Advising

A. Advising for New Graduate Students

The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies (ACGS) is the advisor for all incoming students, aiding newcomers with selecting courses, understanding program requirements, and surviving the first year or so of graduate school. The Graduate Program Coordinator can also assist with advising as well as a host of other day-to-day questions.

Appointments for advising are set up after new students arrive on campus each year but can be arranged at any time by emailing the ACGS directly or via English-grad@fsu.edu.

The ACGS also approves various forms, including checklists confirming that requirements have been fulfilled, and completes annual reviews for students who’ve not yet chosen a major professor (see below). Once that choice is made, the major professor becomes the student’s principal advisor and writes all further annual reviews.

B. The Major Professor and Supervisory Committee

Candidates for the MA or MFA are required to have a major professor in place by the beginning of their second year in the program. The same (or soon thereafter) is recommended for PhD students but required of them no later than the end of Year 2.

This process begins by the student asking a faculty member to serve as major professor, based on that professor’s area of specialization and a shared set of academic/creative interests. Students may wish to take courses from a variety of professors in the first year, keeping in mind the need to make such a choice soon thereafter. Faculty members’ areas of specialization are indicated on the department website. In all cases, and as mandated by University policy, the ACGS must approve the major professor, verifying that the professor has both Graduate Faculty status (GFS) as well as special competence in the student’s proposed area of concentration. This approval is given through the submission of the PhD Supervisory Form or the MA/MFA Supervisory Committee Form (available on our Canvas site).

All graduate students require not only a major professor but also a supervisory committee. These committees must be formed in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. The MA or MFA Supervisory Committee: Each MA or MFA candidate needs a three-member supervisory committee, all of whom must have Graduate Faculty Status. The major professor serves as chair and will help the student choose two other English faculty members for the committee, at least one of whom must (like the major professor) have appropriate specialization the same field as the student’s thesis (or major area). The supervisory committee is responsible for overseeing the student’s completion of requirements for the degree.

Setting up the MA or MFA Supervisory Committee: After consultation with the major professor, the student asks faculty members who have appropriate specializations if they will serve on the committee. Then, via DocuSign, the student circulates the MA/MFA Supervisory Committee Form (available on the Graduate Curriculum Canvas site) for signatures from all members of the committee as well as the ACGS. The student then emails the completed form to the Graduate Program Coordinator, who can then release registration numbers for the capstone essay or thesis hours.

2. The PhD Supervisory Committee: Every PhD candidate needs at least a four-member supervisory committee, all of whom must have Graduate Faculty Status. The major professor serves as chair and will help the student choose at least two other English faculty members for the committee, at least one of whom must (like the major professor) have appropriate specialization the same field as the student’s dissertation, as well as a tenured university representative from a department other than English. The committee must include members with appropriate qualifications to supervise both the major and minor preliminary examination. The supervisory committee is responsible for overseeing the student’s completion of requirements for the degree.

Setting up the Doctoral Supervisory Committee: The Graduate Bulletin states that “upon the request of the major professor, the departmental chair will appoint the supervisory committee that will be in charge of the work of the student until the completion of all requirements for the degree.” In our department, this request is initiated via the student consulting with the major professor and then asking faculty members who have appropriate qualification if they will serve on the committee. Then, via DocuSign, the student circulates the PhD Supervisory Committee Form (available on our Canvas site) for signatures from all members of the committee as well as the ACGS and Department Chair. The student then emails the completed form to the Graduate Program Coordinator. As noted in university policy, if deemed necessary, the ACGS or Chair may recommend the inclusion of additional members to provide necessary expertise. The supervisory committee must be in place and a signed committee form on file in Graduate Program Coordinator’s office no later than the semester before taking preliminary examinations.

C. Transferring Credit Hours from Another Graduate Program

Students entering FSU’s graduate program in English from another graduate program may transfer up to 6 credit hours, with the approval of the ACGS, so long as these have not been used toward a previous degree. In addition, upon entering FSU’s PhD program, the student will meet with the ACGS to see if any part of the MA or MFA coursework fulfills specific PhD content requirements and thus may be waived. Students may also transfer satisfaction of the foreign language requirement if they have met one of the University’s requirements for demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language (see IV.2 below). Application for transfer credit must be made upon beginning graduate work at FSU. Graduate work transferred from another institution must have commenced not more than seven years prior to the transfer request.