Human Development & Family Studies | Michigan State University

PH.D PROGRAM FORMS

• Ph.D. Guidance Committee Form*
  This form must be completed prior to the program plan.

• Ph.D. Program Plan Form*
  This form must be completed prior to the completion of three semesters.

  • These brief Guides will step you through how to use GradPlan.
    For Ph.D. students GradPlan Student Guide - PDF version (updated 12/12/2012)
    For Ph.D. students GradPlan Student Guide - Word version (updated 12/12/2012)

    For Grad Program Directors, secretaries, administrators GradPlan User Guide (updated 12/12/2012)

    For Faculty serving on guidance committees GradPlan Faculty Guide (updated 10/15/2012)

• Ph.D. Change of Guidance Committee and Ph.D. Program Adjustment Form*
  This form is used to change committee members and must be completed following approval by committee member. Also, this form must be completed when your coursework deviates from the approved program plan.

• Ph.D. Annual Progress Report Form* and Professional Portfolio Documentation Form
  These forms must be completed every spring semester in collaboration with your major advisor. Students must be given a copy for their record.

• Independent Study Form**
  This form must be done before you register for FCE 990.

• Administrative Action Form
  This form may be used for transferring credits from Lifelong Education. You may only transfer 9 credits to your degree program. The form must be submitted by your major advisor. (Use the Move Courses to a New Level.)

• Credit Evaluation Form*
  The form must be submitted by your major advisor and an orignal transcript must be attached to this form. Graduate credits maybe transferred from other accredited institutions or international institutions of similar quality if they are appropriate to a student's program and provided they were completed within the time limits approved for the earning of the degree desired at Michigan State University. The department or school chairperson or director anddean must grant approval. Only graduate–level courses in which at least a 3.0 (B) grade was received will be considered for transfer.

• CIC TRAVELING SCHOLAR PROGRAM Form
  Doctoral students at Michigan State University are eligible to apply for admission to the “Traveling Scholar Program,” sponsored by the Big Ten Universities and University of Chicago through the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). The CIC program enables selected doctoral students to take advantage of special facilities available on the campus of one of the participating universities but not available on the home campus. Such facilities include special course offerings, research opportunities, laboratories, and library collections. Students participating in this program, known as "CIC Traveling Scholars,'' are limited to two semesters or three quarters on another campus. A CIC Traveling Scholar from Michigan State University will be registered on the MSU campus, and fees will be collected and kept by this institution. No additional fees will be charged. Credit for work taken under this program will be accepted at this University. A doctoral student interested in this program should contact The Graduate School for instructions and formal processing or visit grad.msu.edu/cic.htm.

• Transferring Credits From Other Accredited Institutions or International Institutions
  • Credit Evaluation Form*
    This form must be filled out by major advisor and approved by committee members. You must have an original transcript and course syllabus for committee to review and original transcript must be attached with the form. Credit Evaluation form and original transcript after approval and signed by major advisor must be submitted to the graduate secretary.

    Graduate credits may be transferred from other accredited institutions or international institutions of similar quality if they are appropriate to a student's program and provided they were completed within the time limits approved for the earning of the degree desired at Michigan State University. The department or school chairperson or director and dean must grant approval. Only graduate–level courses in which at least a 3.0 (B) grade was received will be considered for transfer. Exceptions to this policy (at least a 2.0 grade) have been granted for the dual degree programs between MSU and the Michigan State University College of Law.

• Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination Planning Form*
  When the 80% of course work is complete as defined, the doctoral student is eligible to take the comprehensive examinations covering the major and related fields. HDFS comprehensive planning forms must be completed, signed, and submitted to the graduate secretary prior to beginning comprehensive exams. See Ph.D. Handbook for details.

  All of the Comprehensive examinations must be passed within five years and all remaining requirements for the degree must be completed within eight years from the time when a student begins the first class at Michigan State University that appears on his or her doctoral program of study. Application for extensions of the eight-year period of time toward degree must be submitted by the department/school for approval by the dean of the college and the Dean of The Graduate School. Upon approval of the extension, doctoral comprehensive examination must be passed again.

