Finding A Major Professor

 

Selecting a major professor to mentor you through your studies at OSU is one of the most vital steps in the graduate school process. Your major professor will help you plan your courses, guide you with your research, and serve as one of your committee members. You cannot be admitted to the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program without one, so we recommend you begin the search as soon as possible.

There are several places you can search for a major professor. One is to contact people on our current faculty list who appear to have interests similar to yours. Another is to search the OSU Research Office for people conducting research in your area of interest.

As you contact professors let them know that you will be applying to the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program.  If faculty are interested in seeing your application materials they can view your password-protected application online.  Have them email us at espg@oregonstate.edu for access information.  When you contact professors let them know what you are interested in studying and how your interests and their research are related.  It is also good to ask if they know of other professors working in your area of interest that you might contact.   

When you find professors that you would like to work with you will probably discuss funding sources.  The Environmental Sciences Graduate Program has limited funding and very few TA positions available.  Most ESGP students have funding through their major professor or through private sources. The Financial Aid office is a good source of information for funding your graduate studies (http://oregonstate.edu/admin/finaid/).

If you identify a professor who is willing to serve as your major professor, let us know and please have him/her notify us directly via email esgp@oregonstate.edu. Finding a major professor can be a lengthy process so we encourage you to begin immediately.  Once we receive your complete application, we will begin searching for suitable professors and circulating your application to faculty members.  However, we receive between 50 and 70 applications so the time we are able to dedicate to each applicant is limited. You have a better idea of your education interests and passions and can better communicate your strengths to a potential major professor, so you are the best representative for yourself.  Good luck and feel free to contact us via email or by phone if you have questions.

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Before Choosing a Major Professor Ask Questions.

The following list of questions was created by Dr. Ann Matheny, Center for Naval Analysis, Alexandria, VA, in conjunction with the Central Illinois Chapter of AWIS.  PI is comparable to major professor.

Questions to ask yourself

  1. Where do I want to be in five years? In ten years?
  2. What is most important to me—my work environment or my intellectual interest in a field?
  3. Do I need direction and motivation from an advisor, or do I prefer to work independently?
  4. Do I need to feel comfortable talking to my advisor?
  5. Is the field I choose easily adaptable to other fields?
  6. Do I prefer to work in a group or on my own?
  7. Do I want to work primarily with computers?
  8. Will the project be purely theoretical, experimental, or a combination of both?
  9. Do I want to start a family in the next five years?

Questions to ask members of the group or the prospective advisor

  1. How stable is the advisor’s funding? (Does the advisor have funding?)
  2. Do students help to write grant proposals?
  3. Do I get to choose my own project or do I work on the Principal Investigator’s (PI) project?
  4. How involved is the PI in the research?
  5. Does the PI have favorites? Does the PI neglect or give very little attention to some members of the groups?
  6. Are students backed by the PI when they run into departmental politics?
  7. Does the PI treat male and female students with the same respect as far as their intellectual abilities are concerned?
  8. Does the PI promote your work or claim it as her/his own?
  9. Does the PI work with you towards your career, or are you on your own?
  10. Where have previous students gone?
  11. How long does it typically take to get a Ph.D. in the group?
  12. What kind of work can I expect to find after graduation if I specialize in this PI’s area of research?
  13. Do students publish and attend conferences all along, or only at the end of their research?
  14. Does the PI give you tools or are you on your own to develop research capabilities?
  15. Does the group meet regularly for group meetings or lunches?
  16. Are the group members competitive or cooperative?
  17. Does the group collaborate with other groups?
  18. Will I need to travel to do my research? How will that affect my lifestyle?
  19. Does the PI have tenure?
  20. What amount of course work is expected/discouraged after joining the group?

Suggestion: Do a literature search of the prospective advisor’s publications. Do they seem interesting to you? Also find papers from the group’s graduate students.