Director of Graduate Studies Handbook

Admission of New Students

Admission activities for Fall Semester are concentrated in February and March. With the electronic application process, each department has direct access to the database. When any information is received in the Graduate School, it will be sent to the program for review and recommendations. With the electronic application, each department will be able to monitor the status of the application, and if interested in a particular student who has not completed the application, the program can contact that individual to urge him/her to complete the process.

A complete application includes the following:

  • a completed online application form in Slate, the application and admissions system
  • transcripts of previous academic work
  • three letters of recommendation
  • official Graduate Record Examination scores

Following a review of the applications, the DGS will submit to his/her School Dean’s office a Recommendation for Action Form (RAF) in Slate, which outlines the proposed admission and financial award, if any. The RAF is available in each application record in Slate, once the record is moved into your DGS Review bin. In most situations, the individual school Dean decides on approval or disapproval of the recommendation made by the program. Certain programs do not have a Dean, and they should forward their RAF's directly to the Graduate School in Slate. If you have a question about the approval chain for your program, please contact Graduate School Admissions for clarification.

Most decisions are announced to applicants by March 15. On request from the DGS, the decision on admission can be made earlier than the normal cycle in February and March, and late applicants can be considered throughout the spring and summer. The latter depends on the program and its willingness to accept late applications.

The act of admission denotes the willingness of the program faculty to enter the applicant into professional status as a colleague in their discipline. This is obviously a fundamental decision. The more information the program has about the applicant, the wiser can be its decision. It is doubtful that any application can give the admissions committee all the information needed for a wise decision. Thus, the DGS is encouraged to solicit further information and clarification through communication with the applicant and even suggest a visit to the campus. This could be done to obtain further evidence of the applicant’s research and writing experience, depth of pertinent academic preparation, commitment to advanced training, and degree of interest in Vanderbilt University.

The minimum standards for admission, as established by the faculty and the Graduate School, are the following:

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or the equivalent, and proof of the degree
  • Better than a B average in the undergraduate work and especially better than a B-average in the field of intended graduate study
  • Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (including a record of official scores from ETS) that show promise for significant accomplishment in the student’s chosen field
  • Strong letters of recommendation that speak to intellectual capacity as well as research experience

Recommendations for admission of students who fail to meet these minimum standards are subject to review and may be challenged by the Dean of the individual School or by the Dean of the Graduate School. Students near the minimum may be challenged, especially if the program persistently recommends such students. Programs may see evidence that justifies admission of students whose standard qualifications seem modest. Clear statements and assessment of this evidence should be presented with the recommendation to admit on the Recommendation of Action form found in the application.

At the time that recommendations for admission are made to the School Dean, the department/program will also indicate any scholarship or fellowship awards that it wishes to make. Keep in mind that not all admissible students will receive an award. As stated above, the Recommendation for Action Form (RAF) is available in each application record in Slate, and is submitted electronically to the deans’ offices.

From the students that are being admitted, the program should also select those who should be considered for honor fellowships. In December, a notice will be mailed to all departments asking for nominations. The honor (topping-up) fellowships include: the University Graduate Fellowships ($5,000 stipend), and the Provost’s Graduate Fellowship for underrepresented populations of U.S. citizens ($5,000). The UGF and PGF awards are for up to three years and programs must commit at least five years of other support to nominees, i.e., these are topping-up awards. All nominees must be seeking the Ph.D. degree unless your program offers only the Master’s degree, in which case, they would be awards of up to two-years. Ph.D. students are eligible to apply for an additional two years of support. These nominees are reviewed and evaluated by 4 different graduate faculty committees (Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering programs, including Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry) in February. It is extremely useful to have nomination letters that clearly detail why you think each of your nominees is outstanding and how you and the program rank them. Nominators can upload the letters for PGF awards to the application on the Slate admission system, following the instructions emailed by the Graduate School each season. For UGF nominations, faculty should forward the student’s name and a brief commentary to Dean Richard Hoover. Each program may nominate up to a total of six applicants for the topping-up awards, and there is no limit to the number of nominees for the PGF. Please keep in mind that these awards are given to outstanding students who have applied to several different universities and who, with the addition of an honor fellowship, will more likely be recruited to Vanderbilt.

