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PhD Students

A number of forms need to be submitted to the graduate college and/or to your Program of Study (POS) committee as you progress through your academic tenure at Iowa State University. Below you will find the forms you need in chronological order.

Please note: You may need to re-submit forms if there are changes in your POS or committee. Submit completed forms with appropriate signatures to Judy Weiland at N247 Lagomarcino Hall. Track your progress by clicking here for Procedures for Earning a Doctor of Philosophy Degree at Iowa State University.

1st Year

Committee Appointment Form – This form is submitted once you have identified the faculty members that will serve on your committee. Click here for the form.

Program of Study Form – This form is like an academic contract and must be signed by your committee at your first committee meeting. On this form, you must indicate which classes you intend to take and which credits/courses you are transferring in to your POS. Click here for the form.

If you need additional room to list the courses on your Program of Study, please click here for a supplement form.

Learning Portfolio Rubrics – There are eight rubrics that must be completed and presented during one of your first committee meetings. The rubrics are later revisited to assess progress along with artifacts that support your experience. The revisited rubrics are typically presented to your committee once you have completed and presented your capstone project. This meeting is also known as your preliminary oral exam or capstone defense. The following are links to the forms in Microsoft Word format.
Click on each rubric title to download:

2nd Year

Request to Change Committee Form – This completed form must be signed and submitted to Judy Weiland if the composition of your committee has changed. Click here for the form.

Modification to the POS Form – This completed form must be signed and submitted to Judy Weiland if you are no longer taking a course that was in your original Program of Study. This form must also be completed if you are adding a course that will take the place of another course on your POS. Click here for the form.

Request to Pursue a Certificate – If you plan to add a certificate to your graduate degree (e.g., Social Justice Certificate) please submit the completed form to Judy Weiland. Click here for the form.

3rd Year

Preliminary Oral Examination (aka Capstone Defense)

• Request for Preliminary Oral Examination form (See Judy Weiland) Submit at least 2 weeks before taking the Preliminary Oral Examination
• Preliminary Oral Examination taken at least 6 months before the final oral examination
• Report of Preliminary Oral Examination (sent to the student’s program or major professor when the request is approved)
  Submit immediately following the examination.

4th Year

 Final Oral Examination (aka Dissertation Defense)

• Request for Final Oral Examination Form (See Judy Weiland) Submit to Graduate College at least 3 weeks before taking the Final Oral Examination
• Final Oral Examination [Required of all graduate students except for those receiving an MBA]
• Take after completing all course work (or the same semester as last class(es) are being taken)
• Report of Final Oral Examination (sent to student’s program or major professor after request is approved) Submit to Graduate College immediately following the examination.

Thesis / Dissertation Submission Form (PDF) (MS Word)

Thesis Checklist
Graduation Check for Approved

Application for Graduation (Diploma Slip) - Submit at the end of the first week of classes of the semester of graduation (Fall and Spring). Click here for the form.

IMPORTANT DATES

The following link will direct you to important submission dates required for events such as financial aid, thesis/dissertation timelines, graduation, and the academic calendar. Click here to see the important dates.

PhD REQUIRED COURSES