Documents, Guidelines, Forms
Graduate Program Handbook & Program Signposts
- Graduate Program Handbook (updated: July 2023)
- Cheat Sheet for the graduate program containing major signposts (updated: September 2023)
Responsibilities of Faculty and Graduate Students & Mentoring Guidelines
- General expectations & responsibilities of faculty and graduate students
- Graduate Program Code of Conduct
- Graduate students who teach their own course during summer and their designated teaching mentor should consult the following form: Mentoring Checklist
- Large lecture classes (IAH) TA Workload Checklist – this Excel spreadsheet can also be used, in addition to the TA workload checklist, to determine the load in larger lecture classes.
Graduate Program Best Practices
- How to Apply for Travel Funding
- Expectations and best practices: Comprehensive Exams
- Graduate Program FAQ (forthcoming)
- GradPlan & SIS (forthcoming)
Graduate Student Advising
- Ph.D. Program Checklist (updated July 2023)
- Annual Progress Report for Ph.D. Students
- Note that it’s acceptable for graduate students to submit a C.V. in place of questions 1-7 on the form.
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Requirement Checklist
- All graduate students must complete RCR training prior to degree completion.
Independent Studies
- Application Form for Independent Study (PHL 890) Form
- Template for Independent Study (PHL 490) for Fulfilling the Logic Requirement via PHL 330
Evaluations
- Evaluation Form for Graduate Students in Seminars
- Evaluation Form for Teaching Assistants
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.