Graduate Manual

Graduate Manual

University of Pennsylvania Ph.D. Program In Psychology

 

1. SUMMARY OF PROGRAM

1.1. Program Elements:

·         First-year research project (Psychology 6999) OR Laboratory Rotations (Psychology 6980)

·         First-year seminar

·         Coursework

-        Proseminars (3 credit units)

-        Quantitative Methods Courses (2 credit units)

-        Elective (1 credit unit)

·         Qualifying Exam

-        Depth Component

-        Breadth Component

·         Teaching Requirement

·         Dissertation Proposal

·         Dissertation

1.2. Sample Timeline:

Year

Component

Deadline

Note

1

First-year research project (PSYC 6999) or Lab Rotations (PSYC 6980)

6999 paper is due by the end of Spring Semester (exact deadlines will be specified each year).

 

6980 papers for the fall and spring rotations have the same deadline as the 6999 paper.

A committee of 3 faculty members (advisor, insider, & outsider) conducts an oral defense of the written document. The committee is chosen by DGS, with consideration of advisor & student suggestions

 

Students choosing the rotation (6980) option do a third rotation in the summer following year 1.

1

First-Year seminar

 

Fall of first year. Non-credit seminar, but students are expected to attend.

1-3

Coursework: Proseminars (3 c.u.), Quantitative Methods (2 c.u), and Elective (1 c.u.)

Proseminar requirement and Quantitative Methods requirements must be completed by the end of year 2

 

6 c.u. requirement must be completed by the end of year 3

 

2

Forming an advisory committee

The committee should be constituted by early spring of year 2 so that it can review the proposal for the depth component of the qualifying exam.

 

Committees must meet at least once a year. The first committee meeting must take place before the end of Spring Semester Year 2.

Committees are constituted by the DGS, based on the suggestions of the student and advisor.

 

This committee is different from the PSYC 6999/6980 committee. It will conduct the qualifying exams and dissertation defense.

 

2/3

Qualifying exam, depth component (research/grant proposal)

The plan for the exam should be approved by end of the second semester of year 2.

 

The oral exam must take place by October 15 of year 3 (or by the date specified on Graduate Calendar). The written document must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the oral exam

Advisory committee and DGS need to approve the plan.

 

The committee chair should send notice of pass/fail to DGS immediately after the oral exam.

3

Qualifying exam, breadth component (review paper/meta-analysis)

The plan for the exam should be approved by the end of the first semester of year 3.

 

The oral exam must take place by the end of the second semester of year 3. The written document must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the oral exam.

Advisory committee and DGS need to approve the plan.

 

The committee chair should send notice of pass/fail to DGS immediately after the oral exam.

4/5

Dissertation proposal

No deadline—Timing varies

The committee chair should send the approval notice to DGS

5+

Dissertation, Public Seminar, and Defense

No deadline

 

Title and abstract for the Dissertation Seminar must be provided at least 10 days in advance.

 

The Dissertation must be submitted to committee at least 14 days before the Dissertation Defense.

The Dissertation Seminar (Public) and the Dissertation Defense (Closed) are distinct events, though often people choose to have them on the same day.

 

 

2. PROGRAM ELEMENTS IN DETAIL

2.1. First-Year Research Project (Psychology 6999) or Laboratory Rotations (Psychology 6980)

2.1.1. Deadlines and Requirements

Students are expected to participate in research throughout their graduate careers. This involvement in research begins in the first year. Students have two options for first-year research. The first is to complete a two-semester (fall+spring) project in one lab. Students pursuing this option register for Psychology 6999, Independent Research. The second option is to complete three semester-long rotation projects (fall, spring, summer) in different labs. Students pursuing this option register for Psychology 6980, Laboratory Rotations. 

The choice between the 6999 and 6980 options should be made as soon as possible in the first year, but in any case, no later than six weeks from the first day of classes in the fall semester. Advisors for the 6999 project and the first two laboratory rotations must be members of Psychology Graduate Group. With approval of the graduate chair, the third rotation may be conducted in the laboratory of an appropriate researcher outside of the graduate group. Please note that only Graduate Group members may supervise doctoral dissertations.

