University-Wide Policies vs. School-Specific Policies for PhD Students
Washington University has restructured its PhD programs. In this new structure, the Office of the Provost will oversee those policies and elements of WashU graduate programming that require a centralized, coordinated approach.
The administration of the following policies and university-wide components will be maintained under the vice provost for graduate education. General questions pertaining to these areas may be directed to the office of the VPGE.
Each school will continue to administer and maintain admissions, finances, and enrollment management for its PhD programs. Examples of policies and practices administered by the schools include:
- Admissions decisions, deferrals, and matriculation
- Tuition remission, stipend disbursement and health insurance subsidies
- Registration, graduation, grade changes, advisor assignments, milestone record-keeping, dissertation submissions, and degree verifications
- Leaves of absence, withdrawal, reinstatement, probation, and dismissal
Doctoral Council
The Doctoral Council is a standing committee of Washington University in St. Louis that is advisory to the provost, and represents the faculty and students of schools granting the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.
Mentored Experience Requirement
Doctoral students at Washington University must complete a department defined Mentored Experience. The Mentored Experience Requirement is a doctoral degree milestone that is notated on the student transcript, when complete. Each department has an established Mentored Experience Implementation Plan in which the number of semesters in which a student must engage in a Mentored Teaching or Mentored Professional Experience is defined. The Mentored Experience Implementation Plans outline how doctoral students within the discipline will be mentored to achieve competencies in teaching at basic and advanced levels. Some departments may elect to include Mentored Professional Experiences as an avenue to complete one or more semesters of the Mentored Experience Requirement. Doctoral students will enroll in Mentored Teaching Experience or Mentored Professional Experience to signify progression in completing the overall Mentored Experience Requirement for the degree.