Plan of Study Toward an Advanced Degree—PhD

The Plan of Study is an agreement between the student and Supervisory Committee about what coursework is required in order to graduate. It includes the Core SAFS courses as well as any other courses the Committee thinks are necessary for the student’s area of research focus. It is also where the following are indicated: any recommended (i.e., optional) courses; the projected timeframe for milestones completion; and any suggested waivers of Core requirements. (Please contact the SAFS Graduate Advisor for any requests to waive SAFS or UW Graduate School requirements; a petitioning process is usually required.)

While the form is being completed, care should be taken to write suggested, optional courses in the “Recommended” section. The Student Services Office will compare the approved Plan of Study form against the student’s transcript to ensure that all “Required Core” courses are completed prior to the General Examination and that all “Additional Required” courses are completed prior to the Final Examination. Recommended (i.e., optional) courses are suggested, but not required, for graduation.

The Plan of Study is available as an online form (PDF). We recommend you use Acrobat Reader 8.0 or higher, available for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/), which enables you to save data entered into the PhD Plan of Study.