For both options, students are evaluated on their research at the end of the spring semester. Evaluation consists of both written and oral components.

For 6999s, the student writes a paper based on the first-year activities, which is orally examined by a committee consisting of the advisor and at least two other faculty members. The Graduate Group Chair (also referred to as the Director of Graduate Studies) chooses the additional faculty members for the committee based on suggestions from the advisor, who first consults with the student. 6999 papers are typically 5000 to 7500 words, excluding references, tables, and figures. This is a rough guideline, however, and students should discuss with their advisor the appropriate length, taking into consideration sub-disciplinary norms or requirements for the journals where they may intend to submit the paper. The student must submit one copy of the 6999 paper to each committee member and an additional copy for the Department’s files. The DGS will establish the deadline for submission at the beginning of the fall semester and this deadline will be published in the Graduate Calendar. Individual faculty members may not grant extensions to this deadline. Students who do not submit the 6999 paper by the deadline will not be in good standing.  At the oral exam, the student should be prepared to discuss the relevance of the chosen problem to the general area of research and the reasons for attacking the problem in this particular manner. At the end of the exam, the committee members should make every effort to reach agreement on a grade, but an average grade may be reported if necessary. Grades should be based primarily on the written paper and secondarily on the oral examination.

For 6980s, the student writes two rotation reports of 3,000 to 4,000 words each. The deadline is the same as the 6999. Students who do not submit the 6980 reports by the deadline listed in the Graduate Calendar will not be in good standing and individual faculty members may not grant extensions to the deadline. As with the 6999, there is an oral examination by a committee consisting of at least three faculty members, including the first two rotation advisors, a graduate group member who is not the student’s rotation advisor(s), and—optionally—the third rotation advisor. The DGS chooses the committee member who is not one of the rotation advisors. The oral component should focus on one of the two rotation projects. The grade will reflect performance on the two written reports and the oral exam. Only a written component is required for the third rotation, which is due no later than the third week after the start of the fall semester of the second year. The third rotation advisor assesses the written component for that rotation. The student must submit one copy of each rotation report to each committee member and an additional copy for the Department’s files.

Students who choose the 6980 option should determine, by mutual consent, the faculty with whom they would carry out their rotations. It is advisable to approach faculty about serving in this capacity as soon as possible. If a student cannot find three rotation supervisors by the end of the first six weeks of the Fall semester, they must do a 6999. Under exceptional circumstances, a student may, in the summer after the first year, choose to join the lab of one of the first two rotation advisors instead of doing a third rotation. Such a change in the rotation plan requires a petition to the DGS.

2.1.2. Scope of the Project

The scope of the project may vary significantly across areas of the department. Very broadly, 6980/6999 projects may involve new data collection or analysis of existing data. If the project involves designing a new study and collecting new data, then it is often the case that the final paper reports pilot data that would require additional data collection and analysis before it is ready for publication. If the student has conducted secondary analysis of existing data, then the expectation is that the study addresses a novel question and, in the case of a 6999, the committee might expect to see something that is close to being ready for submission.

2.1.3. Role of the Student and Advisor

The advisor and student may design the study in tandem. The student and advisor should meet regularly during the year to discuss the progress of the project, and advisors should provide advice about how to proceed, statistical analysis, and interpretation of results. The student may also seek out such advice from more senior graduate students, post-docs, or other lab personnel. The student is responsible for drafting the paper. The advisor should offer at least general recommendations regarding its form and content. This means that the advisor may offer high-level feedback about the organization and content of the manuscript, but they should not line edit the manuscript. If the student and advisor wish to submit the paper for publication before the oral defense, the student should submit a version of the paper to the DGS that reflects the student’s independent work (with high-level feedback from the advisor). The student will be examined on this version of the manuscript. The student and advisor can then proceed to collaborate more closely on a manuscript that will be submitted for publication.

2.1.4. Evaluation

Students receive a letter grade for the 6980/6999 project at the end of the spring semester. This grade is applied retroactively to 6980/6999 credits taken in the fall. Ideally, a 6980/6999 has the following characteristics:

•          The paper is well-written and provides a clear rationale for the research question and a comprehensive review of the literature.

