The major professor is the masters student's primary academic advisor, helping to develop a professionally meaningful program of study, providing direction and advice in academic and professional matters, and supervising the thesis stage of the masters program of study. Major professors are also typically a principal source of information about academic, professional, or other opportunities (such as departmental assistantships, conferences, fellowships, university grants, or short-term consultancy positions).

New students are assigned a temporary advisor and should be notified of the assignment prior to the first week of classes; if a student is unaware of which professor has been assigned to them, they may address their query to the ELPS administrative staff. New students should contact their temporary advisor in the first two or three weeks of their first semester to arrange a meeting for initial advisement.

Students must select a major professor from within either the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies or the Department of Middle and Secondary Education no later than the beginning of the first semester following Peace Corps service. PCMI students must choose a major professor from the department from which they wish to obtain their masters degree. Once the student has selected a faculty candidate, he or she must approach the professor to ask his or her consent to serve as major professor. Students are free to remain with their temporary advisor or select a different faculty member.

A program of studies will need to be completed upon return to Florida following Peace Corps service. This document formalizes the selection of the major professor, as well as that of the advisory/thesis committee, and will need to be resubmitted with new signatures if the student changes to a new major professor, selects new committee members, or changes courses in their program of study.

Criteria for approval are:
1. student choice
2. student-faculty common interests
3. faculty consent