1. Purpose and Scope
This policy governs changes of research laboratory and faculty advisor for PhD students in the Biological Sciences Division (BSD) who remain in the same PhD program. The policy is intended to ensure that changes are conducted with appropriate oversight while preserving the student's support and academic momentum. Students remain subject to the policies of both their PhD program and the BSD.
2. Departure and Direct Transfer
Each change of faculty advisor under this policy is classified as either a Departure or a Direct Transfer. The classification determines the student's academic standing and the procedures that apply. This classification applies in all cases except where the BSD Dean of Students Office (DOS) and the Associate Dean of Graduate Education determine that special circumstances exist, as provided in Section 5.
- Departure. A Departure occurs when a student separates from their faculty advisor without an approved placement with a receiving faculty member. Whether a Departure is initiated by the student, by the faculty advisor through dismissal, or by mutual agreement, the student is immediately placed on academic probation and has a single transitional quarter, as set forth in Section 3.
- Direct Transfer. A Direct Transfer is a change of faculty advisor within the same PhD program for which, before the student separates from the current faculty advisor: (1) the student has notified and consulted the releasing faculty advisor; (2) the receiving faculty member has agreed to accept the student; (3) the graduate program chair has approved; (4) the Associate Dean of Graduate Education has approved the move; and (5) the Student Lab Selection form has been submitted and the process completed. The student remains in good academic standing. The new advising relationship must commence immediately, and no later than five (5) business days after the prior advising relationship ends; any longer gap constitutes a Departure unless the Associate Dean of Graduate Education grants an extension before that period expires. The approval procedure is set forth in Section 4.
- Determining the Applicable Category. If any of the five requirements above is not satisfied before the student separates from the current faculty advisor, the change is treated as a Departure, even if the student later secures a new faculty advisor.
- Limit on Changes of Faculty Advisor. A student may have only one Departure per enrollment. A prior Direct Transfer does not affect a student's eligibility for a transitional quarter following a later Departure. A transitional quarter is permitted only once per enrollment. A student who has a second Departure will be administratively withdrawn immediately under the Administrative Withdrawal for Academic Reasons Policy, whether or not the student used their transitional quarter, unless DOS and the Associate Dean of Graduate Education determine that special circumstances exist under Section 5.
3. Departure: Probation and the Transitional Quarter
A student who has a Departure will be placed on academic probation immediately. The following quarter is the student's transitional quarter, during which the student must complete additional rotations and formally secure a new faculty advisor. Failure to do so by the end of the transitional quarter will result in administrative withdrawal under the Administrative Withdrawal for Academic Reasons Policy. Once a faculty member has agreed to accept the student, the student must complete the Student Lab Selection process under the PhD Student Advisor and Lab Matching policy.
The terms of the probation letter, including the specific expectations and timeline, are governed by the Academic Probation Policy.
- Notice and Transition Responsibilities
The consequences for the student's standing and progress are the same for every Departure; what differs is only who is responsible for giving notice and for informing the PhD program.- Voluntary Departure
A student who intends to separate from their faculty advisor must provide the faculty advisor with reasonable advance notice and must notify the PhD program of the decision. Before departing, the student must responsibly conclude ongoing work, including documenting progress and transitioning materials, data, and responsibilities. - Dismissal
A faculty advisor who initiates a student's dismissal, after having warned the student and given the student a reasonable opportunity to improve, must notify the PhD program. The faculty advisor is expected to provide the student with reasonable notice, no less than two weeks before the end of the quarter and must allow the student to remain for the remainder of the quarter to complete the transition. The student's transitional quarter consists of the single academic quarter following the dismissal, regardless of when within the prior quarter the dismissal occurs. - Departure by Mutual Agreement
Where the student and faculty advisor jointly decide to part ways, both share responsibility for ensuring the PhD program is notified. Both parties must continue working together through the end of the current academic quarter and responsibly conclude ongoing work.
- Voluntary Departure
4. Direct Transfer: Process and Academic Considerations
A student in good standing may make a Direct Transfer to a different faculty advisor within their PhD program without an intervening rotation or probationary period, subject to the process below.
- Process and Approvals
A Direct Transfer requires completion of every requirement listed in Section 2. Where a Direct Transfer has been approved by the Associate Dean, the releasing faculty advisor's responsibility for the student ends no later than the end of the academic quarter in which that approval is given. DOS must be notified of all Direct Transfer proceedings and decisions to maintain accurate student records. - Academic Considerations
Students on academic probation may not make a Direct Transfer. Where a condition of their probation is securing a new faculty advisor, the transitional quarter provisions in Section 3 apply rather than the Direct Transfer process.
A student in their 5th year of study or beyond may not make a Direct Transfer. Generally, a change of faculty advisor for such a student is classified as a Departure under Section 2 and is subject to the probation and transitional quarter provisions of Section 3.
A Direct Transfer takes effect at the beginning of an academic quarter, except where the releasing faculty advisor is unavailable to continue mentoring the student through the end of the current quarter. Within two quarters of a Direct Transfer, students must convene a new or modified thesis committee to review and approve any changes to their research direction or dissertation. Failure to do so may result in academic probation.
5. Special Circumstances: Determination and Timeline
Situations may arise that are not well served by the two categories defined in Section 2. Consideration under this section is initiated by the PhD program: the graduate program chair must submit to DOS and the Associate Dean of Graduate Education a written statement setting out the circumstances, the student's current standing and progress, and the program's basis for requesting consideration under this section. Whether a situation constitutes a special circumstance is determined solely by DOS and the Associate Dean of Graduate Education, not by the student or the PhD program.
Where that determination is made, the student is not placed on academic probation and is given one grace quarter to secure a new faculty advisor. A student who has not secured a new faculty advisor by the end of that quarter enters their transitional quarter, on academic probation, under Section 3. A student who has not secured a new faculty advisor by the end of the transitional quarter will be administratively withdrawn under the Administrative Withdrawal for Academic Reasons Policy.
If the student has already used their transitional quarter, the grace quarter is served on academic probation, and a student who has not secured a new faculty advisor by the end of that quarter will be administratively withdrawn under the Administrative Withdrawal for Academic Reasons Policy.
In no case are more than two academic quarters (grace quarter and transitional quarter) available under this section.