Building a Vertical AI Agent for Graduate Education: Supporting the Scholarly Journey

The Graduate Challenge

Graduate programs involve unique complexity:

• Extended timelines measured in years

• Individual progression paths within program structures

• Faculty mentorship and committee dynamics

• Research milestones (prospectus, defense)

• Funding coordination across sources

• Professional development for academic or industry careers

Students can feel lost in processes. Programs struggle to track many students at different stages.

---

What a Graduate Education Agent Does

A vertical AI agent for graduate education tracks progress and provides guidance throughout the graduate journey.

Milestone Management

For progression:

Timeline Tracking: Monitor student progress against program milestones.

Alert Generation: Flag students approaching or missing deadlines.

Committee Coordination: Support scheduling and communication.

Documentation Management: Track required forms and approvals.

Student Support

For guidance:

Requirement Clarity: Help students understand what's expected.

Process Navigation: Guide students through complex procedures.

Resource Awareness: Connect students with relevant support.

Peer Connection: Facilitate connections with appropriate cohort members.

Program Intelligence

For administration:

Cohort Visibility: Understand where students stand across the program.

Bottleneck Detection: Identify where students commonly struggle.

Time-to-Degree Analysis: Track completion patterns and inform interventions.

---

Building on the Right Foundation

Graduate student records span years and include sensitive academic judgments. Appropriate privacy and access control are essential.

---

The Opportunity

Graduate programs that effectively track and support students will improve completion rates and time-to-degree. AI agents can provide this support—when built with understanding of graduate education.

---

*Universities exploring graduate education AI should prioritize platforms that support long-term tracking, integrate with graduate systems, and provide implementation partnerships that understand doctoral and master's education. The goal is successful completions—not administrative oversight that replaces mentorship.*