Advising & Registration

Undergraduate Advising

Declaring a Major in Sociology

In order to declare an undergraduate major in sociology, you must follow the procedures outlined below if you are...

• a new student at IPFW
• a student who has transferred to the IPFW campus from another IUPU campus
• a student who has transferred to IPFW from another college or university
• currently majoring in a discipline outside of the College of Arts and Sciences

...you will need to set up an appointment with an advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences in order to declare a major in sociology. The advising office is located in the Liberal Arts Building 154. The telephone number is 260-481-6749.

Once you have met with an advisor, you should contact the Department of Sociology at (260) 481-6842.

Adding a Sociology Major

If you are a student at the IPFW campus who is currently majoring in an Arts and Sciences discipline, contact the Department of Sociology at (260) 481-6842 in order to declare a major in sociology.

Once you have declared a major in sociology, you will be assigned to an advisor. All current tenure-track faculty are eligible to advise students. Associate faculty, continuing lecturers and visiting instructors are not eligible to advise students. If you would like to be advised by a particular faculty member, you should contact that faculty member and request to work with him or her. You should also inform the Department that you would like to be advised by a particular faculty member. You can always change advisors at any time, but you will need to contact the Department office so the change can be made.

Students are required to meet with their advisor during the fall semester of each academic year in order to make sure that they are making adequate progress towards the completion of all degree requirements. Students are also encouraged to meet with their advisor often to discuss their career goals and degree progress.

Students are also required to meet with their advisors the semester prior to their planned graduation date for the purpose of a senior transcript audit. Meeting with your advisor the semester prior to graduation will help to ensure that you will be able to satisfy all of the degree requirements in a timely fashion, thus making sure that you will be eligible for graduation on time. For example, if you wish to graduate in the spring semester, you will need to meet with your advisor at the top of the fall semester in order to finish your senior transcript audit.

Graduate Advising

Faculty Mentors

Once admitted to the program, students will initially be assigned to work with the Graduate Program Director until the student chooses a faculty mentor. Graduate students are responsible for, and required to, secure a faculty mentor. Any tenure-track faculty member who has an interest in working with a particular graduate student can act as a faculty mentor for that student. The students will contact a faculty member and ask the faculty to become their mentor. It is the prerogative of the faculty to either take the student as their mentee, or turn the student down. If a student cannot procure a mentor within a one semester period, the student will not be able to register online without first meeting with the Graduate Program Director, and may be advised to consider another graduate program.

The mentor serves in part as an advisor to the student for the purposes of course selection and career planning. The Mentor should meet with the student at least twice a year to:

• Review the Graduate Handbook.
• Review expectations of the program.
• Discuss course selections, encouraging students towards sociology electives.
• Review progress within the program and towards graduation.
• Discuss professional opportunities: paper presentations, professional organizations, AKD
• Honor Society, opportunities on campus and within the local community.
• Discuss Thesis or Practicum options.

In addition, the mentor will help the student to successfully navigate the requirements of the practicum or thesis. The mentor will:

• Commit time and expertise in guiding the student through the graduate program.
• Work with the student to correct deficiencies in skills and content by suggesting specific courses and activities for remediation as needed.
• Guide the student in his/her applied work during the practicum or thesis experience.
• Serve as the principal advisor for the student in completion of the practicum or thesis. Ensure that the student has completed all required coursework.
• As a member of the student’s Practicum or Thesis Committee, certify that the student has met all the criteria of the practicum or thesis.
• Explore possibilities for publication of the student’s work, either individually or jointly.
• Assist the student in the employment search process upon completion of the degree.

In any given year, a faculty member typically will mentor 3-5 students. If students wish to change mentors during their time in the program, they must first notify the Graduate Program Director of their intention to change mentors.