Graduate Student Annual Reviews and Forms

It is important that graduate students receive regular formal feedback about their progress in the program. Therefore, the MSU Graduate School requires that all graduate students receive an annual review each year while in the program. In addition, evidence of an annual review within the past 12 months is required for nominations to certain fellowships. The responsibility for making sure this process is completed on time lies with both the advisor and the student. The responsibility for documenting the process in the gradplan lies with the student.

• For all graduate students in the Department, an annual review must be submitted (uploaded into gradplan) by May 15^th of each year. 
• Students should avoid scheduling guidance committee meetings during the summer semester, effectively giving a window between August 15 and May 15^th for scheduling the committee meetings

In the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the annual review consists of one of the two following:

1) Until the student forms their guidance committee, the annual review requires the completion of the Shared Expectations form (discussed in more detail below). The first draft of this form must be completed within one semester after the student chooses a (tentative) advisor and is repeated annually until the guidance committee is formed.

2) Once the student forms their guidance committee, the guidance committee form serves as the annual review.

Once the student has collected all the signatures on either of the above forms, they will send the form to the Graduate Program Director, who will review and sign the form, and subsequently return it to the student. Please combine the form and any emailed approvals into a single PDF document before submitting to the Graduate Program Director.  The student then uploads the approved document in gradplan. The process is described in a job aid.

Please also make sure to hit "save" at the bottom of the page after uploading your guidance committee/shared expectation form; otherwise, the form will not be added to GradPlan. 

Gradplan will serve as the official repository of these forms from which they can be drawn, for example, in support of a fellowship nomination. Students and their advisors are strongly advised to keep private copies of the signed forms. It is advisable to upload all previously obtained guidance committee forms to GradPlan. 

Starting Fall 2022, students who have not yet passed their comprehensive exam should complete the "Developing Shared Expectations" form within one semester of choosing a (tentative) advisor. For students who have already passed the comprehensive exam, completing this form once is recommended but not required, unless students change their advisor. If students change their advisor, the form should be filled out with the new advisor within one semester. Until the guidance committee is formed, students and advisors should review the form and update it where necessary at least once per year. After completing or updating the form, submit it to the graduate program director for signature. Note that the Shared Expectations form serves as the annual review until the student forms their guidance committee. Therefore, the completed and signed form must be uploaded by the student as part of the annual review after all signatures are obtained. This can be done by logging in to https://student.msu.edu/, then going to GradPlan, and then to Annual Review.

To complete the form, it is best if the student and advisor meet after each has considered the questions independently, so the meeting is efficient and all topics identified by both can be addressed. It is perfectly reasonable to add items not specifically listed, and the documentation added at the end of the form might be useful for that purpose. It might also be the case that some of the questions are not relevant.

Developing Shared Expectations and Goals Form (PDF)

Developing Shared Expectations and Goals Form (DOC)

Before your first guidance meeting and oral subject exam (which are usually combined), students must submit their GradPlan listing their committee members.  The membership of the committee must be approved before the public announcement is sent out/or the committee meeting is held.  A job aid for utilizing the new GradPlan can be found at here.

When you select the membership of your committee, please also list the Chair of your committee as the Thesis Director, unless your advisor requests that you select different people for these roles (this is rare). Please do not leave the Thesis Director role unassigned.

To send out the public announcement - Send the following information to the PA Graduate Program Coordinator, Kim Crosslan, the following information 2 weeks PRIOR:
Name, Date, Time, Room/Zoom link and passcode, Title, Abstract, and Committee Members (* your chair). Add the title and abstract to the back of the evaluation/rubric form (see below), and also send it to Kim Crosslan so she can include it in the email announcement. This is important if committee members/audience join online. 

Starting Fall 2022, students who hold their oral subject exams should prepare copies of the evaluation/rubric form (link below) for all members of the guidance committee (required) and for the other members of the audience (optional - please discuss with advisor). These forms should be handed out before the oral subject exam (with the title and abstract printed on the back), so that committee members (and the audience, if requested) can return them to the advisor at the end of the oral subject exam. The student should use the rubric as a tool to prepare for the oral subject exam (it serves as a checklist), and the student and advisor can review the committee's (and the audience's) feedback together, with the goal of identifying strengths and weaknesses. 

Upon completion of the first guidance committee meeting, guidance committee report forms (link below) must be saved in 1 PDF along with approvals from all committee members (physically signed, digitally signed or email form) and sent to graduate program director (pa.gradchair@msu.edu), who will review and sign, and send back to the student for submission into gradplan (see above).  The first guidance committee also serves as the oral subject exam and fulfills the comprehensive exam requirement. For graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics, the comprehensive exam is marked by the second-year project and the completion of required coursework, and is recorded as comprehensive completion in astronomy and astrophysics. Both of these forms are linked below. 

It is also the responsibility of the graduate student to maintain their GradPlan in Campus Solutions and follow up with their committee members as needed. Note that the First Guidance Committee report needs to be uploaded as an annual review by the student after all signatures are obtained. This can be done by logging into https://student.msu.edu/, proceeding to gradplan, and then annual review.  

Physics

• Physics Oral Subject Exam Evaluation/Rubric Form - required starting Fall 2022
• New guidance committee meeting report (pdf) - updated 12/8/25
• New guidance committee meeting report (word) - updated 12/8/25

Astronomy and Astrophysics

• Comprehensive Exam completion (Astronomy & Astrophysics)
• Record of 2nd year project for doctoral degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics
• New guidance committee meeting report - updated 12/8/25

For second and later guidance committee meetings, please use the following form, which must be saved as 1 PDF, include approvals from all committee members (physically signed, digitally signed, or email form), and sent to the graduate program director, who will review and sign.

Note that the Second and subsequent Guidance Committee reports must be uploaded by the student as part of the annual review after all signatures are obtained. This can be done by logging in to https://student.msu.edu/, then going to GradPlan, and then to Annual Review.

• New guidance committee meeting report (pdf) - updated 12/8/25
• New guidance committee meeting report (word) - updated 12/8/25

Upon successful completion of the PhD Thesis Defense, the form must be saved as 1 PDF, including approvals from all committee members (either digitally signed or via email), and sent to the PA graduate secretary for processing and recording in GradPlan.

PhD Completion Form - updated 10/10/2025

Additional information regarding Electronic thesis and dissertation submissions can be found at The Graduate School

The Graduate School does have some  paperwork that is required in order for your Ph.D. degree to be conferred by the Department, NatSci, Graduate School, and Registrar's Office:
New ETD Approval Form
IRB letter
Doctoral students Exit Survey
SED Survey (Michigan State University REQUIRES verification of completion of the survey)

Starting Fall 2022, students taking PHY800 should fill out section A of the PHY800 planning and feedback form (link below) with their mentor at the beginning of the semester, and complete section B at the end of the semester.  The completed form, including mentor signature, should be sent electronically to both the graduate program directors and the graduate program coordinator no later than 4:00 pm on the Monday of finals week.  

PHY800 Planning and feedback Form - PDF - updated 5/30/2025

PHY800 Planning and feedback Form - Word - updated 5/30/2025