Academic Advisor
SHBT students are assigned an Academic Advisor when they matriculate. Each incoming class is typically assigned to one or two advisors who will follow the students throughout their PhD training.
Role
The Academic advisor helps the students choose rotations, choose a dissertation lab, prepare for the qualifying exam (administratively), discuss the student Individual Development Plan (IDP) and generally guides the student through his or her course of study. Academic advisors are not scientific advisors.
Meetings
Academic advisors meet with their assigned students three times in the first year, twice in the second and third year, and at least once every year through defense. Advisors are asked to document when they meet with the students as this will be included in the spreadsheet overseen by the tracking committee.
My.harvard
Academic Advisors are granted access to academic records of the students they have been assigned to in my.harvard. For the student to be able to enroll in courses, they are required to meet with their academic advisor who will electronically acknowledge enrollment plans by removing the advising hold in my.harvard at the beginning of each term.
Individual Development Plan (IDP) Academic Advisors are expected to discuss the student IDP once a year. A six-month checkup can be scheduled if the student wishes to do so. Students are requested to report completion of this discussion each year. An IDP is a resource generated by the student to help guide their career development. The IDP provides a shared point of reference for conversations between the student
Tracking committee
At the end of each semester, all Academic Advisors meet as the tracking committee to review the academic and research progress of each trainee. It is the responsibility of the tracking committee to ensure that each student reaches major program milestones in a timely fashion.
Re-assignment of an Academic Advisor
In case a student decides to join the lab of their Academic Advisor, a new SHBT faculty member will be designated to take this role on behalf of the student. If students wish to change advisors, they should contact the Director of Student Affairs..