Graduate Advising

Our academic advisors and program managers work in conjunction with your faculty advisor to ensure you stay on track with your course of study at the iSchool.

Virtual Advising Sessions

Take advantage of our normal drop-in hours (8:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. and 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.) with our virtual waiting room. Download Microsoft Teams on your preferred device and make sure you are signed in using your NetID and password. When you enter the waiting room, complete the prompts with your SU ID and reason for needing to see an advisor. An advisor will call you on Microsoft Teams when it is your turn.

Enter the virtual waiting room

Advising Forms

Necessary forms for graduate students can be found on the iSchool’s Answers page.

Advising Forms

Graduate Handbook

Students are required to follow the degree requirements outlined in the graduate advising handbook and the Syracuse University Course Catalog applicable to the year they entered their program of study.

Graduate Handbook

Graduation Requirements

File your Diploma Request

All students completing degree requirements in May, June, August, and the previous December are invited to attend the Commencement activities in May. It is important that you file the Diploma Request via MySlice by the published deadline dates to be included in Commencement mailings. You will not be included in the printed Commencement program if you do not complete the diploma request by the deadline.

You will be notified of the deadline to file via the program listservs from the graduate academic advisors.

Read the full diploma request instructions

File for your diploma on MySlice

For more information on graduation requirements, consult Syracuse University’s Preparing for Graduation page.

Advising FAQs

Requirements for your degree can be found in your advising handbook. Please visit our Handbooks and Check Sheets Answers page to find the handbook for your program of study. If you still have questions after reading the advising handbook, contact iAdvising@syr.edu.

To add a C.A.S., please fill out a hard copy of the Graduate Enrollment Internal Admissions application and submit in person to Bridget Crary in 110 Hinds Hall. We strongly encourage students to add their chosen C.A.S. in their second semester of study.

The final deadline for students to add a C.A.S. is the financial deadline to drop a class of their final semester of study. Visit the academic calendar to view the financial deadline to drop a class.

If you are enrolled in a 42-credit hour degree program, such as Information Management, you must complete 33 credits in the School of Information Studies. In addition, you must complete 80 percent of the other degree’s required credits.

See Tess Schaufler for advising on dual degrees.

Students in the IS program may file a Petition to Faculty to waive credits from their degree based on appropriate full-time professional experience. Detailed information on waiving credits can be found in the program-appropriate Advising Handbook. The waived credits reduce the credit hours needed to graduate. They do not appear on your Syracuse University transcript.

Please submit the petition, along with a resume to iAdvising@syr.edu. Online students can submit their forms to their online student support advisor. Joining and Leaving letters may be audited.

A copy of your approved/denied petition will be placed in your file to be included with the graduation paperwork for the Graduate School. The Petition to Faculty can be found on the iSchool Advising page, available from the Registrar website and from the Student Services Office, Hinds Hall 114.

According to guidelines set by the American Library Association, credit cannot be waived for work or life experience in the MS in Library and Information Science program.

Master’s students, if eligible, may transfer a maximum of 6 hours of graduate credit.

Coursework must be directly relevant to the degree program, have been taken within 7 years of the date the student will receive the degree, must be graduate level, and must show a grade of “B” or better.

You must fill out the Petition to Transfer Credit form, which can downloaded from our Advising Forms Answers page. You must submit this form to iAdvising@syr.edu. Online students can submit the form to their online student support advisor.

You may register for an Independent Study (IST 690) by completing a Proposal for Independent Study form, which can be downloaded from the Registrar’s Answers page.

This form requires the signature of the faculty member sponsoring the independent study and the student. Other signatures needed on the form can be obtained from Tess Schaufler.

The form must be submitted to the Student Records Office, 106 Steele Hall for full-time students, and to University College, 700 University Avenue for part-time students. The registration is pending until the completed form has been submitted. Since the Proposal for Independent Study form is required to register for an independent study, registration for the course cannot be done online.

You can see your faculty advisor at any point during the year. Please email him/her directly to set up an appointment. The faculty advisor serves as a mentor for academic and professional development. You may see the faculty advisor for questions about specific course content, questions regarding which courses to take to fulfill a specific career goal, etc.

Please fill out the Change of Advisor form and submit to iAdvising@syr.edu if you want to change your faculty advisor.

Please see Tess Schaufler in the Student Services Office, Hinds Hall 114. An exit interview may be requested.

An application for School Library Media or Public Library Certification may be obtained from Graduate Student Support. Please consult the MSLIS Advising Handbook for specific details.

For information on the iSchool’s Financial Aid, start here. Further questions can be answered by your program manager.