| APPENDIX C: QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN SELECTING
A DISSERTATION ADVISOR
Before starting
dissertation research, you must have a major advisor
who agrees to supervise
your work. In addition, you and your advisor
will select members for your dissertation committee,
subject to approval by the Department Chair
and the Dean, and you must successfully defend
your proposal (at which time you are admitted
to candidacy). You and your advisor must mutually
agree on the advising agreement and the research
topic. Both of you should enter the relationship
as well informed as possible about the other.
In advising relationships, "divorces" are
possible, but they upset the timely progress
toward a degree and are emotionally draining.
Trade-offs and compromises are to be expected
in selecting an advisor. For instance, it might
be preferable to choose an advisor whose students
take a slightly longer time to complete their
degrees if they usually gain better jobs than
those of a different faculty member. While some
students may be eager to work with a famous professor,
others might fear that the busiest advisors would
have the least time for their students. Finally,
be aware that procedures for matching students
and advisors may vary by program or department.
To select the best advisor, you might meet with
all the faculty members of your program and talk
with other graduate students in the program about
the qualities of the faculty members eligible
to direct dissertations. Be cautious about making
assumptions, and ask questions covering a range
of topics. Some points should best be discussed
with the faculty member in question, others might
better be asked of advanced graduate students.
To help you, here is a list of questions you
might ask in selecting a dissertation advisor;
it is not intended as a list of mandatory qualities
that advisors should possess. Some items may
pertain to other disciplines. Remember, too,
that faculty members will have a number of questions
for you.
- Is the advisor an expert in the area of research
or scholarship that you intend to pursue?
Is his/her critical or theoretical orientation
consistent
with yours?
- How much freedom will you have
in your choice of dissertation topic with
this advisor?
- What is the reputation of the
advisor within the discipline?
- How responsive
is the advisor? How long does it take him/her
to return written
material with
comments?
- How accessible is the advisor
for discussion?
- Is the advisor likely to
remain on the faculty for the duration of
your degree
work?
- How many students does he/she
advise? If none, why? If a large number,
does this
affect the
attention that he/she pays to
individual students?
- How much time does he/she
spend away from campus? Is he/she available
during the
summer?
- How long do students
take to complete their degrees with
this advisor?
- What proportion
of this advisor's students successfully complete
the program?
- What is the
placement record of this advisor's students?
Where do they
get jobs?
- Does the advisor
publish with his/her students
as first author?
- How
many publications does the typical student
accumulate
with
this advisor?
- Do
the advisor's students go to disciplinary
or professional
conferences?
- Do the advisor's
students make presentations
of their own
work at conferences?
Do they make presentations
of joint work
with the
advisor?
- How much
interaction is there with other
advisees of this
faculty member?
Does he/she direct
a
research group
or rather a series
of
individuals?
- How much of the research is collaborative
with the advisor
and/or other
advisees?
- How
much involvement is expected in "group" research
projects that
are not appropriate for inclusion in your
dissertation? How much of this contributes
to your professional
development and marketability?
- How is credit
for collaborative
work
assigned?
- Is the advisor engaged in
patentable
or
salable
work? If so, how
does he/she
assign
credit to
the student?
Does this
work get
published
promptly?
- Is the advisor's work funded?
What are
the guarantees
of funding
for the
advisor's students?
Do
the advisor's
students
get summer
support?
- Does the advisor
assist
his/her
students
in obtaining
their
own funding
from
outside sources
such
as fellowship
programs?
- Does the advisor
have
good
relations
with
other
faculty
in
the program?
- Does
the
advisor
have
a
reputation
for
ethical
behavior?
- Are the
advisor's work
habits compatible
with your
own?
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