Graduate Student Roadmap

Before Arrival

• Complete the New Student Checklist from the CAHNRS Graduate Center. It is the primary guide for new students; this roadmap supplements it.
• Create your Network ID and OKTA account for access to myWSU, WSU email, Canvas, and Workday.
• Register for classes in myWSU, ideally before arrival, so you obtain the courses you need, the department can gauge enrollment demand, and your assistantship appointment can process, which requires full-time enrollment. Consult your advisor before registering.
• Complete the CITI Responsible Conduct of Research training, including Conflict of Interest. Most agriculture students take the Physical Science module; do not select the RCR module for admins.
• F-1 students are issued the I-20 upon admission by the Graduate School and download it from myWSU. Direct visa and SEVIS questions to the Office of International Students Services (Bryan Hall 206).

Upon Arrival

• Introduce yourself to the department Administrative Manager, Melissa Bills (ITB 3039), for your desk assignment and keys. Some keys require your major professor’s approval by email. Students at a Research and Extension Center contact the business office staff at their location for the same items.
• Obtain your Cougar Card (CUB G60), required for access to the Vogel PBS and Plant Sciences buildings. Students away from Pullman contact the Cougar Card Center for instructions specific to their situation.
• Complete Workday onboarding: I-9, Federal Withholding Elections (W-4), payment elections, and Social Security number.
• Complete the safety orientation with your advisor. Pullman students submit the checklist to the Administrative Manager; REC students confirm required training with their advisor and the relevant REC Safety Committee Chair.
• Domestic students begin establishing Washington State residency immediately. Several items must be completed within the first 30 days, including vehicle registration, driver’s license or state ID, and voter registration. Out-of-state tuition waivers are guaranteed for one year only.

Accessed through the HRS New Employee Training website, and renewed annually except where noted.

Required Trainings

• Employee Rights and Responsibilities under Executive Policy 15
• Ethics in Public Service (Executive Policy 45)
• Cyber Security Awareness at WSU
• Hazing Prevention
• Safety Training for WSU Employees, completed once at the time of hire, with any Environmental Health and Safety training your laboratory requires

The First Semester

• Select your advisory committee. At least one member must be located on the Pullman campus; for students whose major advisor is based at a Research and Extension Center, that member serves as campus advisor and can provide lab space when you are in Pullman.
• Enroll full-time. Students on assistantship must enroll for a minimum of 10 credits, with a recommended average of 10 to 12, including at least one credit of PL_P 700 or 800 each fall and spring.
• Complete a Credit Expectations Agreement with your advisor by the end of the second week of class, and in every subsequent semester in which you are enrolled in research credits.
• Begin attending the PL_P 515 seminar series (Mondays, 4:10 PM), in person or via Zoom if based at a REC. Attendance is required of all graduate students, whether or not registered for credit.

Program of Study

The Program of Study confirms your committee composition and lists all coursework taken and planned, including transfer credit, which cannot exceed half of the graded credits listed. Submit the signed form to your Graduate Academic Coordinator, who files it with the Graduate School via myWSU. You may not take an exam in the same semester in which you submit it.

Coursework and Seminars

Both degrees require PL_P 429 (General Plant Pathology) and PL_P 570 (Techniques in Plant Pathology), each offered fall semester only. Ph.D. students additionally complete organismal courses. Changes to the core curriculum are decided case by case, with approval of the committee chair and the Department Chair, where equivalent coursework was completed elsewhere.

Dissertation Proposal and Preliminary Examination

• Dissertation Research Proposal. Initiate it at the start of the second semester and defend it before your Doctoral Committee by the end of the third semester, emailing the proposal to all members at least 10 business days in advance. The final proposal must be approved by the end of the fourth semester; if it is not, an Unsatisfactory grade is recorded for your PL_P 800 credits, and students may not receive an Unsatisfactory grade for more than two semesters.
• Oral Preliminary Examination. Typically taken at the end of the second year, after most coursework is complete, and no later than 4 months before the oral dissertation defense. You need an approved Program of Study on file, no more than 6 graded credits outstanding, and must schedule the exam at least 10 working days in advance. Studying for the preliminary examination is done on your own time.
• Completion deadline. After passing prelims, the degree must be earned within four years, and within 10 years from the earliest course on the Program of Study. The Graduate School states this deadline in its notification that you have passed.

Final Examination and Graduation

• Convene a committee meeting one semester before your anticipated defense to agree on the date, timeline, and members’ availability.
• Give all committee members a complete draft, read and approved by your major advisor, at least one month before the examination. Committee members are asked to return drafts within 30 days.
• Apply for graduation, generally about three months in advance. An approved Program of Study and a 3.0 cumulative GPA are required.
• Schedule the examination at least 10 working days in advance by submitting the Defense Exam Scheduling Form. The form must be signed by your advisor, all committee members, and the Chair of the Department of Plant Pathology before submission to the Graduate School. By signing the form, committee members confirm that they have reviewed the thesis or dissertation and consider it ready for defense. Upload the complete draft to ProQuest and submit a PDF copy to your Graduate Academic Coordinator for display purposes.
• The examination consists of the public Final Defense Seminar followed by the oral examination, held on the same day where possible. Your advisor and all committee members must attend both. Together, the presentation and question-and-answer period may not exceed two and one-half hours, and the examination is recessed if any balloting member must leave.
• Examinations are held in Pullman or at a Research and Extension Center, with the student, major professor, and committee in attendance.
• Within 10 working days of a successful examination, submit the Thesis/Dissertation Approval form and the Hold Harmless and Copyright Acknowledgment form, and update ProQuest with the final revised document.