Advisor & Graduate Committee

The Graduate Advisor

All admitted graduate students are assigned to a faculty advisor who will guide the student’s academic path. For MS and PhD students the advisor is also the chair (or co-chair) of your Graduate Advisory Committee and serves as your research mentor with whom you will conduct your research project.  Master of Soil Science students will be assigned a faculty advisor but there is no requirement for an advisory committee.

The Graduate Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee (AC) is an extremely important part of your graduate education and is a requirement for the Master of Science (MS) and PhD degrees. It is not required for the Master of Soil Science degree (MR degree). The AC provides advice and guidance to the student throughout the course of their degree program. They monitor and evaluate your progress to degree and provide a stimulating intellectual environment for your professional growth. The AC also certifies whether the student has met all standards and requirements for the degree.

For more details on the NC State Advisory Committee requirements, please see Section 3.2 of the NC State Graduate Handbook. You can also contact the Soil Science Director of Graduate Programs for information.

The details for Soil Science PhD and MS advisory committees are found below. 

PhD Advisory Committee

The PhD advisory committee must have:

  • A minimum of four members of the NC State Graduate Faculty, at least two of whom are members of the Soil Science Graduate Faculty
  • A Chair, who is a Soil Science graduate faculty member and serves as your major advisor
  • At least one member from outside of the Soil Science faculty
  • A graduate faculty member representing a Minor program if the student is pursuing one 
  • A Graduate School Representative (GSR) who must be from outside of the Soil Science program. This can be the faculty member from another program, including the member representing a Minor program (If an external committee member declines to serve as the GSR, then the Graduate School will appoint an additional member who will not have a vote)

Master of Science Advisory Committee

The MS Advisory committee must have:

  • At least three members of the NC State Graduate Faculty
  • A Chair, who is a Soil Science graduate faculty member and serves as your major advisor
  • One of the three members must be from outside of the Soil Science graduate faculty
  • A faculty member representing a Minor program if the student is pursuing one (this person can serve as the one from outside of Soil Science)

Master of Soil Science Requirements

Students in the Master of Soil Science degree program do not have an advisory committee. You will have an assigned faculty advisor who will assist you in your degree progress. This does not mean you should not seek out other faculty for advice or insights; the faculty in Soil Science are more than ready to provide input if asked.