Advising

Advising relationships are a central part of academia, important to both the experience and development of students and faculty members alike.

The Graduate School’s definition of an advisor can be found here: policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1232. Your advisor has two main roles: 1) To assist you in acquiring the highest possible level of knowledge and competence in the field, and 2) to chair the committee that will determine whether you have performed at an acceptable level in each of your degree milestones (see Degree Requirements section for further information on building your committee). Other roles of your advisor may include tracking your progress in completing your degree, assisting with course selection and planning your academic path, and helping you identify possible research mentors, committee members, and research opportunities.

Both the student and advisor are responsible for making their expectations clear to each other. Examples of items to discuss when establishing expectations include mentor role and mentee role, lab hours and expectations, communication/meeting preferences, and giving and receiving feedback preferences. Additional information and resources can be found on the Mentorship page of ICTR’s website.

Advisor – Applied Exercise Science Named Option

Advising for students in the Applied Exercise Science named option is performed by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). The current DGS is Dr. Karla Ausderau. Students in the applied exercise science named option are encouraged to seek personal advising by contacting the DGS or the Graduate Program Manager.

Advisor – Research Based MS and PhD

Research-based MS and PhD are accepted into the MS and PhD programs by a faculty member who agrees to become their advisor and the chair or co-chair of their committee. Affiliate faculty in Kinesiology may also be advisors. Advisors may often play a role in tracking the student’s progress toward degree completion, assisting with course selection and academic planning, and helping students identify possible research mentors, committee members, and opportunities. The DGS and GPM act as secondary advisors and also support the student and their progress towards degree.

Advisee

Since the advisor’s role can vary, students should discuss roles and expectations with their advisors or prospective advisors.

Change of Advisor

The advisor/student relationship is by mutual agreement. When a student is admitted based on a graduate faculty member agreeing to be the graduate advisor, the student normally remains with that advisor through degree completion. If you wish to change your advisor, first consult the prospective future advisor for consent. To change advisors, complete a Change of Graduate Advisor Form, available from the Graduate Program Manager.

Advising Resources

There are many advising resources available to students. Students can reference Kinesiology’s website, the Graduate Handbook, the Graduate School’s website, and the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures. When students still need clarification on issues there are various faculty and staff resources also available. Generally, faculty and staff are best able to assist students when they have researched a topic using the resources mentioned above. However, when students need further clarification on any of these policies or procedures, they should contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or the Graduate Program Manager (GPM). The DGS and GMP may play a role with issues including satisfactory academic progress, academic deadlines, graduation completion, program-related forms, advising/course holds and permissions, and course offerings.