Faculty Advisors
Your faculty co-advisors are committed to your academic progress and success, providing guidance as you select your courses and information about specific guidelines and policies. Faculty advisors help students become acquainted with faculty and staff, gain familiarity with the University community and professional resources, and provide professional mentorship.
We created a co-advising system to give you more choices in your academic mentorship and to provide multiple perspectives on your education. Upon admission, each incoming PhD student is matched with two faculty co-advisors based on research area. All faculty advisors are members of the Graduate Group in Nursing and the Standing Faculty.
Dissertation Committee
Once the student selects the dissertation topic, they identify a Chair of the Dissertation Committee. The Chair must be a member of the Standing Faculty of the School of Nursing, and may or may not have been the student’s faculty advisor. The student, in consultation with the Chair, then selects two other members of the Dissertation Committee, at least one of whom is a member of the Graduate Group in Nursing. The third individual may be a faculty member at or outside of the University with approval from the Graduate Group in Nursing chair. For more information about establishing a Dissertation Committee, please review the PhD Student Handbook.
Graduate Group
At the University of Pennsylvania, graduate programs leading to the PhD are carried out by associations of faculty members called “Graduate Groups”. The Graduate Group in Nursing is a faculty governance group led by a Chair and Chair Elect in Nursing with input from the collective voice of its members.
The Graduate Group Chair is responsible for the overall direction of the Graduate Group in Nursing, including oversight of policies, curriculum development, admission and progression of students, and strategic planning. Students are able to consult with the Graduate Group Chair as needed throughout their time in the program.
