Graduate school requires quite a bit of planning and thinking strategically about courses, semesters, timing/deadlines, research, and more. Think ahead and plan in advance and you will avoid many potential pitfalls!

INDIVIDUALIZED DEVELOPMENT PLANS (IDPs)

An individual development plan (IDP) helps you to align your personal and professional goals with your academic expectations and responsibilities. Developing a plan will give you critical information for building the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary for your career, and to prepare you for meaningful personal or professional opportunities after graduation

IDPs are required annually as part of your academic progress toward your degree.
This document is comprised of
- a self-assessment of your current skills and interests,
- a summary of your goals for the upcoming year based on your self-assessment, and
- an action plan to shape your skillset, created in conjunction with your advisor.

Your IDP will serve as a guide to your annual progress meetings with your advisor, to ensure progress is made towards your personal and professional goals.
So where do I get the IDP? You will receive an email asking you to fill it out via DocuSign when it is time for you to complete your IDP.
Each year you will review last year's submission and re-assess your goals and skills, as well as the progress you make throughout your career, to create attainable steps for fulfilling long-term goals.
CALS has compiled some resources for helping you acquire skills and competencies related to your professional development. (Please do not use the IDP pdf linked there.)

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Your Program of Study is the roadmap you will follow to complete your degree. It lists all of the courses you will take and will insure that you are meeting your degree requirements.

You can begin working on this as early as you like. You are welcome to send a draft to the Academic Coordinator if you have questions about whether it is meeting all degree requirements. Once the form is completed with the name of your faculty advisor and/or committee members, please send it to the Academic Coordinator so it can be sent through DocuSign for approval signatures.

The completed form including committee signatures must be submitted to the Academic Coordinator by the midpoint of your second semester of enrollment or a registration hold will be placed on your record.

Any changes to your program of study must be approved by your faculty advisor. You should always run your changes by the Academic Coordinator to make sure you are still meeting degree requirements.

You can access your program of study forms here:

FAS-Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

FAS-Master of Science (MS-thesis))

FAS-Master of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (MFAS)

FRC-Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

FRC-Master of Science (thesis)

FRC-Master of Science (MS-non-thesis)

FRC-Master of Forest Resources and Conservation (MFRC)

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Ecological Restoration

Geomatics

Natural Resource Policy & Administration

ICGIS Interdisciplinary Concentration in GIS

Hydrological Sciences Academic Concentration

Tropical Conservation & Development

Interdisciplinary Concentration in Wetland Sciences

Doctoral Students: Qualifying Exams

The written and oral qualifying exams should provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate, both orally and in writing, the depth and breadth of their knowledge and their ability to clearly articulate this knowledge as related to their field of study and the focus of their Ph.D. research. The focus of questions and information to be tested is at the discretion of the dissertation committee chair in consultation with the supervisory committee members and student. The committee is ascertaining if the student is ready to conduct independent research, or if they need additional preparation. The qualifying exam is usually administered at the end of the second year or doctoral studies. For more information about the qualifying exam, please see the links below.

Qualifying Exam Guidelines

Qualifying Exam Infographic

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