Choosing an Advisor

Accepted, degree-seeking students are assigned either the Graduate Director or the Director of Creative Writing as their first advisor in UAB English.

As soon as you have identified a graduate faculty member within your theme with whom you would like a mentoring relationship, you should secure that faculty member's agreement to serve as the chair of your individual Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). This selection will likely occur by the end of the first year of graduate study.

You are expected to initiate this action and report it to the Graduate Director. You are encouraged to meet frequently with faculty to plan coursework and assess progress toward your degree.

Securing a Graduate Studies Committee

Prior to beginning a thesis (Plan I) or taking area examinations (Plan II), you must complete the selection of your GSC.

Working with your GSC chair, you will select at least two other graduate faculty members. If you are taking area examinations, select members of the graduate faculty who will be the graders of your examinations. If you are writing a thesis, select members of the graduate faculty who will read and comment on your thesis both before and during the defense. In some cases, it may be helpful to choose a GSC member from outside of the UAB English Department. In such a case, the external reader must be either a member of the UAB graduate faculty or possess the credentials (terminal academic degree in a relevant field or, in the case of creative writing theses, publication credentials) that warrant an ad hoc appointment to the UAB graduate faculty. Students must provide the Director of Graduate Studies with the vitae of any person whose ad hoc appointment to the UAB graduate faculty will need to be secured.

More Information

For more information about identifying your advisor or forming your graduate studies committee, contact the Director of Graduate Studies or the Director of Creative Writing.