Advising

The student’s advisor and committees are responsible for overseeing, directing, and evaluating the student’s progress. The advisor and committee may recommend waiver or adjustment of departmental guidelines on required coursework or other issues as appropriate and necessary and shall consult with the Department Chair and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) as necessary to ensure that any adjustments to departmental guidelines are in compliance with Departmental and Graduate School requirements and appropriately recorded. The student’s advisor, advisory committee, the DGS, and Department Chair all work together to ensure that all requirements are completed for graduation as appropriate, formally document various stages in the graduate career (e.g., advancement to candidacy), interpret department rules as necessary, and generally provide support to graduate students. The Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Admissions Committee (which includes three tenured or tenure-stream faculty) also oversee the admissions process. Formal academic grievances follow the guidelines set forth in the University of Arkansas Graduate Catalog.

 

Graduate Advisory Committee

Upon admission to the MA or PhD programs, students are assigned to an advisor who is normally the sponsoring faculty during the admissions process. Students wishing to change advisor should do so in consultation with the original faulty sponsor as well as the new advisor.

In consultation with their advisor, students must then form an MA or PhD Advisory Committee during their first semester in the program that includes a minimum of three eligible department members (including the advisor, who acts as the chair of this committee). The Graduate School requires you to file a form notifying them of your committee membership; these forms can be obtained from the Graduate School website. Once completed, these forms should be submitted to the Graduate School, with a copy also sent to the Director of Graduate Studies and Department Chair.

Faculty members selected for these committees must be full-time faculty in the Department of Anthropology or research faculty affiliated with the Arkansas Archeological Survey with Graduate Status. Please see the list of faculty provided on the departmental website and/or consult with your primary advisor. In special cases, you may wish to add an additional person to your committee (e.g., an adjunct faculty member or faculty member from another department). Adjunct faculty are added to committees on a case-by-case basis and must be approved for graduate status before they can serve. Additional individuals outside of the University may serve in an ex officio role. Allow ample time for forms to be processed.

Typical MA advisory committees consist of three faculty members, while PhD advisory committees may include from three to five members. It is the responsibility of the advisor and advisory committee to meet periodically with students to make sure that they are making satisfactory progress toward the degree.