•          The paper describes a rigorous study design that is appropriate to answer the research question, appropriate statistical tests and interpretation of results, and thoughtful discussion of the implications of the findings for research/theory/practice as well as adequate consideration of study limitations.

•          In the oral defense, the student demonstrates depth of knowledge in the literature relevant to his/her research question and clear understanding of the methods and analyses used to probe that question.

2.2. First Year Seminar (Year 1)

This is a non-credit seminar titled “Psychology at Penn.” It is organized by the DGS, and it occurs weekly in the Fall semester. It involves informal interactions with program faculty, with the goal of acquainting the students with the breadth of personnel and intellectual inquiry in the graduate group and acquainting the faculty with the members of the first-year class. First-year students are expected to attend.

2.3. Coursework (Years 1-3)

The Psychology Graduate Group typically specifies a minimum of 20 credit units before a student enters “dissertation" status. Of these, 3 credit units come from the 6999 or 6980 and 6 credit units come from required coursework. For the required coursework, 3 credit units must be from proseminars, and 2 credit units must be from quantitative courses.  The proseminar and quantitative course requirements must be fulfilled by the end of year 2. The additional credit unit of required coursework can come from graduate seminars, additional proseminars, or additional quantitative coursework, and must be completed by the end of year 3. The remaining credit units can be rounded out by registering for Psychology 9999 (Independent Research).

To remain in full-time status, a student must sign up for a minimum of three c.u.'s each semester. Typically, students sign up for 6-8 c.u.’s in year 1 (which includes 3 c.u.’s of 6980/6999) and 6 c.u.’s in years 2 and 3.

It is possible for a student to complete their coursework and research in fewer than 20 credit units. In this case, permission must be obtained from the student's advisory committee and the Graduate Group Chair.

Deviations from the normal program require the prior approval of the Graduate Group Chair. Students wishing to deviate from the normal program must write a letter stating their reasons in detail.

2.3.1. Proseminars (Psychology 6000)

Proseminars are courses offered by the Psychology department designed to provide an overview of a specific area of Psychology. Some proseminars count for a full credit unit (1 c.u.), but most count for a half credit unit (0.5 c.u.). One-credit unit (1 c.u.) proseminars meet four hours each week during the entire semester. Half credit unit (0.5 c.u.) proseminars meet four hours each week for one-half of the semester, or two hours each week during the entire semester. No specific undergraduate courses or other proseminars are prerequisites for any of the proseminars.

Proseminars have a significant evaluative component, culminating in a grade. This evaluation can take the form of an open or closed book examination, an oral examination, papers, or a combination of these. A student who wishes to be reexamined must submit a written request to the Graduate Group Chair within one week of the distribution of grades for the proseminar.

Students must take three c.u.’s of proseminars. This requirement must be completed by the end of the student’s second year, but students are encouraged to complete as much of it as possible during their first year. To ensure that students are broadly educated across different areas of psychology, students must take 1 c.u. each in the following areas: the Brain, the Individual and the Group, and the Mind.

Below is a list of the proseminars that have been offered in recent years, along with their areas. Some proseminars bridge more than one area. The student may choose, in this case, which area requirement the course will fulfill. Please note that only a small number of proseminars are offered each year. Typically, each course is offered on a 2-year or 3-year rotation.

Title

CU

Area

Cognitive Neuroscience

0.5 CU

Brain

Biological Basis of Behavior

0.5 CU

Brain

Behavioral Neuroscience

0.5 CU

Brain

Memory and Learning

0.5 CU

Brain

Neuroendocrinology

0.5 CU

Brain

Social Neuroscience

0.5 CU

Brain/Individual & Group

Social Psychology

0.5 CU

Individual & Group

Psychopathology

1 CU

Individual & Group

Social, Emotional Development

0.5 CU

Individual & Group

Judgment and Decision

0.5 CU

Individual & Group/Mind

Human Memory

0.5 CU

Mind/Brain

Animal Behavior

0.5 CU

Mind

Language

0.5 CU

Mind

Cognitive Development

0.5 CU

Mind

Perception

0.5 CU

Mind

 

