All incoming students are expected to identify a research topic and advisor within their first few weeks at Ohio State, or even before they arrive. The goal should be to produce and submit a first-author journal article to a peer-reviewed journal by the end of the first year or two of graduate school.
Having a paper submitted is a prerequisite for the Candidacy Exam. The content of the paper also usually forms the basis for the student's Candidacy Exam presentation, a component of the oral part of the Exam.
Incoming students are encouraged to ask faculty about potential first projects, consult with other students and faculty, and converge on a project and advisor early in their first semester at OSU.
See the list of current faculty to learn about their research interests.