Academic Advising

Meet your advisor

Araceli Vizcarra, Graduate Program Coordinator
Location: PSF 470
Phone: (480) 965-9152
Email: Araceli.Vizcarra@asu.edu

Appointments are required to discuss the following:

  • Review degree program requirements
  • Track progess in the program
  • Review graduation procedures and deadlines
  • Clarify university and department policies and procedures
  • Leave of absence
  • Petitions

To make an appointment call your advisor directly, or visit the Physics Main office in Physical Science F-Wing room 470.

Department Consent Form

Use this form to request an override into PHY 792, 795, and/or 799. Please have the form signed by the professor who will be giving you a grade at the end of the semester. Submit the form to the Graduate Coordinator when complete.

Supervisory Committee Nomination Form

Advisor must be chosen and committee must be formed no later than end of semester after oral comprehensive is passed or TA support is jeopardized.

This form is required on the day of your comprehensive exams. When complete, please submit to the Graduate Coordinator.

This form is required on the day your deliver your prospectus. When complete, please submit to the Graduate Coordinator.
Forms required by Graduate Education are found here:

The teaching assistant application is available ONLY for students enrolled in the Physics PhD program. Students will be notified by email when the application is available. Students seeking TA support must apply every fall, spring and summer semesters.

1. How many credit hours should I enroll in?
Students enrolled in the Physics PhD program must enroll in a minimum of 9 credit hours every fall and spring semester. Per International Students & Scholar's Office, international students are required to enroll in 9 credit hours.

2. How do I enroll in research or dissertation credit?
When enrolling in research or dissertation, students must submit a Department Consent Form. This form is found under the Forms section of this page. The instructor who you will enroll with (typically your research advisor) is required to sign this form. This helps the department keep track of who is involved in research, and with who.

3. How can I find deadlines for dropping and adding courses?
All deadlines related to academics can be found of the Academic Calendar.

4. What does it mean to Audit a course? Will an Audit course affect my GPA?

  • Auditing a course is when a student registers for a course, but does not receive credit for the course, and receives a grade of “X.”
  • An audit course will not go on your Plan of Study (iPOS), nor will it affect your GPA.
  • You will choose to Audit a course when enrolling

5. What is a Plan of Study (iPOS)?
The Plan of Study (iPOS) functions as a contract between the student, the academic unit, and Graduate Education.

  • Students must submit thier iPOS by the time they have enrolled for 50 percent of the minimum credit hours required for the program.
  • The iPOS contains degree requirements such as coursework, committee, comprehensive exams, graduation deadlin.
  • An approved iPOS MUST be on file before a student can take the comprehensive exams
  • A "How to Guide" for submitting the iPOS is found here https://graduate.asu.edu/sites/default/files/how-to-ipos.pdf