Advising

All new master of geographic information science students are initially assigned the director of graduate studies (DGS) as their advisor. You can select a new advisor that best suits their interests. For a listing of faculty who can serve as your advisor, see the Graduate School's Faculty with Graduation Education Responsibilities page

MGIS Graduate Student Handbook

At the fall and spring MGIS Orientation programs, you will receive a copy of the current MGIS Graduate Student Handbook. The handbook provides an easily accessible guide to our program's policies and requirements. It will help you traverse your degree program smoothly, so please be sure to read through it and refer to it as necessary when particular questions arise. The DGS can also answer questions you might have about topics covered in the handbook.

In addition to our program's handbook, the University provides several useful resources on the Graduate School Advising page. The College of Liberal Arts Graduate Students page has a number of resources for career development, supportive services, funding and financial support and more.

Maintaining Active Student Status

It is a University requirement that you maintain active status as a graduate student by registering each fall and spring semester. You may, with DGS approval, register for GRAD 999 to maintain active status in special circumstances. This is a zero-credit, zero-fee, non-graded registration for graduate students who must register solely to maintain their active status. Special rules apply to international students and those who have graduate assistantships. You should consult with the DGS and receive program permission before registering for GRAD 999.

For further details on Grad 999, visit the Graduate School's Special Registration Categories for Graduate and Professional Students page. A late registration fee will be assessed if you do not register by the appropriate deadline.

If you do not register every fall and spring term, you are considered to have withdrawn and your records will be deactivated. After being deactivated you must request readmission to the Graduate School to resume graduate work toward your degree program. For details on readmission, visit the Graduate School's Readmission page.

Submitting your Degree Plan with GPAS and Degree Completion

Each student is required to submit a degree plan detailing the courses that will satisfy the degree program requirements. This is an important milestone since you cannot graduate until your plan has been approved by the program and the College of Liberal Arts. Your degree plan will be submitted electronically using the Graduate Planning and Audit System (GPAS). You should familiarize yourself with how to use the GPAS planner and work with the DGS on your degree plan. 

The Graduate Student Service and Progress (GSSP) page and the Graduation Checklist for Graduate Students are useful degree completion resources. Please consult the MGIS DGS about your degree plan, changes to your plan, and other degree completion procedures.

For a useful summary of master's degree related procedures from start to finish, see the Master's Plan C Degree Completion Steps (Google document) as well as the MGIS Plan C Checklist.

MGIS Forms and Advising Materials