Forms

Instructions

Student Responsibility

Students are responsible for filling out forms prior to the relevant meeting or defense so that they are ready for faculty signatures and other information that must be completed by a faculty member. Take the form to the relevant meeting or event or send digitally to advisor.

Program Plan Forms

All masters’ students starting their program in Fall 2019, 2020 or 2021 or later should use the program plan forms labeled as such. Masters’ students starting their program in Fall 2022 and later should use the form labeled in that way.

All doctoral students starting their program in Fall 2019 or later should use the program plan forms labeled as such.

All former students should use the relevant previous program planning form unless you choose to change to a new program. If so, you will be bound by the new requirements, and should complete a Program Change form.

Page 2

Page 2 for all Program Plan forms is located in “Other Forms” list.

Use Page 2 only if needed:

  • if there are not enough lines on the main program plan page and you need more lines for program plan-required courses;
  • if you are pursuing a dual degree, certification, or specialization.

Fillable Forms and Digital Signatures

REVISED FORMS: Note that many forms now require committee signatures only from your advisor rather than all committee members (because all MS and PhD students will now be using the GradPlan system within the new SIS). However, we still need forms for internal review and to access information that is not clear within GradPlan.

All forms are fillable, including signature blocks. Use digital signatures whenever possible. (If any person in the sequence of signators signs by hand and/or scans the file before forwarding to the next signator, the form is no longer “digitally signable” by subsequent signators.)

We will return incorrectly completed forms/documents prior to our processing. To use forms effectively:

  • Download relevant form to your computer before beginning to complete it, then open all forms with Adobe Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat Pro (not Preview or Read Only).
  • Give your file a new name by adding your “last name, first name” at the beginning of the file title.
  • When forwarding for signatures, sign it yourself, then send to your advisor, then send in sequence to other signators. Do NOT send the form simultaneously to multiple people for signatures.
  • If your submission requires pages in addition to the signable "form" page (descriptions, essays, letters of support, explanations, budgets, etc.), create a PDF of each document first; then combine all the PDF files (including the "form" page) into a single PDF file before beginning any of the digital signatures. (Pages cannot be combined after signing.) If you need help with combining the files, contact the Graduate Secretary.

Guidelines for Program Planning Forms for All MS and PhD Students

After completing and submitting the relevant approved internal Program Planning form below, all MS-A, MS-B, and PhD students should enter the list of all your committee members’ names, which will be circulated for approval. Log in from URL: “student.msu.edu"

After your committee has been approved in GradSIS, you can enter your Course Plan. This plan then will be circulated electronically for digital signatures by all committee members. The Graduate Program Director (form checker) will not approve this Course Plan until the course list exactly matches your approved CSUS/STPAM Program Planning form.

Committee members will receive a link via email from gradsis@grd.msu.edu. The subject line will include either “Request to Serve on MSU Guidance Committee” or “GradPlan Request Needing Review.” (Students should track committee members' signatures and contact them if they do not sign in a timely manner.) Committee members also can access the instructions on their “Worklist” page. For details, faculty members should see the Faculty Job Aid.

Students can find guidelines based on the student view in the Student Job Aid.

MS-A Forms

MS-B Forms

PhD Forms

Other Forms

Department Information

Students

Groups, Centers, and Institutes

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