2016.6（2）passage2

If you are a graduate student, you maydepend on your adviser for many things including help with improving grades,acquiring financial support, forming and examining committee and getting lettersof recommendation. If you are a graduate teaching assistant, your adviser alsomay be your boss. Academic departments vary in their procedures for assigningacademic advisers to graduate students. In some departments, either thechairman or the director of graduate studies serves for at least the firstsemester as a new student adviser. Then the students select an adviser based onshared academic interests. In other departments, a new student is assigned afaculty adviser based on some system of distribution of the department’sadvising load. Later, students may have the opportunity of selecting theadviser that they prefer. In any case, new graduate students can learn whotheir advisers or temporary advisers are by visiting or emailing thedepartmental office and asking for the information. Graduation requirementsspecify the number of credits you must earn, the minimum grade point of averageyou must achieve and the distribution of credits you must have from amongdiffering departments or fields of study. In addition, it is necessary to applyfor graduation, when you near the time that you will be completing yourgraduation requirements. Since graduation requirements vary among divisions ofthe university, you should consult the Bulletin of Information. You should alsodirect your questions to your departmental office or academic adviser.