Forms & Resources

Forming a Guidance Committee and Planning Your Courses

• GradPlan Overview [pdf] – User guide explaining what GradPlan is and how it works.
• Non-Tenure and Non-Regular Faculty Request Instructions – If you choose to have a non-MSU committee member these are the instructions you need to follow to have them added to your committee.
• Foreign Language Proficiency Plan [pdf] – Take these sheets with you to your first guidance committee meeting. The department requires proficiency in two foreign languages, waivers and language requirements must be decided at the first meeting.
• Language Form [pdf] – Once language competency has been fulfilled, please fill out this form and collect the necessary signatures. This should be turned into the Academic Programs Coordinator no later than your second year.

Comprehensive Exams

• Comprehensive Exam Proposal [pdf] –This form needs to be filled out and turned in when your committee meets during your 2nd year to discuss the format and content of your comprehensive exams.
• Record of Comprehensive Exams [pdf] – Form used at oral exam for your committee to sign off- both written and oral exams.
• Record of Dissertation Proposal [pdf] – Within six weeks but normally discussed at the time oral comprehensive exams.

Dissertation Defense

• PhD Record of Dissertation and Oral Examination [pdf] – Bring this filled out form to your defense and have all your committee members sign it and return it to the Graduate Secretary.

Miscellaneous

• Travel funding request – Application for travel funding from advisor, department, college and/or graduate school.
• Travel Authorization – Must be filled out for any travel where you are a representative of MSU (conferences, research, etc.)

The History Department encourages graduate students to interact with other graduate students and professionals by attending history conferences hosted in the US and around the globe. Students who have been selected to present at a conference are eligible to apply for a travel fellowship to cover all or part of the cost. Please look at the following instructions on how to apply and what is required. Any questions should be directed to the Academic Programs Coordinator.

Please turn in the following if you are traveling to present at a conference:

• Travel Request Funding Form [pdf]
• Supplemental information form [pdf]
• Travel Authorization (Microsoft Office form)
• A budget similar to Sample Conference Trip Budget [pdf]
• Brief description of the conference, including the following:
  • Indicate that you are enrolled in the semester that funding will be awarded.
  • Name of the conference or professional meeting.
  • Title of the research to be presented and the list of authors.
  • The date(s) and the location of the conference.
  • An email or letter from the conference organizers, stating you have been chosen to present.
• Please turn in everything but the Travel Authorization if you are presenting at a virtual conference, where no travel is required.
• Your major professor (advisor) must sign off in BOTH places on the form. After YOU get these signatures give the form to the Graduate Secretary and they will get the rest.
• Budgets should include transportation (airfare, mileage, Michigan Flyer), hotel, and conference fees. When possible, please consider sharing a room with a fellow conference attendee. This helps us send more students to more conferences.
• If you receive funding it will be in the form of a fellowship and deposited into your student account. This can take up to 2 weeks from the date the fellowship is submitted (not the date you gave us your request). You MUST be enrolled in the semester funding is disbursed. If you have an outstanding balance on your account (tuition, fees) the travel money will cover that first.
• If you are traveling internationally, please see additional instructions here: Graduate School Travel Funding.
• We MUST receive your conference funding request no later than March 4. Please plan ahead for any summer requests, because they will not be accepted from March 5 – August 31.
• The form is routed through the Department, the College and the Graduate School*. All are likely to give a little bit to help fund your conference. 

*The Graduate School will only give $1,000 maximum per student for travel, over the student’s entire career at MSU.

In addition to the information found in this handbook, students should read and regularly consult the university-wide handbook from the Office of Spartan Experiences. Of particular interest there is the section on “Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities.”