2.3.2. Quantitative Methods Requirement

Students are required to take two courses (2 c.u.’s) in quantitative methods by the end of their second year. The first course is typically Applied Regression and Analysis of Variance (Psychology 6110), taken in the fall semester of their first year. This is a basic course focusing on regression methods; students with a strong prior background in statistics may petition the graduate chair to substitute a more advanced course. The second quantitative methods course should be chosen from a list of approved courses maintained by the Graduate Group Chair, which can be found here. Students may petition the DGS to take a course not on the list.

2.3.3. Graduate Seminars

Whereas the proseminar requirement is designed to provide students with broad exposure to the field of psychology, graduate seminars are designed to provide deep specialized knowledge in specific areas. Graduate seminars will be offered regularly on a variety of topics, and students are expected to participate in some of these seminars. Courses for the current and upcoming semester can be found here.

2.3.4. Psychology 9999 (Independent Research)

Psychology 9999 is not an actual course, but course credit assigned for doing research. The grade is assigned by the advisor, with the advice of the student's committee, based on written or oral reports of the student's research.

2.4. Teaching Requirement (Year 2 and beyond)

Students in year 1 are not required to teach. The teaching obligation of students in years 2-5 is determined by the following factors:

·         Students who are financially supported by funds from the School of Arts and Sciences are required to assist in the teaching of one undergraduate course per semester of SAS support in years 2-5.

·         All students, regardless of their funding source, are required to TA for at least two semesters. This two-semester minimum is intended to ensure that all graduate students acquire teaching experience.

Thus, the number of semesters that a student TAs in years 2-5 can vary from 2 (for students supported for three years or more by external funds, such as advisor research grants or individual fellowships) to 8 (for students entirely supported by funds from SAS). The program endeavors to be flexible about when the TA requirements are met, insofar as university rules will allow. However, it is most common for the TA obligations to be met early (e.g., in years 2 and 3) rather than later.

Students who receive external funding that does not provide full support will be expected to TA in proportion to the amount of funds provided by the School of Arts and Sciences. Note, for example, that NRSAs do not provide full support. Students are encouraged to speak with their advisors and the DGS about the TA'ing implications of any particular award before applying.

Teaching assistant duties typically include examination construction and grading, consultation with individual undergraduates, running discussion sections, and classroom teaching. Each teaching assistant is expected to work an average of 10 hours per week during the term, including class attendance, and to do no more than 40 hours grading any single exam. Although we consider student interests when making TA assignments, doctoral students are expected to be able to learn the material covered in any of our undergraduate courses and act as TAs for these courses.

The Psychology Graduate Group may, from time to time, adjust these requirements. Students should refer to their offer letters to determine the TA policies in force when they matriculated.

2.5. The Qualifying Examination in Areas of High Competence (Years 2 and 3)

(The requirements below pertain to students matriculating in Fall 2023 or later. Earlier classes may choose to follow the earlier version of the requirements, described here.

The purpose of the qualifying exam (sometimes referred to as the “candidacy exam” or the “major area exam”) is to demonstrate competence as a specialist in an area of psychology. The qualifying exam is divided into two parts, one aimed towards demonstrating depth of understanding, the other aimed toward demonstrating breadth.

For the depth component, students are required to write a research proposal. The default format for this proposal is a NRSA/R21 grant (1-page specific aims+6 page research strategy+references). However, the student and committee may agree to use a different format if desired. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that the student can develop and explicate a research program, including background, motivation, experimental design, predicted results, and implications. The student may, if they choose, use this as an opportunity to develop the research ideas that will constitute their dissertation. However, the research proposal in the qualifying exam is not the same as the dissertation proposal (described below), and students are not bound to complete the research described in the qualifying exam document. The depth component must be orally defended by October 15 of year 3 (or by the date specified in the graduate calendar), and the written document must be provided to the committee 2 weeks prior to the scheduled defense date. Students are responsible for scheduling the oral exam with their committee by the specified deadlines. Typically, the oral exam for each component will take 2 hours.

