Academic Progress

Psychology Good Standing Policy

Defines "good standing" for the department, college, and university and informs students of the timeline for degree milestones. This policy is maintained in the Graduate Student Handbook along with links to administrative forms; guidance on addressing extenuating circumstances; and academic warning, probation, dismissal, and appeal procedures.

Psychology Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes are documented in the UMN Graduate Catalog entries for the Psychology PhD and Psychology MA, and in the Graduate Student Handbook.

University Policies on Academic Progress

• Doctoral: Performance Standards and Academic Progress: Policy and FAQ
• Master’s: Performance Standards and Academic Progress: Policy and FAQ

Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) manages electronic forms that all graduate students must complete to obtain their degree. Access to these forms, and guidance on the timing for when they should be completed, are maintained in the following overviews:

• PhD Degree Completion Steps
• Plan A MA (with thesis) Degree Completion Steps
• Plan B MA (capstone) Degree Completion Steps

GSSP’s guidance is general and does not address departmental or area-level requirements, procedures, or forms. Consult the Graduate Student Handbook and your area handbook to ensure you complete all degree steps at the appropriate time, including departmental scheduling requirements for preliminary and final exams. Students completing a predoctoral internship typically have a different timeline for their final steps and when to apply to graduate.

The Graduate School requires all master’s and doctoral students to be reviewed annually and notified of whether or not they are meeting progress standards. This is accomplished through an Annual Progress Review (APR) that students submit each spring for comment by their advisor(s), the ADGS, and the DGS.

The “Satisfactory Progress and Annual Review” section of the Graduate Student Handbook provides an overview of the timing and scope of the review. Resources for Spring 2025 reporting are as follows:

• Annual Progress Report - Draft Answers Template (view access): we recommend that you make a copy of this document to draft your annual review.  
• Spring 2026 APR Instructions and Deadlines (sent by email to all Psychology PhD students on 4/7/26).

If you are experiencing extenuating circumstances, or if other factors are impacting your timeline for degree progress steps, reach out proactively. More options for support are typically available with advance notice, and before a determination of unsatisfactory progress is made.

Your advisor(s), the DGS, and the ADGS are all available for consultation and to help you plan for adjustments to your timeline, as appropriate to your situation. More information on addressing extenuating circumstances is also provided in the Graduate Student Handbook.