Preparing Effective Graduate Program Handbooks

Overview

• ASU Charter.
• Concrete inclusion statement.
• A brief introduction to the program’s vision and mission, including its purpose and uniqueness. characteristics, as well as potential career outlook.

Program General Admissions Information (online and immersion) 

• Admission requirements and application processes.
• Tuition costs, fees and residency requirements.
• Contact information for graduate program coordinators and key advisors.
• List or overview of faculty.
• Student statements or testimonials.

Program Requirements 

• Required coursework and electives.
• Other elements that constitute the degree program, such as internships, practicum, research credits, language requirements, candidacy guidelines, etc.
• Options for specializations and certifications.
• Satisfactory academic progress (e.g., program requirements beyond Graduate College standards). 
• Provisional acceptance guidelines.
• GPA and course grade minimums may be stricter than the minimums outlined in the Graduate College handbook).
• Time-to-degree requirements if shorter than Graduate College standards.
• Details about exams (deadlines, evaluations, etc.).
• Graduation requirements.

Information About Culminating Events

• Culminating experience guidelines and deadlines.
• Procedures and resources for selecting a faculty advisor and master or doctoral committee.
• Roles and responsibilities of graduate students and committee members, including mentoring and evaluations along the way.

Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity 

• Student Code of Conduct summary and appropriate links.
• Criteria for what constitutes a violation of professional standards.
• Link to the University’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Department and University Procedures and Policies 

• Registration and withdrawal from program/class.
• Transferring credits from other programs. 
• Continuous enrollment policy (forms).
• Interactive plan of study (iPOS) and other graduation procedures. Policies for leaves of absence from coursework.
• Dismissal criteria.
• Arizona Board of Regent’s Code of Conduct.

Financial Assistance Policies and Procedures

• Graduate fellowships and assistantships (teaching, research).
• Links to appropriate policy guides for assistantships.
• Use of departmental resources.
• Absence and leave policies for assistantships.
• Performance evaluation processes.

Conduct and Conflict Resolution

Clearly describe all grievance and appeal procedures. Note that these must correspond to school and university policies.

Department and University Resources 

• Academics and professional development (e.g., libraries, writing centers, career services, professional development workshops and opportunities).
• Student support services (e.g., International Student Services, Housing, Health, Counseling, Disability Resources, Veterans, and Graduate Professional Student Association).
• Business and Finance services (e.g., parking and transit, student accounts, ID cards).
• Campus amenities (e.g., stores, banks, eateries).
• Contact information (e.g., Provost’s Office, Graduate College, GPSA Outreach, IT Help Office, department’s assigned librarian, emergency services).

Archiving and Graduate College Standards 

• Graduate College policy requires programs to:
• Date the handbook upon each update, notify students about the update and send a copy to the Graduate College.
• Archive all prior versions of handbooks and make them accessible to students who are under grandfathered clauses.
• Provide students with information about access to archived versions of handbooks.

Program Handbook Exemplars

• ASU College of Health Solutions, Auditory and Language Neuroscience, MS Student Handbook
• ASU New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Psychology, MS Student Handbook
• ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy and Evaluation  Student Handbook
• Doctoral/Specialist Inclusive Program in School Psychology, University of Washington
• University of Maryland School of Music Academic Handbook