Articles by BC

Older-than-average and veteran graduate students have the right to fair academic evaluation, applicable nondiscrimination protections, and—when qualified under disability law—reasonable accommodations. Being older, professionally experienced, or a disabled veteran does not justify stereotyping or exclusion. […]

A university Disabilities Office can help protect a graduate student’s access rights during dismissal proceedings, but it is not the student’s independent advocate or lawyer and may not have authority to overturn the dismissal. The […]

A university can use a qualifying-exam deadline as grounds for dismissal when its rules permit—but applying the wrong deadline, misclassifying a student’s entry status, or disregarding an approved extension can make that rationale vulnerable to […]

Retaliation does not always involve an explicit threat. It can appear through ordinary administrative mechanisms: an approval that never arrives, a new condition on an examination, a committee member’s withdrawal, or a progress review that […]

A graduate student often owns the copyright in the thesis they write, but ownership of inventions, software, data, and other research incorporated into it depends on applicable law, university policies, employment duties, funding terms, and […]

If you believe your PhD advisor has stolen your research, preserve the evidence, clarify ownership and attribution rights, obtain independent advice, and protect your degree progress before escalating publicly. An advisor’s authority does not automatically […]

Build a dated, evidence-linked timeline showing what supervision you requested, what the department provided, and how any gaps affected your progress. Your appeal will be stronger if it answers specific departmental criticisms rather than relying […]

Yes—you can usually request a change of PhD advisor after a conflict or complaint, but approval, replacement supervision, funding, and continued enrollment depend on your program’s rules. The important question is not simply whether your […]

Graduate students can work independently. That does not mean they should have to complete a research degree without meaningful supervision. An advisor approves your research topic. You enroll in research courses, pay tuition, and begin […]