First semester students are advised by the Director of Graduate Studies, and the DGS serves as the general advisor to all students on academic questions and on departmental and Graduate School procedures and rules.  The DGS must approve programs of study and choices of fields.  He or she may also make exceptions to the various rules and procedures established by the department, and he or she should be consulted if a student wishes to inquire about special arrangements.

Students who have not selected a faculty advisor upon entering the program should do so during their first year of study.  (The DGS may assign a student a temporary advisor.)  The student should consult with the advisor about choice of courses, seminar research projects, choosing between the thesis and non-thesis option, determining an M.A. thesis topic, developing fields of study for the qualifying examination, and identifying a dissertation topic.