For the breadth component, students are required to write a review paper, or to report the results of a meta-analysis. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that the student can demonstrate breadth of knowledge across a major area of psychology. The student may choose to review the background literature in the area that will constitute their dissertation, or they may choose a different area. The typical length of a review paper is 5000-7500 words, excluding references, tables, and figures. The breadth component must be orally defended by the end of the spring semester of year 3 (or by the date specified in the graduate calendar), and the written document must be provided to the committee 2 weeks prior to the scheduled defense date.

For each component (depth and breadth), the student must submit an examination plan in advance for approval by their advisory committee. The plan should briefly describe the gap in knowledge the qualifying exam will fill, the expected organization of the document, the material that the student hopes to cover in each section of the document, and a reading list. Each plan should be no longer than 2-4 pages, double-spaced. After a period of consultation (with input from the Graduate Chair, if needed) which should not exceed four weeks, the student and committee will submit a final plan to the Graduate Chair. The Advisory Committee and the Graduate Chair must approve the final plan, taking into account the student's preferences. The plan for the depth component should be submitted, reviewed, and approved by the end of year 2 spring semester; the plan for the breadth component should be submitted, reviewed, and approved by the end of year 3 fall semester.

Immediately following the oral exam for each component, the Advisory Committee chair must notify the Graduate Group Chair in writing whether the student has passed or failed. Passing requires unanimity of three committee members, or if the committee has more than three members, a majority (not a tie). A student has at most two opportunities to pass each component. If the student fails on the first attempt, the committee should specify the extent to which the document should be changed. The student should then rewrite the document according to the committee specifications, and a second oral exam will take place. Re-examinations for the depth component must take place by the end of the fifth semester, and re-examination for the breadth component must take place by the end of the summer of the third year (i.e. before the beginning of the seventh semester). A student who fails either component of the qualifying exam on re-examination will be asked to leave the graduate program.

While preparing for the exam documents, the student should consult frequently with his or her advisor and with other committee members. Advisors and committee members may provide general comments on drafts, especially about literature that should be included in a review, but not close editing. Their involvement should not be so great as to warrant the status of co-author or co-principal-investigator. Because this is an examination, it must reflect the student's knowledge, some of which may be acquired from input while working on the exam. If the student wants to submit a portion of the qualifying exam for publication or to meet a fellowship application deadline prior to the defense, the student must submit a version of the document that reflects his or her own work to the DGS. The student and advisor may then work more closely together to prepare the work for submission to a journal or funding body.

The default arrangement is to do the depth component first, followed by the breadth component, according to the timeline described above. However, if the student, advisor, and committee agree that it would be more intellectually sensible to reverse the order of the two parts of the exam, such that the review paper is completed by Oct 15, and the research proposal by the end of the 6th semester, the student may petition the DGS to reverse the order. All deadlines for the two components, including re-examinations, will then be swapped accordingly.

2.6. Dissertation Proposal

When the student successfully completes the qualifying exams and the coursework requirements, they enter dissertation status. At some point after entering this status, they should submit a dissertation proposal to their advisory committee. The dissertation proposal should briefly describe (a) the gap in knowledge the thesis research will fill, (b) the research question(s) that will be answered in the thesis work, (c) the study design(s) or research methods, and (d) the hypotheses the student plans to test (if appropriate to the study design). The proposal should also include an outline of the chapters that will be included in the dissertation. The proposal should be no longer than 2-4 pages, double-spaced. The dissertation proposal is not formally defended, but it should be discussed with the committee, either in person or by email, and the committee chair should email the committee's approval to the DGS.

The timeline for submission of the proposal is flexible. In some cases, the student might find it helpful to draft and discuss the proposal shortly after qualifying exams are completed to ensure that the committee is in agreement about the work the student will undertake. In other cases, the student might submit a proposal early in the 5th year once she or he has a better sense of some of the results. In this case, the proposal is meant to ensure that the student and committee members are in agreement that the work the student has completed and will include in each chapter is sufficient to constitute a dissertation.

