Is it possible to change my advisor?

My research advisor is leaving MIT for another university. Can I continue my dissertation research with her?

Is it possible to change my advisor?

This can be an easy process or a delicate one, depending on where you are with respect to progress towards your degree. You are encouraged strongly to discuss options with your graduate administrator, departmental graduate officer, a counseling dean, an ombudsperson, or with staff in the ODGE.

My research advisor is leaving MIT for another university. Can I continue my dissertation research with her?

There are two options available to you. If you have completed your doctoral qualifying examination and are formally in doctoral degree candidacy, you may petition your department and the ODGE for thesis in absentia status. You would remain registered at MIT full time while pursuing your research wherever your advisor has gone. However, you still need to have an MIT faculty member or an approved senior researcher who agrees to supervise your thesis work on behalf of your department.

Another option is to petition for nonresident status. To qualify, you will need to have completed the doctoral qualifying examination, must have been in full time residence as a regular graduate student for at least four terms, and must have submitted an approved thesis proposal. While on nonresident status, your tuition bill drops to about 15 percent of regular tuition. However, you will not be eligible for Institute housing or use of academic or research facilities, and you cannot receive funding from or through any MIT office.

A third option is possible but is not recommended. You could negotiate with your department a temporary withdrawal from your degree program, with an explicit understanding that you will be readmitted when you return. There are substantial potential tuition fines associated with this option, especially if you return with a completed thesis and were not registered for thesis in the regular semester prior to your return.