Review of Academic Progress
Review of First Year Performance
Each student’s overall record will be reviewed at the end of Spring Quarter of the first year of study. Course performance will be a major part of this review. A “B” average or better in all 300-level courses (excluding Chemistry 350 & 500) is expected. At this time a student will be advised whether he/she is qualified to continue studies and to prepare for the Candidacy Examination in October.
A student may be asked to leave the program at this point if they have not met all of the Departmental requirements to advance to candidacy, or are determined not to be in good standing in the program.
If a student begins Spring Quarter of first year with unsatisfactory performance in any of the four first year milestones (basic exams, course grades, teaching performance, joining a research group), via PhD policy on graduate support, they may be placed on academic probation. This indicates that Spring quarter may be their last quarter of support and program registration unless they meet the required milestones by the end of Spring Quarter and return to good standing. If milestones are not met by the end of Spring Quarter, the student may leave the program with a Master’s degree.
Academic Advising Committee
Prior to forming a thesis committee, the student’s candidacy exam committee can be used as the student’s academic advisory committee and, thus, students should feel free to approach their candidacy exam committee throughout their graduate career for guidance and advice regarding their research. The candidacy exam committee does not need to be the final thesis committee.
Thesis Committee Formation
Students must select the members of their thesis committee at some point following the successful completion of their candidacy exam, but no later than October 1st of their third year in residence. Such a committee is comprised of the student’s research supervisor as well as two additional members of the University of Chicago faculty, one of whom must have an appointment in the Chemistry Department. If necessary, due to changes in staffing, alterations in research direction, or developing collaborations, the membership of the committee can be changed at any point in time with written notice provided to the Associate Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Annual Review of Academic Progress
During the Summer Quarter of each year, an Academic Progress Report will be sent to each student and faculty advisor. Your advisor will request that you complete Part I (student section) indicating what you have accomplished toward your degree during the past academic year. Also, you should list any degree requirements yet to be completed along with your proposed timetable for meeting them. Part II requires comments from your Advisor. After completion of this report, student and advisor should meet to discuss all comments and both student and advisor should sign the report (if applicable, pro forma advisor is to sign as well). The report will be reviewed by the Associate Chairman and the Director of Graduate Studies and will be filed in the student’s file. Any unsatisfactory performance will be discussed at the October Faculty Meeting.
Annual review form: Academic Progress Report
When unsatisfactory performance is identified during the annual review, or at any point, the student is considered to be not in good academic standing.
Fourth Year Meeting with Thesis Committee Members
Although we encourage students to regularly speak with their thesis committee members about their progress, all graduate students are required to meet with each of the members of their committee to discuss research progress, future goals, and career plans during their fourth year in residence. This is a mentoring meeting, not an evaluative meeting, and can take place anytime during the 4th year but it must happen before the end of the spring quarter. It can occur with both members of the committee at once, or with each of the members individually.
As a starting point for the meeting, students should consult the departmental list of items requested specifically by their committee members. Those items may include one or more of the following: a current copy of their curriculum vitae, a recent publication(s), an abstract of their research, a short written summary of their research progress and future plans, and/or a PowerPoint slide deck. Outside of these elements, students are free to choose how this meeting will be most useful for them and their overall career progression. The meeting can be as formal or informal as the student and committee members wish. Examples of formats could include: a discussion of recent results, providing information to help a committee member write a future letter of recommendation, seeking advice on applying for postdoctoral fellowships, discussing a proposed thesis outline, and/or ideas and advice for troubleshooting a challenging element of their project. It is recommended that in advance of the meeting students speak with their advisor about the content that will be provided during the discussion. After students complete their meetings, they should complete the pdf form below and submit it to the chemistry department office via a Box upload. Please note that for students with an advisor outside of the department, the annual meeting with your Pro Forma advisor will fulfill this requirement for that member of your committee.
Yearly Review of Progress at the Start of Sixth Year
- Any student who registers for a sixth year of residence and does not petition for graduation in the Fall Quarter of their sixth year, shall be scheduled for a yearly academic progress review.
- This review shall be scheduled during the month of November.
- Immediately following Autumn Quarter registration, The Director of Graduate Studies shall notify each research advisor of their students who will be starting their sixth year in residence. Individual students shall also be notified of the required review.
- The faculty advisors shall provide the Chairman of the appropriate Graduate Program Committee with a statement of their views of the student's progress. This statement shall be submitted by November 15th.
- Between November 15 and November 30, the student’s chosen thesis committee, which was chosen in their third year in residence, will meet with the students subject to this review. These two members should be the non-advisor members of the student’s chosen thesis committee and one will serve as chair of the review. The student will schedule their review by directly contacting their two committee members. Each student shall make an oral presentation which addresses (i) the status of progress to date in their thesis research and (ii) 7 their plan of research leading toward the completion of their thesis on a reasonable time scale.
- No later than November 30, the Chair of each committee shall submit to the Director of Graduate Studies a paragraph regarding the results of the review. It should address (i) the student's progress to date, (ii) possible pitfalls in the remaining program, (iii) expectations for completing the research.
- The recommendations of the Review Committees shall be presented and discussed at the December faculty meeting. Following this meeting, the Chair of each committee shall submit to the student the above defined paragraph regarding the results of the review. This paragraph shall be addressed to the student and a copy shall be sent to the research advisor.