate students must meet the following milestones to ensure timely progress into their thesis research.
First Year Milestones Deadline: End of Spring Quarter, Year 1
You must complete all required lab rotations, pass your comprehensive exam (if required by your program), and be officially matched with a thesis lab by June 30th of your first year.
1. Comprehensive Exam Outcomes
- Pass: Students move forward in their program.
- Conditional Pass: Students must satisfy all stipulations by their program’s deadline. Failure to do so will result in academic probation and trigger one final opportunity to comply.
- Fail: Results in immediate academic probation. The exam must be retaken by August 31st.
2. Official Recognition of Advisor and Lab Membership
*Important: Verbal agreements or written correspondence between faculty and students DO NOT constitute official lab admission*
The student is not formally recognized as having officially joined a lab until:
- The Dean of Students signs the Student Lab Selection form.
- For programs with comprehensive exams, the student has successfully passed or conditionally passed their comprehensive examination.
Summer Quarter Extension
The Summer Quarter of your first year is available for additional rotations if you have not yet matched with a lab. Using this summer period for extra rotations will not result in academic probation.
Final Matching Deadline: End of Summer Quarter
If you are not matched with a thesis lab by the end of Summer Quarter of your first year, you will be placed on academic probation for the Autumn Quarter of your second year. This probationary quarter is your final opportunity to secure a lab match. Failure to match by the end of the Autumn Quarter of your second year will result in administrative withdrawal from the program.
*Note: Always consult your specific Program Handbook for details. Exceptions to this policy are only granted by the Associate Dean for Education, Graduate Education.