Regardless of when the student chooses to submit the proposal (i.e., before vs. after some or all of the data have been collected or studies have been completed), it is important that the student communicate in person or online with the committee about (1) what the thesis work will be and (2) how the thesis itself is shaping up and whether committee members still agree that the completed work will be adequate to earn a PhD from our graduate group. The first of these discussions would ideally happen early in the 4th year whereas the second of these discussions would ideally happen early in the 5th year.

2.7. Ph.D. Thesis, Seminar, and Defense

2.7.1. Ph.D. Dissertation

The Ph.D. dissertation is the single most important component of the graduate program. The purpose of the Ph.D. dissertation is to communicate the results of the student's doctoral research. It is the place where the student demonstrates his or her competence in the conduct and communication of scientific research. It is not the place where the student proves that he or she has worked long and diligently on research by recounting all those activities that he or she thought at the time might be relevant. It is, in short, not a special literary form, unique in that it is written expressly not to be read.

The Psychology program has not, to date, adopted specific guidelines about the type of content or number of chapters that should be included in the dissertation. It is up to the dissertation committee to decide these matters in discussion with the student. That said, the expectation is that the committee will attempt to maintain a consistent standard across students in the program. Historically, the most typical format for a dissertation has been an introductory chapter, several body chapters, each equivalent to a high-quality publishable paper, and a conclusion chapter. Note that the University Provost’s Office specifies rules for how the dissertation should be formatted. 

A student's Advisory Committee functions as the dissertation committee. The student should present the completed thesis to the advisory committee no less than two weeks before the dissertation defense. University rules limit the time for completing a dissertation. If the dissertation is not completed in time, the student must re-take the qualifying examination.

2.7.2. Dissertation Seminar

As per University rules, a public dissertation seminar must be given by each student. Often this presentation is given immediately before the dissertation defense on the same day, but a direct pairing of these two events is not required. The presentation will be open to all members of the Graduate Group; the student's Advisory Committee is expected to attend, as well as other interested faculty and students. The student must supply the Graduate Group Chair no later than 10 days before the seminar is to take place with a title and abstract for the seminar (100-150 words).

Either a member of the advisory committee or the Graduate Group Chair will preside at the seminar. The student will be given a more or less uninterrupted hour to present the research, following which there will be substantive questions and discussion. There is no necessary connection between what transpires at the dissertation seminar and approval of the dissertation, which is still entirely in the hands of the Advisory Committee. However, before finally approving the dissertation, the Advisory Committee will be expected to give due consideration to points raised by the audience at the dissertation seminar.

2.7.3. Dissertation Defense

The Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences will be notified that a student's dissertation has been approved only when the following sequence of events has been completed: first, the Graduate Group Chair confirms the occurrence of the dissertation seminar; and second, the student's committee meets as a whole with the student to conduct a Dissertation Defense. At the conclusion of the Defense, the committee must decide to:

·         Accept the dissertation as submitted

·         Accept the dissertation with minor changes to be supervised by the advisor (possibly in consultation with other committee members)

·         Reject the dissertation

Acceptance, or acceptance with revision, requires unanimity of three committee members, or, if the committee has more than three members, a majority (not a tie). Committee chairs should send the Graduate Group Chair a note specifying when the committee met, who attended, and what decision the committee reached. If the committee rejects the Dissertation, then it must meet again after a new version has been submitted to the committee. Students are required to submit a final copy of the dissertation to the Psychology Library. This is in addition to the copies required by the University's Graduate Division Office. Students are also required to pay all bills owed to the Department.

The University now provides guidance on the circumstances under which graduates may amend their dissertation after it has been deposited. For details, see here: https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/amending-dissertations/

 

3: ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF THE GRADUATE PROGRAM

3.1. Administration

The Director of Graduate Studies (also known as the Graduate Chair) is responsible for the administration of the Graduate Program. In practice, the DGS works closely with the Department Chair and the Graduate Coordinator. The DGS may, on occasion, consult the Graduate Committee, constituted by the Chair of Psychology, for advice. Ultimate responsibility for the policies of the program lies with the faculty of the Graduate Group in Psychology.

