Advising

Initial Advisement

When you were admitted to the Department of Special Education you were assigned an Academic Adviser. As mentioned previously, this is a faculty member from the specialization area in which you plan to primarily focus your study. Prior to your first semester of coursework, you must make an appointment with your adviser to initiate your contact, to broadly plan your doctoral coursework and to specifically discuss your first semester's courses.

Registration Advisement

During each registration advising period, you must schedule a meeting with your Academic Adviser to be advised for coursework to be taken the following semester. An advising bar is placed on all students’ registration each semester and remains in effect until advising is completed. This means that you will not be allowed access to the registration process until this bar is removed. Your adviser must indicate approval by signing the “I have been advised” form which can be picked up in the Department of Special Education (SZB 306). Once the signed form has been submitted to the Graduate Coordinator, your registration bar will be lifted and you will be allowed to register. (Note: Instructions on how to register can be found in the current Course Schedule or online at www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/schedules/).

Advising Checklist

• International students: If you have a J-bar on your registration, complete the English Skills Screening. Take the results of this screening with you to your advising meeting and provide a copy to the Graduate Coordinator in SZB 306 for your files.
• Schedule an appointment with your academic adviser.
• Obtain a doctoral "I Have Been Advised" form from SZB 306.
• In consultation with your adviser (and the certification officer, if applicable), design your program plan and determine which courses you will need to take during the upcoming semester. When enrolling in independent study or practicum/internship courses, make sure you fill in the name of the faculty member who has agreed to supervise you.
• Complete the "I Have Been Advised" form.
• Have your adviser sign the “I Have Been Advised” form. Ensure that you also sign the form at the bottom.
• Update your mailing address and other contact information
• Turn in the form to the Graduate Coordinator in SZB 306A.
• Visit the Registrar's website at www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/schedules/ or purchase the current Course Schedule for specific registration instructions.
• The Graduate Coordinator will lift your advising bar and, assuming you have no other bars, you will be allowed to register during your next scheduled access period.

IMPORTANT: You must confirm your registration even if your fee-bill is zero. Failure to complete this step will result in your registration being cancelled!

What is a J-Bar? (for New International Students)

Some international students may have a departmental condition placed on their admission to the graduate program, which requires that they complete an English Skills Screening within their first semester of coursework at The University of Texas. A J-bar is placed on certain international students' records to require them to go through English screening before they can register for classes. In order to remove a J-bar, international students must go through English screening. This is done by ESL Services in the International Office. This screening is done anytime that the International Office is open for new international student check in.

The screening consists of a 30-minute essay and a 15-minute oral interview. After the screening is done, the results are discussed with the students and they are informed whether or not there is a requirement for further coursework in English. If English classes are required, then information on those classes is provided to the students, and a copy of the requirement is sent to the students' individual departments. Information on the classes offered by ESL Services can be found at http://www.utexas.edu/student/esl/gradcourses059062.html.

Based on the results of the screening and the recommendations of the International Office, the student’s academic adviser may require completion of the appropriate ESL course(s) or courses related to academic communication and writing offered by the Graduate School. Such courses are considered prerequisites and do not count toward the doctoral degree.

Important: If requirements for additional English coursework are not fulfilled, the J-bar will appear again for the following semester.

What is Admission with Conditions?

Some students may be admitted to the Master’s program with conditions. According to the Graduate Catalog, the Graduate Studies Committee:

May require the student to maintain a certain grade point average or to take a certain number of semester hours of coursework. A conditionally admitted student may also be required to remedy deficiencies in undergraduate preparation by taking upper-division or graduate courses. The graduate adviser notifies the student of these conditions at the time of admission. A student who does not fulfill the conditions within the specified time may be barred from subsequent registration in the Graduate School. If the student changes his or her major before the conditions have been fulfilled, the conditions remain in effect unless the graduate adviser for the new program, on behalf of the Graduate Studies Committee, petitions the graduate dean and receives approval for them to be changed.

If any conditions were placed on your admission, please make sure that your academic adviser and the graduate coordinator are informed when you have fulfilled these requirements, so that the appropriate procedures may be initiated to remove your conditional status

Ongoing Advisement

In addition to meeting with your academic adviser to complete the Doctoral Plan of Study, there are several reasons and benefits to meeting with your academic adviser on an ongoing basis:

• Your relationship with your adviser is the foundation for a successful doctoral experience. This is the individual who will typically (though not necessarily) serve in a variety of roles in your program, including research mentoring supervisor, and dissertation supervisor;
• Your adviser can assist you in becoming familiar with the program, the department, and other university resources;
• Your adviser represents you at Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) meetings, for any matters that go before the GSC, including your annual review of progress, and advancement to candidacy.

It is not unusual for your Academic Adviser, Research Mentoring Supervisor, and the Dissertation Supervisor to be the same faculty member. However, you may select different faculty members within the same specialization area based on personal preference and mutual interest in the research being conducted.