Graduate Handbook: General Information
The general rules and regulations that govern all graduate students at Georgia Tech are found in the General Catalog, particularly the section titled Information for Graduate Students. View
and
www.catalog.gatech.edu/students/grad/
OSCAR
For the listing of all classes to be offered each semester and complete registration information, see the On-Line Student Computer Assisted Registration (OSCAR). OSCAR also has instructions, class schedules, and academic calendar information. Go to
BuzzPort www.buzzport.gatech.edu is a secure site (portal) that provides students, faculty, and staff with Intranet and Internet services. You can use it to register for courses. |
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The Office of Student Services
For assistance, see
Dr. Paul Neitzel, Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
MRDC Building, Room 3105, (404) 894-3204
[email]
• Oversight of the graduate program in the Woodruff School,
• Career counseling and advice,
• Ex officio member of the School's Graduate Committee,
• Liaison for the graduate program with other academic units on the Georgia Tech campus.
Dr. Farzad Rahnema, Associate Chair of the Woodruff School and Chair of the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering/ Medical Physics Programs
Boggs Building, Room 3-395 (404) 894-3731
[email]
• Administers the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering/
Medical Physics Programs.
Dr. David Rosen, Associate Chair for Administration
MRDC Building, Room 3218, (404) 894-3200
[email]
• Responsible for the scheduling of classes and registration.
Dr. Wayne Whiteman, Director of the Office of Student Services
MRDC Building, Room 3102, (404) 894-3204
[email]
• Manages the Office of Student Services,
• Assists the Associate Chairs of the Woodruff School,
• Assists in the advisement of both undergraduate and graduate students.
Ms. Glenda Johnson, Academic Advisor I
MRDC Building, Room 3112, (404) 385-0586
[email]
• Assists graduate students with programs of study, degree petitions, graduate committee actions, and support forms.
Ms. Trudy Allen, Academic Advisor I
MRDC Building, Room 3112, (404) 385-6563
[email]
• Assists with recruiting and new graduate student issues.
Ms. Camellia Henry, Academic Assistant I
MRDC Building, Room 3112, (404) 894-3204
[email]
• Assists with NRE and MP graduate actions
Ms. Laura Paige, Academic Assistant II
MRDC Building , Room 3112, (404) 894-3204
[email]
• Greets and assists students, faculty, staff and visitors to the Office of Student Services,
• Answers telephones,
• Schedules appointments.
Student Life
The Woodruff School is committed to maintaining a good quality of life for its students. We urge you to become familiar with and to follow the Georgia Tech policies that are found in the General Catalog.
If you have a problem and want to speak with someone, counseling services are available at
Woodruff School Academic Honor Code
While you are at Georgia Tech, you will need to adhere to the Woodruff School Academic Honor Code. View the code at
www.catalog.gatech.edu/genregulations/honorcode.php
Student Conduct
In addition to the honor pledge, you should be aware of the rules for student conduct found in the Georgia Tech General Catalog . Of particular relevance are those rules that apply to academic misconduct. Please refer to
or
www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/19a.php
for complete information on the code of student conduct.
Important Committees
The Woodruff School Graduate Committee is the academic faculty committee that oversees the operation of the Woodruff School's graduate programs. The committee has responsibility for all graduate-level degree requirements, approval of new courses, assignment of M.S. and Ph.D. reading committees, approval of Ph.D. programs of study, and oversight of the Ph.D. qualifying examination. The committee typically meets once a month. Meeting dates and deadlines for the submission of materials are posted at the beginning of each term at
https://www.me.gatech.edu/internal/committees/graduate/Committee%20Dates.htm
The Institute Graduate Committee is responsible for all Institute-wide academic policies and degree requirements at the graduate level. In addition, they make decisions regarding all Institute-level graduate student petitions. These petitions include late withdrawals, changes in graduate standing, grade disputes, readmissions, and deadlines. You are strongly encouraged to discuss a petition with your advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies before it is filed.
How to Find an Advisor
Upon admission to the graduate program, you will be assigned an academic advisor whose research interests are close to your own. All new GRA's and GTA's must participate in the thesis advisor selection process during the first month of the first semester in the Woodruff School.
The process for assigning new, undesignated GRA's to research projects and advisors accommodates both student and faculty desires to the maximum extent possible. You are expected to interview at least three faculty members. By the deadline, submit your top three projects or advisor choices to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies on the Faculty Advisor Interview form. Similar feedback is obtained from each faculty member. The Chair of the Woodruff School and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies make the final GRA/project-advisor assignments based on:
• Student preference;
• Faculty preference;
• Project priority (externally-funded projects have the highest priority); and
• Current distribution of graduate students among advisors.
Changing Your Advisor
If you wish to change your advisor, you must first discuss the matter with your current advisor and satisfactorily complete all your graduate research assistant and research obligations. To initiate your Change of Advisor request, please go to:
https://www2.me.gatech.edu/graddb/forms/STUDENT/advisor_student/advisor.asp
Fill out the form and submit. Your current advisor will automatically be sent an email to approve this request and "release" you. Your new advisor will then automatically be sent an email to approve this request and "accept" you. The request will then be automatically routed to the Office of Student Services. Upon the Office of Student Services's approval, your file will be officially updated.
If you find any problem with this automated process, please notify the Office of Students services by sending an email to Wayne Whiteman.
Dismissal Policy
M.S. thesis and Ph.D. students are expected to carry out research as part of their graduate education. Students must perform acceptably in their research work, as evaluated by their faculty advisor, or they may lose their research supervision, as well as any associated funding, at the discretion of the advisor. This applies even if the student's GPA meets or exceeds the minimum set by both the Woodruff School and the Institute.
Students who receive a letter or e-mail from their academic advisor outlining the deficiencies, and spelling out at what level they have to perform to be able to continue working with the advisor, or an "Unsatisfactory" as their research grade (ME/NRE/MP 7000 or ME/NRE/MP 9000) risk dismissal. A copy of all correspondence, to include letters or e-mails, will also go to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies for inclusion in the student's file. The deficiencies must be remedied within three months to prevent dismissal. Funding support normally will not be withdrawn in midterm, because this may cause the student to owe the Institute full tuition and fees for that term.
A student who no longer has an advisor should ask the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies to help in finding new research supervision. Students who have lost their funding may also request partial funding from the Associate Chair, for example, as a GTA or grader.
A Ph.D. student who cannot find a new advisor after one full term must leave the Woodruff School. An MS thesis student who cannot find a new advisor after one full term must convert to a nonthesis option or leave the Woodruff School. At the discretion of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, this period may be extended for one additional term if there is reason to believe that this will permit the student to find an advisor at Georgia Tech or at another Institution. A graduate student who is dismissed by the Institute for academic or disciplinary reasons normally will not be readmitted.