3.2. Advisors

Advisors, who must be members of the Graduate Group in Psychology, take primary responsibility for the research activities of their students, and advise them on other matters pertinent to their graduate careers. A student without a regular advisor becomes automatically the advisee of the Graduate Group Chair. In the course of a graduate career, there are two occasions when a student might be without a regular advisor:

·         At the beginning of the first year, a period of six weeks may elapse before the selection of the research supervisor for the 6999 project or 6980 rotations.

·         A period of less than one month during a change in field or switch from one advisor to another within the same field.

The student or advisor may unilaterally terminate the advising relationship at any time, except during the second semester of the first year. When this occurs, the Graduate Group Chair should be immediately informed of this fact, with appropriate explanations. Following termination of an advising relationship, it is expected that the student will be able to make satisfactory arrangements for a new advisor within one month. During this one-month period, the student and the Graduate Group Chair should work together to find a new advisor. If the student continues to be without and advisor after this one-month period, the Graduate Group Chair may convene a meeting of the Graduate Group for the purpose of deciding if the student is to be allowed to continue in the graduate program. Such a meeting must be called within six months of the termination of the advising relationship.

3.3. Advisory Committees

Beginning with the second year in residence, every graduate student will have an Advisory Committee. The general function of the Advisory Committee is to oversee all aspects of the student's education after the first year. To that end, the committee as a group will meet with the student at least once each academic year to review progress, discuss problems, and approve plans for the coming year. It is the responsibility of the student and the Advisory Committee chair to see that such a meeting is scheduled. At the discretion of the committee chair, Advisory Committee meetings may take place more frequently.

Students are expected to come prepared to Advisory Committee meetings with an update on their progress in coursework, research, and, if applicable, clinical work. The progress report should be circulated to the committee in advance of the meeting. The progress report should include a table listing the classes the student has taken (and the grades for those classes) in one column, the department requirements fulfilled by those classes in a second column, and the APA clinical psychology requirements fulfilled by those classes in a third column (for clinical students only). See here for an example. The progress report should also include (a) a list of publications plus manuscripts in preparation and under review; (b) a list of conference presentations; and (c) a list of externship placements (for clinical students only). Students should add other relevant information to the progress report (e.g., workshops, fellowships or grants, teaching certifications, etc.).

After each meeting, the Advisory Committee chair will write a brief report summarizing the conclusions of the committee; a copy of this report will be sent to the Graduate Group Chair. It will be appropriate in such a report to comment on unusual achievements, or to discuss current deficiencies and potential problems.

In the student's third year, the Advisory Committee will set and evaluate the Qualifying Examination. After completion of this examination, the committee will evaluate the student's dissertation proposal and, eventually, the completed dissertation.

Each Advisory Committee will consist of at least three members of the Graduate Group. (Co-advisors count as one, not two.) Additional members of the committee need not be members of the Graduate Group or even of the standing faculty. The committee must have an advisor and a chair. The chair cannot be the advisor. The advisor and the chair must be faculty members in the Graduate Group. Except for the student's advisor, the Graduate Group Chair, who will be guided primarily by the recommendations of the student and the advisor, appoints all members of the Advisory Committee. In appointing Advisory Committees, the Graduate Group Chair will also make an effort to see to it that a number of different but relevant points of view are represented on the committee, and that committee assignments are distributed as evenly as possible across the faculty.

3.4. Grades and Academic Standing

The standard letter grading system employed by the Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences will be used to evaluate performance in all graduate courses in psychology. The graduate school provides the following verbal equivalents of these grades:

A+ Outstanding
 A Excellent
 A- Very Good
 B+ Good
 B Minimally Acceptable
 B- Poor
 C Failure

A student must be in good academic standing to remain in the graduate program. For a student to be in good standing at the end of the first year, the student must have a grade of A- or better for at least one proseminar (or proseminar equivalent) or on the student’s Independent Research (6980 or 6999) and have submitted the 6980/6999 report by the deadline listed in the Graduate Calendar. In addition, the student may have no more than one c.u. at a grade of B- or worse. However, at its spring meeting, the Graduate Group may vote to allow a student who is not in good standing to remain in the program on a provisional basis, subject to significant improvement in grades. The expectations for remaining in the program on this basis must be approved by the graduate group chair. In subsequent years, good academic standing means having: no more than 1/8 of all c.u. with grades of B- or worse, and no less than 1/8 of all c.u. with grades of A- or better.

