Advising
“A student in a Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) PhD degree program is required to have an advisor who is a member of the faculty in the student’s department or program. If an advisor is not assigned in advance of registration, the student should consult the department chair/program director or director of graduate studies about assignment procedures. The first reader of the candidate’s dissertation committee will normally be the student’s advisor once they have begun the dissertation stage of their degree.” — GRS Bulletin
Academic Advisors
An Astronomy graduate student traditionally has two faculty advisors: the Director of Graduate Studies and a research advisor. The Director of Graduate Studies serves as the academic advisor for all students in the program; a student’s research supervisor serves as their advisor for research activities and dissertation work.
PhD students will meet with the Astronomy Director of Graduate Studies (as well as their research advisor, if applicable) each semester, prior to the registration period for the following semester. This is the time to review program progress, assess coursework timelines, and discuss any other topics. Students will then be able to register for courses, once graduate registration opens, after meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies.
Coursework Registration
Once students have had their advising meeting each semester with the Director of Graduate Studies and had their advising hold (if applicable) released for the upcoming semester, registration for non-restricted graduate courses should be completed by the student, via online registration in MyBU Student (effective Fall 2024 semester registration).
Directed Study / Research Credits
- Students interested in registering for Directed Study or Research in Astronomy credits should submit the Astronomy Graduate Course Registration Request form, during their advising meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies.
Please refer to the registration semester’s course offerings in MyBU Student’s Class Search, for the correct section number corresponding to the Astronomy faculty member with whom you will be doing research.
Continuing Study Registration
For Fall or Spring semester registration, if a student has completed all coursework and therefore does not need to register for credits but is continuing to make progress toward their degree, they would need to complete the GRS Continuing Study and Certified Full-Time Status Registration Form.
PhD Summer Registration
For Summer registration, GRS PhD students who are not registering for coursework but are engaged in full-time research during the summer, may be eligible for PhD & MFA Summer Registration.
Students should review GRS’ PhD Summer registration page for eligibility requirements.
Eligible PhD students should complete the GRS PhD and MFA Summer Registration Form*.
- *Note: If completing a program degree requirement (such as completing your qualifying exam or defending your dissertation) during Summer, PhD students should continue to submit the PhD and MFA Summer Registration form for that summer. GRS will coordinate any change in registration status.
