ADMINISTRATIVE AND ACADEMIC OVERSIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THE GRADUATE PROGRAMS
The
Department is administered by a Head and two Associate Heads, one for
Undergraduate Programs and one for Graduate Programs and Research. Each Associate
Head chairs a Program Committee, composed of elected faculty and student
representation. In addition, an Executive Committee, composed of the Head, the
two Associate Heads, and one elected member from each Program Committee, has
responsibilities in faculty evaluation and in policy-making on a long-term
basis.
The Associate Head for
Graduate Programs and Research is responsible for administering the Graduate
Program. Specific duties include certifying completion of degree requirements
and approving final theses, assigning Teaching Assistants (with the Associate
Head for Undergraduate Program), appointing Research Assistants (with project
directors), assigning student offices, scheduling and developing graduate
courses, appointing M.S. and Ph.D. committees, administering an annual review
of student progress, administering admissions, and maintaining official student
files. The Associate Head also has responsibilities in coordinating and
administering research proposals, facilities, and equipment.
The Graduate Program
Committee
has important oversight functions in advising the Associate Head, approving
appointments to committees, awarding or recommending fellowships, monitoring
the annual review of student progress, and in serving as an appeals board, for
faculty and students, on academic decisions of the Associate Head. A nonvoting
student representative is included in all discussions concerning general
policies, but not in those that involve individual students.
The Initial Advisory
Committee
appointed by the Associate Head advises students upon arrival. The committee will meet with the student
prior to his or her first registration and will advise on recommended courses
and other requirements for the first semester. The committee shall designate
one faculty member as Initial Advisor. The Temporary Advisor will fill out a
form indicating the student's research interests and the courses advised. This
form will be entered in the official student file.
Academic/Research Advisors. Students typically develop
specific academic and research interests during the first semester so that a
permanent academic advisor and research supervisor may be chosen. The academic
advisor and research supervisor are usually the same person, except when the
research supervisor is not a member of the Department of Geosciences. In such a
case, a Geosciences faculty member will serve as the academic advisor.
It is the responsibility
of the thesis advisor to guide the design and implementation of the project
so that the scope is realistic and the aims are viable. For M.S. theses, it is also the responsibility
of the advisor that the magnitude of the M.S. project should not deviate
greatly from the standard 4-semesters-plus-1-summer plan established in the
Blue Book. The actual project
deliverables should be made clear and agreed upon with the student. The advisor will review thesis drafts in a
timely manner agreed upon with the student.
Adjunct faculty may hold temporary graduate
faculty appointments for periods not to exceed the term of their affiliation.
Such appointments will be reviewed by the Department Executive Committee after
each term. Individuals holding these temporary faculty appointments are
expected and encouraged to participate actively in the graduate program, to serve
on academic committees, and to interact with students and faculty. As such,
they may serve on doctoral committees, supervise M.S. and Ph.D. theses, and
teach 500-level courses authorized by the Department. If a student has an
adjunct faculty member as research supervisor, the student will also have an
academic advisor who is a regular Geosciences faculty member. The academic
advisor will co-chair the M.S. or Ph.D. Committee.
By the end of the first semester of residence, an
M.S. committee of at least three graduate faculty members must be appointed for
students pursuing the M.S. degree. A majority of members must be members of the
Geosciences Graduate Faculty.
To form this committee, the student and his/her
proposed advisor must submit the tentative title of the thesis and a list of
committee members to the Associate Head. The committee must be approved by the
Graduate Program.
The M.S. Committee will first meet with the student
no later than the end of the first academic year, at which time the student
should submit and orally present a brief (5-page maximum) statement of the
proposed thesis research. In this meeting, the student, advisor, and committee
should also agree to a tentative schedule for completion of the degree. The
scope of the work in the thesis proposal should be consistent with this
schedule.
The committee must meet at least once during the
academic year to participate in the annual progress evaluation of the student.
However, the student is advised to meet with his/her committee during the third
semester to discuss research progress and problems. Although the primary
guidance of the student’s program should be provided by the advisor, the
committee should assist by providing oversight on courses and on planning and
conduct of the research, as appropriate.
It is the responsibility
of the committee to judge viability of the proposed research, the
plausibility of the time frame, and the validity of the project’s aim. Committee members are often involved for
specialized knowledge -- if so, this function should be clear to the student
and the committee member. Committee
members will read progress reports and proposals from the student and provide
feedback. They will also attend review
meetings and provide individual feedback if either the student or committee
member sees fit. If committee members
find that they cannot meet these obligations, they should inform the student
and advisor so that accommodations can be made. Part of the committee’s function is to prevent the student and
advisor from losing perspective regarding the scope of the master’s thesis
project.
As soon as possible but within one semester after passing the Candidacy Examination, a Doctoral Committee must be appointed. This committee will consist of 4 or more active members of the Graduate Faculty, a majority of whom must be faculty of the Geosciences Graduate Program. A member of the Geosciences Graduate Faculty must have agreed to supervise the student by the time the committee is appointed. As the first step in appointing a committee, the student and advisor must submit a description of the proposed thesis topic and a list of subdisciplines either of interest to the student or involved in the thesis, as well as the names of the proposed advisor and a proposed committee. The committee should be selected to reflect appropriate depth in the thesis topic and the subdiscipline of primary student interest, as well as breadth in related geoscience subdisciplines. If the candidate has a minor, that field must be represented on the committee. The chair of the committee will normally be the thesis advisor. One member must be a Graduate Faculty member from outside Geosciences. A person not affiliated with Penn State who has a particular expertise in the candidate’s research area may be added as a special member, upon recommendation by the head of the program and approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. A special member is expected to participate fully in the functions of the doctoral committee. If the outside expert is asked only to read and approve the doctoral thesis, that person is designated a special signatory of the thesis.
The Associate Head may modify the proposed committee after discussion with the student, advisor, and Graduate Program Committee, and will then submit the proposed Doctoral Committee to the Graduate Program Committee for approval. The Doctoral Committee must meet with the student at least once each year during the annual review of the progress. The advisor will provide day-to-day advice, but the committee will have final authority over the student's program and over the Comprehensive Examination and Thesis Defense. The committee as well will provide scientific advice on planning and executing of the thesis research.
The Graduate Program office
maintains an official file on each student that contains application materials
(except letters of recommendation), TA/RA appointment papers, transcripts and
grade sheets, progress reports, candidacy proposals, thesis proposals, results
of examinations, all official communications to the student, copies of
fellowship applications, and communications with the Graduate School. Faculty
comments written on curricular examination papers and on fellowship applications
will also be preserved in this file.
This file is available for the student to examine on site in accordance with University regulations. It is not available to outside parties. Files will be kept for at least five years after a student's graduation or termination of program.