Documents, Guidelines, Forms

Graduate Program Handbook & Program Signposts

Responsibilities of Faculty and Graduate Students & Mentoring Guidelines

Graduate Program Best Practices

Graduate Student Advising

Independent Studies

Evaluations

Milestone Reviews

Approved by the Philosophy Department, April 30, 2012; updated and approved May 2023

To ensure that doctoral students move through the program in a timely fashion, three “milestone” reviews will be conducted by the student’s guidance committee. Note: the department began to use one form for all three milestone reviews in May 2023. The milestone reviews will supplement the annual reports that guidance committees conduct each year. 

Early & Middle & Advanced Milestone Review (this form should be updated during the entire career)

Early update by end the 2nd year (by May 15, end of the 4th semester), middle update by middle of the 4th year (by Dec. 31, end of the 7th semester); advanced update by end of the 5th year (by May 15, end of the 10th semester)

For each milestone review, the chair of the student’s guidance committee will update the report specifying that the work has been completed (the milestone review form is linked above).  If there are inadequacies, students will be notified that they are not making satisfactory progress toward the degree (see Graduate Handbook, sec 3.4) and that they have one semester in which to address the remediable deficiencies (sec 4.4). 

At the end of the subsequent semester (ordinarily not including summer), if the problems have not been remedied, the student will lose eligibility for financial aid and—after the Middle Milestone Review—may be refused permission to continue in the program (sec 3.4.4).  Students unable to remedy deficiencies after the Early Milestone Review may write a Master’s paper and complete the M.A. degree before leaving the program.

Although some adjustments to the Milestone timetable might be allowed in an individual case, these must be for sound programmatic reasons and must be arranged in advance—not after the fact (sec. 3.4.1).  Records of such approved adjustments will be filed in the student’s academic portfolio.

MA for Ph.D. Students

Students who are currently enrolled in the doctoral program can earn a Master’s degree by fulfilling the M.A. requirements. See this document for details and consult the Graduate Handbook.