Student Progress & Evaluation

Annual Evaluations

The faculty annually review the progress of each student in the program. Before the student evaluation meeting, students submit to the Graduate Coordinator copies of a curriculum vitae and a completed annual review form that shows program requirements and professional activities they have completed and a summary of their plans for the coming year. The criteria used in the evaluation are: (a) timely completion of program requirements, (b) publication with attention to journal quality and order of authorship, (c) presentations with attention to conference quality and order of authorship, (d) grades in graduate courses, (e) faculty recommendations and evaluations, (f) other indices of professional participation and competence (e.g., workshop participation, involvement in organizations, department service, etc.), and (g) performance in teaching and research assistantships. The most important criteria is timeliness of program requirements.  

Students receive a written report of their evaluation and are encouraged to discuss it with their Research Advisors. Students often get valuable feedback and suggestions for improving their course of study from these yearly evaluations. If a student is not progressing satisfactorily, the faculty can decide to place them on probation or terminate them from the program. The types of recommendations made are: (1) continuation, (2) termination, or (3) probationary status. The procedure for being removed from probation is set forth in the evaluation.