Advisement

Dr. James B. Layzer is the Unit Leader and supervises mussel and imperiled fish species projects. Dr. Phillip W. Bettoli is the Assistant Unit Leader who studies sportfish and commercial fisheries. As a new student coming in to the Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, you will meet with Jim or Phil and discuss the nature of your graduate research project and the kind of research you will be doing.

By the second or third semester, you will form a committee (usually your advisor and two additional professors, although it can be more). You will write a proposal outlining your research, prepare a Study Plan of coursework that you will be taking at Tennessee Tech, and meet with your committee for them to sign off on your proposal and Study Plan.

At this time, your thesis research plan and your Study Plan of coursework will be official. Any deviation from these plans will need to be approved by all committee members.