IV. Advising and Evaluation of Student Performance

A. UCSC Astronomy & Astrophysics Faculty Roles in Graduate Education 

 1. Faculty Roles

 Department Chair (and Associate Department Chair): The department chair is responsible for all aspects of the department, including its personnel (staff, faculty, students, postdocs), and its interface with the rest of the campus.  The department chair works with other members of the department, listed below, to ensure that each graduate student is making suitable progress towards their degree.

Graduate Program Director: The graduate program director is responsible for maintaining the requirements of the graduate program.  The graduate program director considers programmatic requirements in the context of individual students with the goal of applying policies uniformly and practically to different students and different situations.

Research Advisor: Each graduate student has a faculty research advisor who helps the student navigate their graduate education.  Research advisors work with the student to: (1) develop and execute cutting-edge research projects in the field Astronomy & Astrophysics, (2) plan for the student’s academic development during and beyond their graduate education, (3) ensure that the student meets all requirements for the Astronomy & Astrophysics program, (4) ensure that the student has funding and other resources necessary for completing their degree.  Students must have a primary research advisor who fulfills these roles.  Students may optionally have a co-advisor whose roles can include a subset or all of the roles of the primary research advisor.  Students may also optionally have a faculty mentor who is not involved in their research.  

Advising Committee: Each year, the department will form an advising committee, composed of several faculty members.  This committee meets at least once per year with students who have not yet advanced to candidacy prior to the completion of their qualifying exam.  The advising committee is responsible for giving students feedback that is independent from their research advisor and for evaluating progress towards degree requirements.  If a student is in danger of not meeting their degree requirements, the committee is responsible for proactively communicating that information to the student, their research advisor, and the staff graduate advisor. 

Qualifying Committee: Each student who takes the qualifying exam should have a qualifying committee composed of their primary research advisor and other faculty.  The qualifying committee evaluates whether a student is academically prepared to complete their thesis and has a reasonable plan for completing their thesis.

Thesis Committee: After qualifying, each student has a thesis committee that monitors the student’s progress towards completing the thesis, and ultimately, evaluates the completed thesis.  The thesis committee is often the same as the qualifying committee, but that is not a requirement.

Course Instructor: Graduate students take core and elective classes with various faculty.  Course instructors are responsible for directing student education within their class.  If a student is in danger of not passing a class, which would jeopardize other aspects of their education, the instructor is responsible for communicating that information to the student, their research advisor, and the staff graduate advisor. 

Voting Faculty:  All faculty in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics take a role in educating each graduate student in our program.  Voting faculty are expected to attend research talks by students (including the 2nd year FLASH requirement and the thesis defense) and help ensure that the graduate program and its students are successful in the context of academic achievement.  The full faculty will discuss the academic progress of each individual student with the goal of (1) identifying academic shortcomings that can be constructively addressed, (2) maintaining consistent academic standards and identifying common academic challenges, (3) determining whether a student has interconnected academic challenges that would not otherwise be known by any single individual listed above, and (4) ensuring that faculty know and can advocate for students in the context of research collaborations, job searches, and academic honors.  In cases where a student is not making suitable academic progress, the department chair may discuss academic notice and disqualification with the voting faculty.

 2. Selecting a Research Advisor and Qualifying/Thesis Committees

Students are required to find a primary research advisor by the end of the Fall quarter of their first year.  Many students match with an advisor when they are selecting our graduate program or during the summer before they start.  Others sample a range of research opportunities during their first quarter before they formally select an advisor.  Students may switch research advisors at any time (although funding requirements may mean that students on GSR complete the current quarter/summer before switching).  Students considering changing advisors should discuss their plans with the advising committee, graduate program director, and other department supports.  It is also important for students to communicate with their current advisor.  

Before qualifying, students must select a qualifying committee.  Typically, the qualifying committee continues as the thesis committee, although students are free to change the committee membership.  Rules for membership on the qualifying and thesis committees are listed in Section III, Grad Program Requirements.

All of the above roles are determined mutually, meaning that a research advisor or committee member must consent to serving in that role, and may withdraw their consent.

B. Evaluation of Student Performance

Graduate coursework is either graded ABC/NP (core classes except for ASTR 205) or S/US (ASTR 205, electives, and independent studies).  Students must receive a grade of B or higher in graded classes (B- does not qualify) and a grade of S in other classes in order to meet course requirements.  Students who do not meet these thresholds for a core class must retake the core class.  Students who do not meet these thresholds for an elective may either retake the elective, or take a different elective.  Generally, students must complete their coursework before completing their qualifying exam (normally by the end of the 3rd year).  Core classes are offered annually, with the exception of ASTR 220A and ASTR 233.  If a first year student doesn’t earn a B or better in ASTR 220A or ASTR 233, they can retake the class in their third year.  If a second year student doesn’t earn a B or better in ASTR 220A or ASTR 233, they may take an independent study with the course instructor that will substitute for the course requirement.  In this latter case, the student must receive permission from both the course instructor, and the graduate program director.  

In courses where a student’s work is of passing (B or higher) quality, but due to extenuating circumstances, they are not able to complete the coursework by the end of the quarter, the student may request that the instructor assign them a grade of I (incomplete).  The incomplete may be resolved during a time period that is set at the discretion of the instructor.  The Astronomy & Astrophysics department norm is 1 quarter, rather than the full year discussed in the graduate division handbook.  The instructor is responsible for evaluating whether the student’s circumstances are extenuating.  

Normal practice in Astronomy & Astrophysics is that students who are making a reasonable effort to complete their coursework can expect to receive an A, B, or I.  However, individual faculty have the discretion to grade their own classes as they see fit.

Students meet regularly with the advising committee before they qualify, their qualifying committee during their qualifying exam, and their thesis committee after they qualify.  Among other duties, these committees are responsible for evaluating student performance and determining whether or not students are meeting the program requirements and milestones.  The committees should communicate their evaluations and recommendations to the student, the student’s research advisor, and the department chair as appropriate.  

The voting faculty will discuss the academic performance of each student annually, usually at the conclusion of the Spring quarter.  In cases where the student has not met program requirements or milestones, the faculty may discuss the student’s academic performance more frequently than once per year.

C. Policies and Procedures for Students Who are Not Meeting Requirements

In cases where a student’s committee (advising committee, qualifying committee, thesis committee) identifies that a student is not meeting department requirements and milestones, the committee will inform the student’s primary research advisor, the graduate program director, and the department chair.  The committee may recommend an extension to degree requirements, academic notice, or another remedy.  Recommendations to grant extensions will be reviewed by the graduate program director.  Recommendations to place a student on academic notice will be reviewed by the department chair.

In cases where a student has not met requirements and milestones, the voting faculty will discuss the student’s academic performance at a department review.  If the advising committee has recommended an extension or academic notice, that recommendation will be discussed by the faculty.  The department chair is ultimately responsible for recommending to the graduate division that a student be placed on academic notice. In cases that are particularly sensitive, the department chair may opt not to discuss the student with the whole faculty.

If a student is placed on academic notice, the department chair has the option to either continue discussing the student at department reviews, or to perform their own evaluation of the student.  If a student continues to not make suitable academic progress after being placed on academic notice, they may be disqualified.