II.A. Introduction
Each student is required to select an adviser who, along with the student’s Area Training Committee, assists in designing a Plan of Study intended to facilitate attainment of the student’s long-term professional goals. This document, together with the professional vita, comprise a system for developing and monitoring the student's program. The Plan of Study establishes a time line for activities required for graduation and those geared toward individual goals.
For the Plan of Study to facilitate progress, the student should prepare a realistic document and refer to it regularly. Students and their advisers use the Plan of Study during preregistration to determine the courses that should be taken during the coming semester. In the annual evaluation of the student's progress, the Program Area Training Committee assesses the correspondence between the student's activities and the Plan of Study. The Plan of Study form and significant deadlines are listed in the Program Area Supplements.
II.B. Advising Committee
II.B.1. Membership
Advising Committees consist of the core and associate faculty members of the student’s Area Training Committee. The student’s adviser and two other Area Training Committee members sign the student’s Plan of Study form on behalf of the Area Training Committee. One of these members must be outside the student’s Program Area. Clinical Child and Clinical students must have at least one signature from an Area Training Committee member who is not a clinical psychologist. The third signature will be provided by another core Area member.
II.B.2. Selecting an Adviser
The Program Area Coordinator appoints a temporary adviser for each student when they enter the program. Students then select an adviser, who heads their Advising Committee, by October 1 of their first year.
The adviser must be a core member of the student’s Area Training Committee. Note that the adviser is not necessarily the student’s research supervisor. Students should talk with several faculty members and other students before selecting an adviser. After making a tentative decision on an adviser, the student should meet with this individual to discuss mutual interests and the student's professional goals. The student should obtain the faculty member's explicit consent to serve as an adviser, and must inform the Graduate Records Assistant of the name of his or her adviser by October 1. The student can change his or her adviser at any time during graduate training (see Sections II.B.3and II.C.3 below).
II.B.3. Replacing the Adviser
If a faculty member is unable or unwilling to continue as an adviser, the student is responsible for obtaining a replacement. The student also may choose to replace the adviser. GTC will notify the replaced adviser after approving the change. Changes in adviser are handled in the same way as changes in the Plan of Study (see Section II.C.3 below).
II.C. Plan of Study
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Components of the Plan of Study
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Obtaining Approval of the Plan of Study
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Changing the Plan of Study
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Changing the "Elective Courses and Experiences"
II.C.1. Components of the Plan of Study
Career Plans and Objectives - The student prepares a brief statement (1-2 paragraphs) of career plans and objectives. This statement is used by the Advising Committee to assess the appropriateness of the student’s choices of electives and to recommend any additional experiences that may help the student reach his or her objectives.
Required and Elective Courses - The student should review the course requirements of his or her Program Area and projected Departmental course offerings before drafting a Plan of Study. A two-year schedule of projected courses is provided each fall.
General Department requirements are listed in Section III of this Handbook and on the Plan of Study form. Program Area requirements are listed in the Program Area Supplements and on the Plan of Study form.
Recommended elective courses should be listed on the “Elective Courses and Experiences” form. If any of the courses are required for graduation, the credits should be listed on the Plan of Study under “Additional Requirements.”
The student should consult with his or her adviser about areas in which additional training or experience is needed to meet the student's professional goals, and should select electives accordingly. If desired courses are not included in upcoming offerings, the student can consult relevant faculty members about using Independent Study (PSYC 795) to cover the material. Electives may be taken outside the Department of Psychology with approval of the Advising Committee. Electives may be designated with generic titles (e.g. "course in human behavior") on the “Elective Courses and Experiences” form without listing a specific course title and number.
Students cannot register Pass/Fail for any graduate course included in the Plan of Study (see the WVU Graduate Catalog).
Course waivers - Waiver request forms for any courses in the Plan of Study that the student wishes to waive must be attached to the Plan of Study. See Section III for further information on obtaining course waivers.
Additional Requirements - Some Program Areas have additional requirements that are not met by taking courses. These requirements are outlined in Section III and in the Program Area Supplements. Where appropriate, the student should complete the requested information for these requirements.
Department and Program Deadlines - Where requested, completion dates for academic milestones must be specified in the Plan of Study. The dates specified should be either the probation dates listed in Section V or the probation dates specified in the appropriate Program Area Supplement, whichever are earlier. A list of dates for insertion into the Plan of Study will be provided to first-year students by the Director of Graduate Training each fall.
II.C.2. Obtaining Approval of the Plan of Study
Advising Committee approval - Students review a draft of the Plan of Study with their adviser and incorporate any suggestions into the Plan of Study presented to the Advising Committee. The student submits the Plan of Study to their Area Training Coordinator by October 15. The Area Training Committee reviews and approves each Plan of Study during an Area meeting. Review of Plans of Study is considered student business, so student representatives are not present at these deliberations. The student whose Plan of Study is being reviewed may be invited to attend or may request to attend the meeting, but is not required to be present. The final version of the Plan of Study completed at this meeting (or modified and resubmitted by the student) must be submitted to the GTC by January 15.
Review by the GTC - The GTC reviews each student's Plan of Study. The GTC notifies the student either that the Plan of Study is acceptable or that revisions are necessary. When approved, the Director of Graduate Training places a copy of the Plan of Study in the student's file and sends a copy to the College Graduate Office. The “Elective Courses and Experiences” page is retained only in the student’s Department file.
II.C.3. Changing the Plan of Study
To amend the Plan of Study (including changing the adviser), the student submits a Plan of Study Amendment Form to his or her Area Training Coordinator. The amendment is then reviewed by the Area Training Committee and, if approved, signed by three Advising Committee members (the adviser, one core member, and one Associate member; note that these members do not have to be the same individuals who signed the original Plan of Study). If the adviser is being replaced, the form must be signed by the new adviser. The amendment is then reviewed by the GTC. If the GTC approves the amendment, the Director of Graduate Training attaches it to the Plan of Study in the student's file and sends a copy to the College Graduate Office. Note that the GTC will not consider requests to substitute a course that a student has already taken for one that is listed in the Plan of Study. Such requests must be made prior to taking the potential substitute course.
If the GTC does not accept an amendment, it may require that the student adhere to the existing Plan of Study or provide additional documentation. If the changes in the Plan of Study become too numerous or if the student's activities continue to differ from the Plan of Study, the GTC may require that a new Plan of Study be developed and approved.
II.C.4. Changing the "Elective Courses and Experiences"
Student requests for changes in the courses and experiences listed on the “Elective Courses and Experiences” form should be submitted to the Area Coordinator in writing. The Area Training Committee will consider the request, and, if approved, the Area Coordinator will indicate the change on the form retained in the student’s department file.