In general, the graduate coordinator is the faculty member assigned by the dean or department chair to oversee the administrative aspects of a graduate program within a college/school or department.

Duties include the following:

•  Serve as liaison between graduate program and the Graduate School.
• Answer inquiries from prospective students.
• Initially review applications and convene the admission committee within the college/school or department.
• Sign applications to accept or deny admission; applications should not be held longer than 10 days.
• Review application status reports provided to them by the Graduate School. Follow up with possible phone calls to applicants.
• Oversee advising of graduate students.
• Work with the Graduate School and Registrar's Office in preparing degree audit and making programmatic changes when necessary.
• Prepare and approve forms for transfer credit when appropriate.
• Review and approve forms for DIS (591) credit.
• Review and approve forms for substitutions to the degree program when appropriate.
• Review and approve preparation of curriculum changes.
• Oversee and approve preparation of catalogue material.
• Oversee and approve preparation of HR 1.35G (forms for paying graduate students).
• Oversee and approve preparation of tuition remission and scholarship forms.
• Oversee thesis defense and comprehensive exam procedures.
• Review and approve graduation applications.
• Attend graduate coordinators meetings held by the Graduate School.
• Facilitate scholarship requests that come from the Graduate School. This includes the New Scholar Award, Champion McDowell Davis Scholarship, Jane Logan Lackey Scholarship, Schwartz Graduate Fellowship, Summer Research Award, graduate student travel awards and Graduate Teaching Excellence Award.
• Provide the following reports to the dean of the Graduate School when requested: annual report on the Monitoring and Training of Graduate Teaching Assistants required by General Administration; request and justify teaching assistantships and tuition remission needs. Prepare other reports as needed.
• The graduate coordinator, in consultation with the department chair, may also be responsible for review and evaluation of graduate teaching assistants.
• The graduate coordinator may also approve student’s thesis committees, in consultation with the chair.

The Graduate School recommends that all graduate coordinators use BANNER for accessing information regarding applicants and advisees. Degree audit training is also strongly recommended for advising purposes.