Your Academic Adviser

If you are a newly admitted student to Illinois Tech, your adviser’s name should appear in your letter of admission. If it does not, contact the program director associated with your degree program.

For other inquiries on advising, contact Charlotte Jackson, academic program coordinator in CAEE. Frequently asked questions about advising are answered in the Armour College of Engineering advising page.

Getting Help from Your Adviser

Your academic adviser will help you choose courses and can help advise you on various topics, including program requirements, registration issues, and career paths. Your adviser’s approval is also required for some forms when they are needed (e.g., see eForms link below).

If you are communicating with or meeting your adviser for the first time, please prepare for your meeting by using the university website to find and learn more about your academic program’s requirements and limitations.

Synopsis of Graduate Studies in CAEE

The graduate bulletin contains requirements for graduate degree programs and certificates in CAEE, as well as descriptions of our courses.

Contacting Your Adviser

To find your adviser's office hours, email addresses, or phone numbers, review the department directory. Outside of scheduled office hours, email or call your adviser to set up in-person or remote advising sessions. (Email is generally faster and preferred, at least for initial communication.) If your adviser is on vacation or on sabbatical leave—or your email is not responded to within two or three business days—contact Charlotte Jackson.

Advising Pin

Every semester, you need an Advising PIN to register for classes. If you are a new graduate student, contact your assigned adviser for your Advising PIN. If you are a continuing graduate student in good academic standing, locate your Advising PIN in the MyIIT portal on the “IIT Personal ID Numbers” channel located under the "Welcome" tab:

Advising A Number

Required Academic Advising

If you are a degree-seeking student who wants to be sure that you are taking courses that will lead you to a degree, you must complete an academic advising session—either in-person, virtual, or via email—before progressing into your studies. This advising session is mandatory; the Graduate Program (GP) Advising Hold will prevent you from registering for the next semester until you meet with your adviser and your adviser subsequently clears the hold. The hold goes into effect automatically before the next semester of registration opens for:

  • Accelerated master's students in the first semester of graduate enrollment
  • Traditional master's students at nine earned or enrolled credits
  • Doctoral students at 18 earned or enrolled credits

The hold prevents registration before the following semester, until lifted by the adviser, and a mandatory advising session is required for the student to clear the registration hold.

Note: Non-degree graduate students and graduate certificate students do not receive GP holds.

An accelerated master's student's registration hold will be removed when the student submits the declaration of accelerated master’s shared and non-shared courses in eForms (located in the MyIIT portal), and after it is approved by their adviser, academic unit, and Graduate Academic Affairs. The student will need to see their adviser for shared and non-shared course advising.

Accelerated Master’s Program Advising

Synopsis of Graduate Studies for Research-Based Degree Programs (M.S. and Ph.D.)

The graduate bulletin contains guidelines for prospective and current students showing the steps that must be taken and the forms that must be completed, signed by appropriate university officials, and submitted to the Office of Graduate Academic Affairs in order to proceed from application to graduation to receipt of degree.

Guidelines for Completing CAEE Graduate Degrees

Other Advising Topics

Student Resources