[Adjunct Faculty as Advisor]

Thank you everyone... I hope I get admitted.

[Adjunct Faculty as Advisor]

NO!!!!!!!!!

Adjuncts are usually part-time, supplementary professors to the program, and generally teach at several universities in proximity to one another in order to make ends meet.

Only graduate faculty are allowed to advise graduate students. To be graduate faculty, you must be a full-time professor with an appropriate PhD and in good standing. Professors who are in phase-out retirement standing cannot serve as advisors, nor can "junior professors" (MA, ABD holders), and certainly not adjunct faculty members, who may or may not be rehired from one semester to the next dependent upon financial and course-related exigencies.

The website for a university, or the graduate catalog of the university or department, should have a list of faculty members you can approach as graduate advisors.

You CAN have an adjunct professor on your thesis or dissertation committee; in fact, for the dissertation, you must have at least one outside scholar as a member of your committee. But only if the professor has a PhD. MAs are usually not permitted to serve as graduate faculty or on graduate/thesis committees except under exceptional circumstances and with department approval ahead of time (that would be the blind leading the blind, yes? Or like being reviewed by a coworker instead of your supervisor). But they absolutely can't be thesis or dissertation advisors.

FYI, because it doesn't hurt to know, the order is:

Assistant Professor (junior faculty/ pre-tenure - can advise undergrads and sit on committees for graduate faculty; with appropriate degree, can serve as a graduate advisor (PhD only))

Associate Professor (usually awarded with tenure, must have a book)

Professor (highest full-time position in a department; often an endowed chair, but not always)

Emeritus (retired, but can still teach an occasional course and/or sit on a committee)

Hope that helps - good luck!

This helped a lot. One of my seniors has told me that it depends on adjunct faculty and they might supervise phd students. When I asked him what would happen if the prof's tenure ends before my research completes, he told me that i would be then supervised by someone else in his place. I was still confused when I stumbled upon this. So please help me out here, do I need to confirm from each adjunct prof I am interested in whether he would be taking students or is it strictly not allowed for them to take phd students? Also Emeritus profs do take phd students, right? Please reply as soon as possible... Thanks.