College of Arts & Sciences
ADVISEMENT
Undergraduate Advisement | Graduate Advisement
UNDERGRADUATE ADVISEMENT
All undeclared students and Sociology majors with less than 42 hours of degree credit are advised by advisors within the Student Advisement Center, located in 225 Sparks Hall. The advisors in the Student Advisement Center specialize in the developmental needs of freshmen and sophomore students. Click here for a directory and hours of operation.
Those students who have 42 hours or more have two advisors;
1. a college advisor (Ms. Deborah Bradford) and
2. a department advisor (Mr. Brian Buckwald).
Both college and department advisors work together to assist you. How so? Both can assist students with degree planning, reviewing degree requirements, make course recommendations, and perform degree audits. They are also available to discuss academic performance, hardships, registration issues, withdrawing, transfer credit, holds, and University policies.
We recommend that you meet with both your college advisor and your department advisor while at Georgia State.
COLLEGE ADVISORIn addition to above, your college advisor is available to discuss:
Students wishing to see their college advisor are advised on an appointment basis, or may come by the office at any time during office hours for brief consultations. We do not take walk-in appointments. To schedule an appointment, please call 404-413-5000. We cannot schedule appointments via email! All students: |
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DEPARTMENT ADVISORIn addition to above, your department advisor is available to discuss:
Students wishing to see their department advisor are advised on an appointment basis, however, walk-in appointments (10 minutes or less) may be seen on a first come, first serve basis as time permits. Walk-ins may be asked to schedule an appointment. If your schedule is tight, we recommend making an appointment. Schedule an appointment online or call 404-413-6503. All students: New Advisees
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GRADUATE ADVISEMENT
Most advisement of graduate students is done by the Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology and a faculty Advisor assigned to each student. In addition, useful advice can be obtained from others in the department. Because the advisement process for M.A. and Ph.D. students differs, each is described below. Students who wish to choose their own advisor (or change their current advisor) should use the Advisor Form.
Dr. Dawn Baunach, Director of Graduate Studies
404-413-6500
dbaunach@gsu.edu
Advisement for Masters Degree Students
When a student enters the M.A. program, or shortly afterwards, a member of the sociology faculty will be assigned as an Advisor. Advisors are usually chosen because they have one or more areas of academic interest in common with the student. The purpose of the Advisor is to help students plan their selection of courses, help them understand the expectations and requirements of the graduate program, guide them in learning more about their areas of interest, serve as a mentor, and help socialize them into the field of sociology.
Although official approval of a course of study is not required, it is recommended that new students discuss their registration plans with the Director of Graduate Studies and their faculty advisor. The Director of Graduate Studies and the student's faculty Advisor serve as the primary academic advisors until a student begins working on a thesis, but students are urged to consult widely with the faculty for advice and to become acquainted with their interests and research.
When an M.A. student begins to formulate a topic for a thesis, the student should ask someone on the Sociology graduate faculty if he/she will serve as the director of the thesis. This person then becomes the student's main advisor for the remainder of the time in the program. Often a student will choose to have the previous faculty Advisor as the director of the M.A. project, but in many cases changes are appropriate or necessary. A good working relationship is necessary between the student and the thesis director, so it is usually best for the students to choose someone with whom he/she has already worked well. With advice from the thesis director, students should ask two appropriate faculty members to serve as committee members on the M.A. thesis. Faculty members reserve the right to decline a student's request that they be a thesis director or committee member.
Advisement for Doctoral Students
When students enter the Ph.D. program they should have an initial consultation with the Departmental Director of Graduate Studies to discuss the program, its requirements, and a course of study ("program checklist"). Within the first 18 hours of course work the student will select a Program Advisor. The Program Advisor checks and finalizes the student's course of study, authorizes modifications, explains program requirements, and serves as a mentor by guiding the student to learn sociology outside the classroom and helping to socialize the student into becoming a good sociologist. Program Advisors should be consulted each semester for suggestions about course registration, and additional informal discussions with them are recommended.
Within the first 18 hours of course work toward the Ph.D., and with the approval of the Program Advisor, the student forms a three-member Program Committee (the Program Advisor is one of the three). The Program Committee's purpose is to provide ongoing direction and to meet with the student at least once each year to review progress and discuss the student's strengths and weaknesses. When the student successfully completes the Qualifying Examinations this committee is disbanded, and a Dissertation Committee is created to assist and evaluate the student's dissertation research project.
For additional information on graduate advisement, please consult the Graduate Handbook.