The IDP provides resources to help you evaluate your professional skills and interests in:

  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Research Skills
  • Communication (writing and speaking)
  • Professionalism
  • Management and Leadership
  • Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Career Advancement

This information will be used to build the necessary skill set and to help in decisions regarding your future career options. The role of the dissertation mentor is to help you to either achieve these skills or identify resources that can augment your skills or inform your career decisions. The IDP is to be reviewed annually.

The HSOR graduate program will use the IDP at Science Careers (http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/). All incoming students will complete this IDP by December 1 of their first (Fall) semester in the program and discuss their results with a faculty advisor.   You are to annually retake the IDP and review the results with your mentor. You will complete the IDP Annual Review form (available under Forms) and use this in your discussions with your mentor to establish your academic and professional goals. Progress towards accomplishments of these goals and the Plan of Study are reported in your end of the year progress report and annual evaluation form. The mentor should sign the form and copies are to be placed in your file kept by the graduate program (Dr. Euler’s office) and in your file kept by the Office of Research & Graduate Education.

Plan of Study

Content

The Plan of Study should reflect the areas of expertise in which the student will receive didactic training, the student’s research skills area, thesis or dissertation topic, and expected competencies for graduate committee evaluation. The plan must be developed by the student and their research advisor, submitted and approved by the (i) student’s PhD dissertation committee, (ii) Graduate Program Director, (iii) Dean of the School of Pharmacy or the ADRGP, and (iv) Assistant Vice President for Graduate Education.

Submission

The Plan of Study should be submitted prior to completing 30 credit hours, exclusive of research. This would mean before end of summer semester of a student’s first year. Approval of the Plan of Study establishes a contractual agreement between the student and the University with respect to the details of what the student must accomplish to be eligible for the desired degree. Changes in the Plan of Study at some future date require joint approval by the dissertation graduate committee and the student.

Revisions

For small changes in an approved Plan of Study, a letter of request should be submitted to the HSCGP office. For major changes in a program, a revised Plan of Study must be submitted for approval. Please refer to the “WVU Health Sciences Center Graduate Program Plan of Study” form for more specific directives concerning these types of Plan of Study modifications.

Research Progress Report and Annual Evaluation

Six monthly progress reports and annual evaluations are required of all PhD students to determine satisfactory progression towards the degree goal. Also, students receiving graduate assistantships (RA or TA) must note that these are awarded on an annual appointment basis and will be continued only with satisfactory progress in the areas of teaching, research and coursework.   Before the formation of the dissertation committee, students are expected to meet with their advisors regularly and submit written evaluations and progress reports to the SOP Office of Student Services (semi-annual and annual evaluations). After the dissertation committee is formed, student dissertation committees are expected to meet at a minimum of every six months.

Each year, SOP graduate students are required to submit the following evaluations, approved by their major advisor and committee:

1) Semi‐Annual/Advisory Committee Progress Report, due December 15,

2) Annual Student Evaluation Form and Progress Report, due June 15.

After each submission, the GRAC formally reviews the academic progress of each student. Based on these reviews, a summary letter is generated by the Graduate Program Director for each student annually at the beginning of the fall semester, distributed to the students and their mentors, and placed in the student files.