Academic Advisory Committee

Each student will work closely with a primary academic advisor and a committee of selected faculty members (Academic Advisory Committee) to create an individually tailored plan for supplemental course work (in addition to the common core curriculum), including courses at other institutions if necessary. The plan is designed to provide the student with the additional specialized skills and knowledge to conduct research in his/her chosen area of interest. Only supplemental courses that are approved by students’ AAC can count toward their degrees.

When the student first arrives, academic advising is done by either the Director or Associate Director of the program who will ensure that the student is enrolled in the program’s pre-determined/standard set of core courses for the first two semesters. During this initial period, the student will identify a research mentor (an individual doing research in the student’s area of interest) who will typically also serve as his/her primary academic advisor. The student will then work with his/her advisor to form the AAC. The AAC must be formed by the end of the second semester. Ideally, the AAC should be formed by the end of the first semester so that the student can begin to take supplemental courses as soon as the second semester. Each AAC must have a minimum of 3 members with a majority (e.g., 2 out of 3) having regular academic appointments in the PhD Program at the IHP. The committee is comprised of the primary academic advisor who serves as the committee chair, either the Director or Associate Director of the Program, and an additional faculty member who is also knowledgeable about the research area that the student is interested in pursuing.

The makeup of a student’s AAC and plan for supplemental coursework must be approved by the PhD Program Executive Committee. Since either the Director or Associate Director of the PhD Program is on every AAC, it is their responsibility to present proposals for the makeup/membership of AACs and plans for coursework to the Executive Committee for approval.

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