How to Find a Faculty Advisor

All new GRA's and GTA's must participate in the thesis advisor selection process during the first month of their 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/GTA project-advisor assignments based on:

  • Student preference
  • Faculty preference
  • Project priority (externally-funded projects have the highest priority)
  • Current distribution of graduate students among advisors

Changing Your Faculty 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 and find a new faculty advisor. If you choose to change your advisor, fill out the form below and submit.

Change of Advisor Request

Your current advisor will automatically be sent an email to approve this request and release your prior commitment. Your new advisor will then automatically be sent an email to approve this request and accept the new commitment. The request will then be automatically routed to the Office of Student Services. Upon the Office of Student Services approval, your file will be officially updated.