Frequently Asked Questions

In the Department of Psychology at NC State University, the Director of Graduate Programs (DGP) is also the Associate Department Head. Overall, the Associate Department Head assists with general departmental administration and may represent the department to outside units or organizations. Activities may include:

• In the Department Head's absence, attend meetings of the CHASS Administrative Board, providing departmental input to the Board, as well as a summary of the discussion to the Department Head.
• Handle a variety of daily operational tasks when the Department Head is unavailable.
• Assist with discussions and planning for the future physical environment of the department.
• Supervise changes in the current physical plant and serve as liaison with contractors, both within and external to the university.
• Serve as a "sounding board" for the Department Head when the Head needs a second opinion concerning departmental issues that can not yet be raised for general discussion.

Overall, the Director of Graduate Programs bears responsibility for the general well-being and smooth operation of departmental graduate programs. Activities may include:

• Coordinate the annual evaluations of graduate students.
• Supervise the entire graduate admissions process, including the award of TAs for incoming students.
• Supervise all official departmental communications with prospective TAs, such as the letters which outline their conditions of appointment (stipends, work commitments, tuition and insurance benefits, etc.).
• Must be aware of legal requirements involved in hiring of TAs, including any special provisions in hiring international students.
• Make TA assignments for both regular academic semesters and for two summer sessions; ensure that all departmental needs for course assistance and/or for primary instructors are met.
• Negotiate salaries for summer TAs with Director of Summer Sessions.
• Communicate with TAs about matters such as university policies, textbook-request deadlines, submitting appropriate observation and evaluation forms, soliciting their requests for future assignments, etc.
• Examine the course evaluations for all graduate TAs; keep an updated record of past performance; discuss poorer-than-average performance with TAs who have had trouble; select TAs for awards as outstanding Teaching Assistants (and prepare the required documentation for submitting our candidates).
• Update (annually) the Teaching Psychology at NCSU handbook for departmental TAs.
• Organize/present the initial orientation meeting for incoming Teaching Assistants.
• Update (annually) the Graduate Handbook distributed to all incoming graduate students.
• Organize and coordinate presentations for PSY 800 Introduction to Graduate Study in Psychology.
• Prepare syllabus, introduce speakers, make one specific personal presentation on important rules/regulations, as well as advice on how to successfully get through graduate school.
• Supervise (annually, if possible) the revision of program brochures.
• Keep the overall departmental Information Sheet current by revising as necessary (often 2-3 times a year).
• Check and approve every Plan of Work submitted by graduate students, after determining what changes and/or waivers might be required and after communicating with the student and/or faculty chair, as necessary.
• Check every proposed Graduate Advisory Committee, to be sure that faculty are eligible to serve as indicated and whether an outside "Graduate School Representative" will be needed (as when all committee members have their affiliation with Psychology).
• Serve as the first point of contact for most students inquiring about our programs.
• Give presentations to prospective minority students (during "Visit NC State Day") and to visiting School Psychology candidates (during "Interview Day").
• Meet with prospective graduate students at irregular times throughout the year.
• Respond to an average of 15-20 emails per week, many requiring personal answers not fully handled by our boiler-plate responses. This activity alone can take as much as 3-5 hours/week during the busiest periods of the year.
• Prepare a variety of reports on our programs/students for both university offices and outside agencies.
• Provide informal direction (but not formal "supervision") for the department's Graduate Records Assistant (aka Graduate Secretary), Alan Palmer.
• Prepare updates for outside publications such as Graduate Study in Psychology (APA).
• Serve as a departmental resource on departmental/university rules, regulations and procedures, for both students and faculty.
• Serve as liaison to both CHASS and Graduate School administrations.
• Serve on the CHASS Graduate Studies Committee.
• Serve as ombudsman for graduate students having trouble involving other university offices (e.g., benefits snafu's, errors in the cashier's office, deadline extensions from the Graduate School).
• Serve as mediator for a number of faculty-student disagreements concerning graduate-student performance and/or faculty responsiveness.
• Attend Oral Preliminary Exams and thesis/dissertation Defenses, whenever possible, across a representative sample of the department's programs and students.
• Prepare appropriate forms to facilitate program operations.
• Maintain a set of web pages, providing access to current forms and other resources for graduate students and faculty.
• Report to the faculty on the state of graduate programs; bring occasional program-policy issues to the attention of faculty for discussion and decision.
• Interview candidates for all open faculty positions.
• Organize and write (with help from various other faculty members) the main draft of the Review of Departmental Graduate Programs, as specified by the Graduate School.