Major Professor/Thesis Advisor All M.A. students in the History program must formally choose a major professor and an advisory committee by the end of their first semester in residence. Who can be a major professor? The major professor must be a member of the Graduate Program Faculty in the Department of History at the University of Georgia. Faculty members must hold current Graduate Faculty status as defined by the Graduate School, and they must be eligible to serve as chairs of advisory committees. Usually, tenured or tenure-track faculty are members of the graduate faculty. Other faculty may sometimes be appointed to this role. How do I choose a major professor? Students should begin identifying a major professor during their first semester of coursework. The major professor must be a faculty member whose research interests and methodological approaches are compatible with the student’s intended field of study. It is the responsibility of the student to approach potential faculty members and confirm their willingness to serve in this role. What is the role of a major professor? The major professor serves as chair of the thesis advisory committee and is responsible for guiding the student’s course selection, thesis proposal, research, writing, and thesis defense. This includes: Advising on course selection and research skills training; Approving the student’s Program of Study; Submitting the Advisement Form each semester; Supervising the thesis proposal, research, and writing; Ensuring that the student progresses through the program in a timely manner and meets all departmental and graduate school deadlines. How do I confirm my major professor and committee? Students must formally confirm their major professor and other thesis committee members by the end of the first semester in residence. Use Grad Slate to nominate a Major Professor and members of the Graduate Advisory Committee. This form must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the graduate school before it is considered final. Failure to submit this form in a timely manner may jeopardize the student’s standing in the program. What if my major professor becomes unavailable? In the event that a student’s major professor becomes unavailable (e.g., due to leave, retirement, or other circumstance), or if the student and professor determine they can no longer work together, the student must promptly notify the Director of Graduate Studies and identify a new eligible faculty member to serve in this role. Students may change their major professor and committee members at any time through Grad Slate. Advisory Committee All M.A. students in the History program must formally choose an advisory committee by the end of their first semester in residence. Who can/should be on my advisory committee? The advisory committee must consist of at least three members, including the major professor. The major professor and at least one additional committee member must be members of the History Department’s Graduate Program Faculty. A fourth member may be added with approval of the major professor and Director of Graduate Studies. At least two members must be Graduate Program Faculty in the UGA Department of History. The third or fourth member may be: UGA faculty in other departments with Graduate Faculty status; A UGA faculty member with a graduate degree holding a permanent teaching or research position (requires approval of departmental graduate faculty and the Graduate School Dean); or A non-UGA scholar with a terminal degree in their field (requires CV of committee member, letter of nomination of major professor, approval of Director of Graduate Studies, and the approval of the Graduate School Dean). If a student chooses to appoint a committee member who is not a member of the graduate faculty, the student is responsible for gathering and submitting the necessary paperwork in Grad Slate. This must include the nominee’s current resume/cv and a letter of justification from the Major Professor endorsed by the Director of Graduate Studies. The non-affiliated member must attend meetings associated with the appointment. No more than one non-UGA member may serve as a voting member of the committee. Co-major professors count as one faculty member for voting purposes. If the committee includes more than three members, a majority must be members of the UGA graduate faculty, and a majority must be faculty members of the UGA history department. What does the advisory committee do? The advisory committee is responsible for guiding and evaluating the student’s academic progress from the time of its formation through the completion of the degree. This includes: Advising on Research Skills Training; Supervising the thesis proposal and its defense; Offering feedback and support during the research and writing process; Reading and evaluating the completed thesis; Conducting the final thesis defense. Members are expected to work collaboratively with the student and with one another to ensure timely progress toward the degree.
