Your MS advisory committee should include at least three members: your major advisor, an associate advisor who represents your area of concentration, and another associate advisor outside of your concentration.

If you change your major advisor, please fill out the Change in Major Advisor form. If you change your associate advisor, please fill out the Request for Change in the Plan of Study form. You must submit both forms to the Registrar's Office and the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator.

Note: One of your associate advisors can be from another concentration in the Department or, with proper qualifications, they can be from another department in the University or from outside the University. A written request to have the external associate advisor appointed to the committee must be submitted by the major advisor to the Associate Head for Graduate Studies, and the Graduate School. The request must be accompanied by the CV of the external advisor.

Submit the MS Plan of Study, signed by all members of your MS advisory committee, to the Registrar's office and the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator by the end of the fourth week of your final semester before completing the MS degree. The Plan of Study lists 30 credits, including 9 credits of GRAD 5950 (recommended to enroll in 3 credits for semesters 1-3) and 21 credits of coursework.

If you make changes to your Plan of Study after you submit it to the Registrar’s Office, you must fill out a Request for Changes in Plan of Study form and submit it to the Registrar's Office.

Note: Please contact the director of your concentration for guidelines on the specific courses you need to take. Once you complete 9 credits of required GRAD 5950, you may start to enroll in GRAD 6950.

Students who are candidates for graduation must apply to graduate through the Student Administration System.

You should apply to graduate by the fourth week of your final semester for each degree you are completing (or the spring semester for summer graduates). You can apply to graduate once registration for your last semester opens up. The Degree Audit section of the Office of the Registrar will then determine whether all degree requirements will be satisfied by the end of your final semester. For more information about using the system to apply for graduation, see Apply for Graduation.

Note: Applying to graduate also grants you the ability to participate in the spring commencement ceremonies.

• Meet with your advisory committee to establish the details for your defense and schedule a room in Bousfield Building.
• Email the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator two weeks in advance of your oral defense with the date, time, location, room number, advisor name, and a working copy of your thesis.

Your Ph.D. advisory committee can be the same as your MS committee, but it does not have to be. It should include at least three members: your major advisor, an associate advisor who represents your area of concentration, and another associate advisor outside your concentration.

If you change your major advisor, please fill out the Change in Major Advisor form. If you change your associate advisor, please fill out the Request for Change in the Plan of Study form. You must submit both forms to the Registrar's Office and the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator.

Note: One of the associate advisors can be from another concentration in the Department or, with proper qualifications, they can be from another department in the University or from outside the University. A written request to have the external associate advisor appointed to the committee must be submitted by the major advisor to the Associate Head for Graduate Studies, and the Graduate School. The request must be accompanied by the CV of the external advisor.

The Registrar's Office requires that students submit a Ph.D. Plan of Study, signed by all members of your Ph.D. advisory committee, no later than the completion of 18 credits. Students should also submit a copy to the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator. The Plan of Study lists 30 credits which include a minimum of 15 credits of GRAD 6950 (recommended to enroll in 3 credits for semesters 4-8) and a minimum of 15 credits of coursework, including related area courses and breadth courses.

Before you submit the Plan of Study to the Registrar's Office, you must:

1. Gather approvals from all members of your advisory committee.
2. Submit your Plan of Study to the Associate Head of Graduate Studies for approval, along with the Departmental Requirements Form for the Ph.D. Plan of Study, including breadth courses, instructor names, and any waivers for STAT or breadth courses.

Note: Please contact the director of your concentration for guidelines on the specific courses that you need to take. You cannot include courses that are listed on your master's Plan of Study in your Ph.D. Plan of Study.

Note: This is an approximate time of when you should take the general exam. Some students will take it while completing their master's degree. Check with your advisor or the director of your concentration about when you should complete the general exam.

Once you complete the general exam, submit the Report on the General Examination for the Doctoral Degree form to the Registrar's Office and copy the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator.

Students must hold a dissertation proposal meeting and collect approvals from their reviewers, the members of their advisory committee, and the director of their concentration.

After you have completed these steps, submit the following information to the Associate Head for Graduate Studies for final departmental approval:

• Dissertation Proposal for the Doctoral Degree form
• Report of Meeting to Approve a Proposed Dissertation form
• A copy of the proposal document and IRB approval

After receiving final approval from the Associate Head for Graduate Studies, please submit the original form to the Registrar's Office and submit a copy to the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator.

Final Semester

Students who are candidates for graduation must apply to graduate through the Student Administration System. Apply to graduate by the fourth week of your final semester for each degree you are completing (or the spring semester for summer graduates). You can apply to graduate once registration for your last semester opens up. The Degree Audit section of the Office of the Registrar will then determine whether all degree requirements will be satisfied by the end of your final semester. Learn more about how to apply for graduation.

Note: Applying for graduation grants you the ability to participate in the spring commencement ceremonies.

What’s my completion date?

The completion date signifies the point at which a student has been separated from active status at the University. For spring and fall semester graduates, the University conferral date will also represent the completion date, provided all degree requirements are completed by necessary deadlines. Graduates finishing during the summer will have a completion date determined by the submission of their final approved paperwork and/or completion of their enrollment. As students are no longer eligible to work as graduate assistants after their completion date, students should coordinate the end date of any summer employment with the submission of their final paperwork.

For students completing prior to the end of the fall or spring semester an alternate completion date can be requested upon submission of all final paperwork and completion of your academic engagement. Students should typically only request an alternate completion date if enrolled solely in research credits or independent study credits for the semester. Please note, if enrolled in a class that will not have completed and had a grade posted prior to the requested completion date, then an alternate completion date may not be possible. An Alternate Completion Date Request form must be submitted to the Graduate School for approval for international students or those with Graduate Assistantships.

Final paperwork approved and submitted past the posted deadline, but prior to 10th day of the fall or spring semester, requires no additional enrollment by a student. Students who choose to self-enroll but submit final documents for graduation prior to the 10th day are still responsible for any tuition/fees incurred. Submission after the 10th day of fall or spring semester will require enrollment for that semester.

When applicable, talk with your advisory committee about scheduling your final exam/oral defense for your Ph.D. dissertation. Once you decide on the details, book a room for your defense and announce your oral defense in the University Events Calendar at least two weeks before the date of your defense. Please cross-list the event in the Psychology Department calendar.

Once you submit the event, email the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator two weeks before your oral defense with the date, time, location, room number, advisor name, title of dissertation, and working copy of dissertation.

One week prior to your defense, complete and submit the Departmental Dissertation Defense form to the Psych Graduate Program Coordinator only. This form indicates your dissertation examiners and solidifies that all members involved will be present at the Ph.D. defense.

Note: The proposal reviewers must be two faculty members outside of your advisory committee. The Department requires at least one reviewer to be a member of the UConn graduate faculty; the Graduate School encourages the use of at least one reviewer from outside the University. Individual concentration programs may have policies in addition to those listed here; please check with your advisor or the director of your concentration for details of the proposal procedures in your program.