Semester and Annual Evaluations

To assist students in making positive progress in their graduate program, the following are minimum requirements for written evaluations and meetings (or use handbooks for MS AT and MS PSD for students in those programs):

  1. End-of-semester evaluation with faculty advisor for those with research assistantships by December 1 in fall and by April 15 in spring.
  2. End-of-semester evaluation with faculty supervisor for teaching for those with teaching assistantships by December 1 in fall and by April 15 in spring.
  3. Completion of annual student progress form for overall performance and progress in the graduate program for graduate students. A meeting with the faculty advisor to discuss the annual progress form is recommended. If a student fails to submit a Student Progress Report, the student will be placed on probation.
    1. Consult the program guidelines for evaluation and meeting schedules for MS Athletic Training, MS PSD, and MS Dietetics (online).
  4. Students will submit these evaluations electronically to the NHS Graduate Coordinator by the stated deadline. Completed forms will be shared with faculty advisors and securely retrained in the graduate program records.

At the recommended annual meeting to review student progress, the student will present a summary of his/her past academic and research accomplishments and plans. Students should work with their faculty advisors to establish an agenda to determine if additional elements, such as an oral report, are required. The annual committee meeting may coincide with completing supervisory committee and memorandum of courses (program of study) paperwork or other milestone, e.g., proposal defense, in addition to reviewing the student evaluation form. The faculty advisor, or supervisory committee, or a graduate student may call a meeting to review a student’s performance at any time with two week's notice.

If a student does not meet expectations, the student will be placed on probation. Examples of not meeting expectations include if a student does not spend enough time in the lab, is not synthesizing research concepts, does not use proper controls, cannot make conclusions from research results, and fails to meet with Supervisory Committee once per year. A written six-month improvement plan must be submitted to the NHS Graduate Committee. The student will provide a written progress report at three months, followed by a supervisory committee meeting at six months. At the six-month supervisory committee meeting, all supervisory committee members must approve if the student has completed the plan and is making satisfactory progress. If the student fails to achieve satisfactory status, the student will be terminated from the graduate program.

A written letter or memo must be submitted to the NHS Graduate Committee to report any change in status.