Graduate Resources

Forms for Graduate Student Advising

Graduate Handbook
Ph.D. Program Checklist
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. The specific requirements listed on form were devised to meet new University requirements enacted in 2016. Students beginning the graduate program in Fall 2017 should use this form to track their completion.

Milestone Reviews

Approved by the Philosophy Department, April 30, 2012

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. The milestone reviews will supplement the annual reports that guidance committees conduct each year.

Early Milestone Review: by end the 2nd year (by May 15, end of the 4th semester)
Middle Milestone Review: by middle of the 4th year (by Dec. 31, end of the 7th semester)
Advanced Milestone Review: 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 submit a report specifying that the work has been completed (forms for each review are 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.

Graduate Seminars

Mentoring Forms for Graduate Teachers

Graduate students teaching their own courses must complete these forms with a faculty mentor:

Information/Resources for External Funding

External Funding Opportunities for Philosophy Graduate Students (maintained by Sean Valles, External Funding Officer for Philosophy)

Other information provided by Jon Harrison and Mary Anne Walker in Jan 2012 Philosophy External Funding Workshop:

Funding Resource Guide from Jon Harrison (MSU Libraries, Funding Center Supervisor)

Specific funding for international students can be found at:http://oiss.isp.msu.edu/students/financial.htm

VERSATILE PhD has best practice examples of CVs, narratives, etc. See: http://grad.msu.edu/careerservices/versatilephd.aspx

Jon Harrison’s MSU Library webpage which links to many examples of successful proposals and best practice tips: http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/4acfrais.htmSee

Also: http://www.proposalwriter.com/grantsamples.html

Also see the Grad School’s CAFFE (http://grad.msu.edu/caffe/) and PREP (http://grad.msu.edu/prep/) for other helpful insights

Ph.D. Students Interested in Earning a Master’s Degree

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.