Graduate Advising Model
Academic Advisors are assigned to all incoming graduate students in the School of HASS based on the interests they indicate in their applications and the availability of faculty.
Once students have identified a dissertation area (typically in their second year), they are expected to discuss with potential faculty and the Graduate Program Director their preferences for a dissertation advisor, who will become the Chair of the Doctoral Committee. This Faculty member will then serve as your Primary Advisor moving forward.
Dissertation Chairs must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member from within the student's department.
Graduate Program Directors in HASS
| Professor | Program |
| Igor Vamos | Electronic Arts Ph.D. |
| Mei Si | Critical Game Design M.S. & Ph.D. |
| Billur Aksoy | Economics M.S. |
| Helen Zhou | Communication & Rhetoric Ph.D |
| Selmer Bringsjord | Cognitive Science Ph.D |
| Nancy Campbell | Science and Technology Studies M.S. & Ph.D. |
Click here to view the HASS Graduate Program Handbooks
Support from the Office of Graduate Education (OGE)
Student Services | Find support for your Academic Progress:
- Advisement and Plan of Study
- Master's Student Academic Timeline
- Doctoral Student Academic Timeline
- Doctoral Student Yearly Review (DSYR)
- Submit your Thesis / Dissertation
Online Preparation Workshops | Spring 2024
"This workshop is for any student who will be writing an MS thesis or PhD dissertation."
Resources for Incoming Students
Graduate Student Experience at RPI
Graduate Student Services in HASS
We can offer guidance with:
- Course planning
- Academic progress review
- Form assistance/approvals
- Thesis/dissertation protocol
- Co-terminal program application assistance
Office Hours: Weekdays, 9 am to 4 pm
Drop-In Hours: Weekdays (2 to 4 pm)
Drop-ins outside of these are not guaranteed as they may conflict with meetings
- 5-to-10-minute conversations
- Remote or in-person option
- Perfect for quick updates, questions, support with forms, etc.
- Sign-up Sheet (will be reviewed between 2 and 4 pm weekdays)
We look forward to working with you!