  This form must be completed before you start your comprehensive exams.

  • Human Development and Family Studies Comprehensive Examination: All students majoring in Human Development and Family Studies must take a human development and family studies comprehensive examination prepared by the guidance committee.
  • Area of Specialization Comprehensive Examination: The Human Development and Family Studies Ph.D. program has three specializations: Child Development, Family Studies, and Couple and Family Therapy. The student must demonstrate competence in one of these specializations by taking a comprehensive examination prepared by the guidance committee.
  • Minor Area Examination: An additional comprehensive examination must be taken in another content area, including research. This comprehensive examination is prepared by the guidance committee.
  • Supporting Field Comprehensive Examination: Students may be required to take a comprehensive examination in the supporting field, although this requirement may be waived based on student's needs and opinion of the committee.

• Ph.D. Report of Comprehensive Exam Form*
  This form must be completed by your major advisor at the time you complete and pass your comps and must be signed by all committee members in each of the areas if they did not waive the right to review the exams.

• Ph.D. Approval of Dissertation Proposal Form*
  This form must be completed before you start your dissertation and not before you have passed your comprehensive exam and following defense of the proposal and before dissertation work begins. All your committee members must approve and sign.

• UCRIHS Application Form
  Under the regulations, all investigators (faculty &/or graduate students) who will conduct research that involves human subjects or materials of human origin (blood or tissue samples taken from live humans) must submit an application to UCRIHS. Approval of the research protocol must be in place before the investigator begins data collection.

  These regulations are of specific concern to graduate students because "research" includes the preparation of Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. By regulation, UCRIHS may not approve data gathered without its prior review and approval of the project.

  Examples of research involving human subjects include: interviews, telephone or mail surveys, behavioral or educational testing, observation of individual or group behavior, collection of blood (or other biologic) samples. For a complete list of review categories see the UCRIHS instructions.

• Ph.D. Approval of Program Study Time Extension Form*
  This form is used to request an extension if the student cannot finish in the 8 year time limit for doctoral program and for extension of comprehensive exam beyond 5 year time. It must be approved by committee members, graduate program director, Associate Dean's office, and the Graduate School.

• Ph.D. Oral Announcement Form
  This form must be completed and signed by major advisor three weeks before the defense, and copies of dissertation with announcement form must be given to committee members.  You must invite the Associate Dean (Dr. DeBrenna Agbenyiga), Department Chairperson, and Graduate Program Director (Dr. Barbara Ames) and you must send to the Graduate Secretary announcement form and abstract three weeks before you defend.

• Ph.D. Record of Dissertation and Oral Examination Form*
  This form must be completed by your major advisor and signed by all committee members.

• Ph.D. Check Sheet for Dissertation

• Dissertation Formatting Guide

• Submitting a Thesis/Dissertation to the Graduate School
  Read this carefully to avoid delays!

• Dissertation Support at the Writing Center

• Ph.D. Application for Graduation Form
  • Submit this application by the first week of the semester you expect to complete your degree requirements.
  • If you will complete your degree requirements during Summer, apply for Summer by the first week of Spring semester.
  • Both Spring and Summer applicants will be included in the Spring Commencement Ceremonies.

_______________________
*These forms must be submitted to the Graduate Secretary for final processing.
**These forms must be given to the Department Secretary for final processing.

OTHER IMPORTANT FORMS

• Address Change Form
  When you move you must change your address and phone number with the university and notify the graduate secretary.

• Readmission Form
  Graduate students whose enrollment at Michigan State University is interrupted for any reason so that they are not enrolled for three consecutive semesters, including the Summer Sessions, must apply for readmission. Students must submit this form together with official transcripts of all work taken while not enrolled at Michigan State University, at least one month prior to the first day of registration for the semester in which the student expects to resume graduate studies.