Advising

• The Graduate School encourages all UMN faculty who advise graduate students to have a formal advising statement to share with advisees and provides sample statements from UMN faculty.
• Training and support resources for advisors include:
  • Art of Advising video series, UMN Graduate School.
  • Mentor training from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Psychology faculty are encouraged to complete the following asynchronous sessions:
    • Optimizing the Practice of Mentoring 101: For Research Mentors of Graduate Students, Fellows, and Early-Career Faculty
    • Enhancing Motivation Using the CARES Mentoring Model 
  • Mental Health Advocate training. 
  • Guide to Advising and Mentoring International Graduate Students.
  • Graduate Student Advising Guide and other resources from the Dignity Project, Student Counseling Services (SCS).
  • Best and Worst Practices in Graduate Advising, SCS Dignity Project.
• Many UMN policies govern graduate education. For assistance with interpreting policy or finding relevant policies for a specific scenario, please contact the Associate Director of Graduate Studies.

• Individual Development Plan - encourage students to set and pursue short and long-term goals.
• Transferrable Skills Checklist - helps students assess current skills and identify areas for development.
• CLA Graduate Career Services - refer students for career exploration and job search support.

Policies

Graduate students are expected to meet the following progress standards to maintain good standing in their program. Faculty concerned about a student’s progress are encouraged to consult with the Area Director, DGS, and/or ADGS, as appropriate to the situation, to identify appropriate next steps. 

• Good Standing Policy, Department of Psychology (full policy statement is in the Graduate Student Handbook)
• Doctoral: Performance Standards and Academic Progress: Policy and FAQ
• Master’s: Performance Standards and Academic Progress: Policy and FAQ

Annual Progress Report (APR)

All UMN master’s and PhD students must be reviewed annually and notified of their progress. Psychology uses the electronic workflow maintained by the Graduate School to meet this requirement. Resources are available to support your review: 

• Graduate Student Handbook section titled “Satisfactory Progress and Annual Review” for an overview of the APR process, outcomes, follow-up procedures, and probation policies.
• Mockup of the electronic APR form - what you will see in the online report.
• Annual Progress Report Draft Answers Template - for students to draft answers to share with you in advance of progress meetings.
• Instructions and deadlines for Spring 2024 - faculty and students email announcements (April 17 release).

Consult with the DGS and ADGS if you have questions or concerns about a student's progress and how it should be documented on the APR. Please especially note the following:

• Only students continuing in the program past June submit a report. 
• Address delays to area/department degree progression steps in comments.
• The primary advisor makes the determination of satisfactory/unsatisfactory progress. The decision cannot be changed once submitted in the system.
• APRS formally document a student's status in the program and inform whether/how additional disciplinary steps proceed, if appropriate. 
  • Students on probation should receive an unsatisfactory determination unless the APR is documenting improvement for a return to good standing. 
  • If you have significant concerns about a student's progress, it may be appropriate to give an unsatisfactory rating, which could result in further action. 
  • It becomes more difficult to implement consequences if a student has received a satisfactory report despite significant concerns
• The DGS determines whether a department warning, performance plan, and/or probation are appropriate responses to unsatisfactory progress.

Annual Progress Reports can be stressful for students, even when they are making excellent progress. Please watch for and respond quickly to red flags such as non-responsiveness and disengagement, which may signal student distress. 

Access

Advisors can access GPAS via two paths:

• MyU>Advisor Center (Key Links dropdown menu).
• MyU>My Advisees (left navigation bar).

To see the courses from enrollment being applied to degree requirements: After selecting the student's record from your advisee list, select "academic requirements" in the Other Academic Information dropdown menu on the left side of the Student Center tab. Click "expand all" to see fulfilled requirements.

To see the courses from enrollment plus any future coursework the student has planned in GPAS: Click the GPAS link on the left side of the Student Center tab, then click "Plan by My Requirements." Click "expand all" to see fulfilled requirements.

Exceptions

Exceptions are used to modify the requirements and/or the courses meeting specific requirements for an individual student. This creates flexibility within the articulated curriculum (PhD and MA).

In Psychology, advisors, area directors, and the DGS approve exception requests with an email confirmation. Exceptions are currently submitted by the ADGS (preferred) or the student, and applied in the GPAS system by the ADGS. 

Note: Certain courses are always manually applied to requirements. These will be processed by the ADGS without prior approval or notification to align with documented requirements. Example: Requirements to take specific topics in PSY 8960 must be manually processed. 

Planning & Monitoring Coursework Progress

GPAS tracks students’ progress toward coursework requirements but does not automatically support the planning of future courses. Students are expected to review their GPAS each semester to confirm they are on track for timely completion of coursework requirements as communicated by the area and established in consultation with their advisor(s).

Advisors are encouraged to support this process by reviewing advisees’ GPAS and discussing plans for unfulfilled coursework requirements. Step-by-step review instructions are available to support advisors' process.

Planner Review

The primary advisor is responsible for reviewing and approving the student’s coursework in the Graduate Planning and Audit System (GPAS). This is typically done in the spring of a student’s third year in the program. 

• Step-by-step GPAS approval instructions for advisors in Psychology
• Zoom GPAS walkthroughs are also available upon request; email the ADGS to set up an appointment. 
   

Resources for Faculty

• The Red Folder: Identify and respond to signs of distress in your students.
• Learn about the challenges and opportunities for supporting International graduate students’ mental health.
• Missing or Unresponsive Student: Template language for outreach and guidance on procedures from the Office for Student Affairs.

Mental Health Advocates (MHA)

MHAs are trained staff and faculty volunteers who serve as resources to students and colleagues about the mental health resources available on campus. MHAs take active steps each month to make positive changes impacting student mental health within their sphere of influence. 

• Darian Schwietz (schwi232@umn.edu), Program Assistant/Area Support for CSPR & PIB 
• Michael Houlahan (mhoulaha@umn.edu), Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
• Laura Luepke (luep0007@umn.edu), Associate Director of Graduate Studies
• Liza Meredith (mere0032@umn,edu), Assistant Teaching Professor
• Christina Wiencke (choldvog@umn.edu), Associate Director of Curriculum and Instructior

A full list of MHAs is also available; you may consult with any MHA on the list.