Students choosing the Industry Track are advised by a standing Industry Track Advisory Committee (ITAC). This committee consists rotating faculty from the Department of Building Construction with expertise and knowledge about industry practice and expectations. The committee will convene each semester on the last Monday of classes, and each Industry Track student is responsible to provide all required documentation and sign up for a time slot during the period in which the committee meets.
ITAC and Industry Track Degree Milestones
All ITAC members are available to the student for discussion outside regular committee meetings, and students may also approach any of the other faculty on the ITAC for advice or input at any time. All official degree milestones will be transacted during end-of-semester meetings, and students are required to make themselves available each semester for these meetings or risk delaying their degree completion by a semester.
First Semester
In the student’s first semester, the whole committee will evaluate the student’s background and goals through an interview process, and will recommend or require coursework for the student’s Plan of Study. Three members of the committee will volunteer to be appointed as that student’s individual advisory committee based on capacity and interest, with one faculty volunteering to serve as advisor and the other two serving as advisory committee. During the interview the committee will
- review any proposed transfer credits or old courses,
- review progress in courses to date,
- identify remaining courses that are suggested or required for the student to take.
The outcome of this meeting will enable the student to develop a draft Plan of Study that meets the committee’s requirements.
Second Semester
In the student’s second semester, the ITAC will formally review the student’s academic performance and approve his or her final Plan of Study along with all documentation during the student’s regular progress meeting with the Industry Track Committee. The Graduate Chair will participate in that meeting and will also review the Plan of Study at this time, after which it will be entered for approval by the Graduate School.
Third/Final Semester
In the student’s final semester, the ITAC will administer a final oral exit examination to assess the student’s readiness to graduate, and the members of the student’s individual committee will register their votes to determine whether or not the student has passed the final examination. Students will be provided with written feedback from the ITAC following each semester’s meeting, and will be responsible to take any recommended or required actions to address committee concerns. Students requiring special accommodations for these meetings must notify the ITAC in writing at least three weeks prior to the scheduled meeting so that alternate arrangements can be made.
Documentation required for ITAC Meetings
In order to meet with the ITAC during its regular endofsemester meetings, Industry Track students must provide the following information for review at least two weeks prior to the regular endof semester ITAC meeting:
First semester
- Resume
- One paragraph statement of career goals
Second semester
- Plan of Study (with all revisions incorporated from Graduate Coordinator Review)
- Activity and Accomplishments Report
Final semester
- Unofficial transcript of all coursework to date
- Activity and Accomplishments Report
All documents should be provided electronically as PDFs and must be uploaded by the student to a repository for ITAC review no later than two weeks prior to the ITAC meeting in order to schedule their committee meeting. Students requiring more than three semesters to complete the Industry Track degree must meet with the ITAC every semester and should provide the same documentation for these meetings as in the final semester.
Additional limitations and requirements of faculty committees are described under Choosing an Advisor and Advisory Committee in the Graduate Guidebook.