3.5. Clinical Program and Joint Marketing/Psychology Ph.D. Program

Some students in the Psychology Ph.D. program may choose to participate in the Clinical Training Program, or the joint Marketing/Psychology Ph.D. program. Students in these programs continue to have the Psychology Ph.D. program as their primary affiliation. They are responsible for meeting all the requirements of the Psychology Ph.D. program (although some deadlines may be modified).

For detailed information about admission to the clinical program, clinical program requirements, outcomes and all other matters specific to clinical training, see the Clinical Training Program.

For detailed information about admission to the joint Marketing/Psychology Ph.D. program and program requirements, see Joint Marketing/Psychology Ph.D. program.

3.6. Duration of Financial Support

Beginning with students admitted in fall, 2009, the Department commits itself to support each graduate student for five years of work. The Department expects full time effort in return for its support during the five years of the program. Thus, students may not engage in outside employment while on departmental support. In exceptional circumstances, such outside employment may be in the educational interest of the student. If the student believes this to be so, the student should apply in writing to the Graduate Group Chair for permission to take such outside employment. The student should explain why the employment is in his or her educational interest. The Graduate Group Chair will consult with the student, his or her advisor, and committee before deciding on the merits of the case. Note that employment within the department and the university (including teaching) is considered “outside employment.”

3.7. Master’s Degree

Although the Graduate Group does not have a Master's program, a student who has successfully completed the first year program, and 8 c.u.'s, may apply for an M.A. Degree. The paper associated with a 6999 is viewed by the Graduate Group as being similar to a Master’s Thesis. Students taking the 6980 (Rotation) would be expected to write a research paper based on one of the rotation projects to be considered for a M.A. This paper is expected to be written as if it were being submitted to a journal (e.g., APA style) and must be evaluated Pass/Fail by the rotation advisor. This additional paper is not required for a 6980 unless the student wishes to apply for an M.A. Degree. If the Graduate Group asks a student to leave the graduate program, it also decides whether the student's performance to date merits the award of a terminal M.A. degree.

3.8. Leaves of Absence

Students will be granted a leave of absence for military duty, family leave, or medical reasons. Other kinds of leave may be granted under exceptional circumstances. Details about how to apply for a leave of absence can be found here: https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/phdstudentleaveofabsence/

3.9. Disabilities

Students who have a disability and are in need of reasonable accommodations should contact the Office of Student Disability Services.

3.10. Nondiscrimination Statement

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106; or (215) 898-6993 (Voice) or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).

3.11. Office of the Ombuds

Students who are having interpersonal issues with advisors, faculty members, or other graduate students that they would like to discuss informally and confidentially are encouraged to contact the office of the Ombuds. The Office of the Ombuds is available to listen and inquire into issues or complaints; to explore options for informal resolution of conflicts; to mediate specific disputes; to clarify and examine university policies and procedures; and to connect you with appropriate resources within the University. They also advise and make recommendations to the administration about procedures or policies that need to be revisited, modified or clarified.

 The ombudsman operates independently of the University hierarchy, reporting only to an executive officer in the President’s Center in order to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest.

 The Office of the Ombuds conducts its business in accordance with principles of confidentiality, neutrality, and informality.  “Confidentiality” means that staff of the Office will not disclose any information you share with them, unless you have given them permission to do so. The exception to this confidentiality is if you disclose information that gives reasonable cause to believe that there is an imminent risk of serious harm to you or someone else. The Office of the Ombuds neither takes a side in a dispute, nor advocates for an individual, a particular point of view, office, school, center, department or any other party. They do not keep the names of individuals who visit the office, or any documents or materials. The Ombuds will keep no formal record of your visit.

 More information about the Office of Ombuds can be found at http://www.upenn.edu/ombuds/