International Students

International applicants of good quality may be overlooked because it is difficult to evaluate credentials and equate records to the U.S. system for purposes of comparison. Credentials of applicants can be compared to those of former students in the program who have come from that particular country and institution. Questions concerning the accuracy and validity of international applicants should be forwarded to the Graduate School. It is our goal to address these questions before the application is complete. Questions concerning visas and admittance to the U.S. should be directed to the office of International Student and Scholar Services. There are also reputable credential evaluating services, such as World Education Services that evaluate foreign educational credentials for a fee, which can be paid by the prospective student.

International students’ capabilities in written and spoken English require careful assessment. The university requires that international students, whose native language is not English and who received their degree from a non-English-speaking university, take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam to demonstrate English proficiency. A score of 230 or better on the computer-based test (570 on the paper-based test and 88 on the internet-based test) is recommended for students pursuing graduate degrees at Vanderbilt. Scores on the TOEFL should not be used as a measure of the student’s intelligence or ability nor should a low score be used as a yardstick for rejecting the student. If the program feels that the student is academically acceptable but that English ability is not sufficient, this should be clearly indicated. The student can then be encouraged to improve language proficiency if still interested in attending Vanderbilt. This can be done before arriving or through courses offered at the English Language Center.

The Graduate School recently began accepting IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) scores, and has not set an official minimum requirement. However, it is safe to say that a score of at least 7.0 is desirable. Admissions decisions begin at the program level, and many programs will set their own standards for IELTS. For more information on IELTS, please see http://www.ielts.org/.

International students who are enrolled in graduate programs at Vanderbilt may find that they need to improve their language skills after they enroll in courses. The English Language Center offers courses in Academic Speaking, Academic Writing and Pronunciation for graduate students who need additional help in these areas.

Transfer Students

Students enrolled in graduate programs at other institutions, who want to come to Vanderbilt to carry out research, must be admitted to the Graduate School to allow them access to the various university services and facilities. The student must complete the Graduate School online application for admission in Slate, provide a copy of his/her transcript, and have a letter sent by the Director of Graduate Studies of the department at their home institution, indicating that he/she is a student in good standing in that department. If all is in order, they will be admitted as a Special, Non-Degree Student, with the understanding that the student will receive his/her degree from the other institution.

Students who are transferring to Vanderbilt to complete their degree, e.g., the thesis advisor is relocating to Vanderbilt University, must have a complete application on file. They must complete the entire application and provide official transcripts of their undergraduate and graduate studies and copies of letters of recommendation.

A Ph.D. and a Master’s degree student may transfer maximally up to 48 and 6 hours of credit, respectively. Usually, these transfer credits will count toward earned hours and not quality hours (didactic credits); however, in some situations, some course credit may actually be applied as quality hours, if the courses are similar to those at Vanderbilt and required by the program. Pass/fail grades are not transferable nor are research hours; however, an exception to this can be considered by a request, including a justification, from the DGS to the Graduate School, who has final approval.

Students who are transferring to the Graduate School from a professional degree program offered by other schools at Vanderbilt must submit a formal application for admission and are expected to do so no later than at the end of their first year of graduate-level studies at Vanderbilt.

Please note that no student will be permitted to enroll 10 days after classes have begun. This is a particular concern for international students who may arrive late, but must be enrolled to maintain legal immigration status. If you know that there will be a significant delay in a student’s arrival, encourage him/her to defer admission and come the following semester. Please consult with the International Student and Scholar Services office if you have specific questions or concerns regarding the student’s immigration status and visa application process.

DGS Handbook

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) assists students in their program and serves as a liaison between the program and the Graduate School. A list of Vanderbilt Directors of Graduate Studies can be found here.

Below are the typical duties of the DGS. Duties listed with an asterisk [ * ] are ones in which the DGS interacts directly with the Graduate School.

  • DGS Duties
    1. Recruiting - Spearhead the program's efforts in recruiting and attracting qualified applicants.
    2. Admissions* - Coordinate the admission of new students to the program and nominate new students for honor fellowships.
    3. Orientation - Lead in the orientation of new students into the program, the Graduate School, the University and the city. DGS should also be responsible for updating the guidelines for the program.
    4. Registration* - Aid students and the Graduate School in the registration process.
    5. Transfer of Credits*  -  Request the transfer of credits from the graduate school of an accredited institution or from a professional degree program at Vanderbilt. Learn more.
    6. Monitor Progress - Maintain records on students and monitor the progress of the students.
    7. Professional Development - Assure that teaching and research activities assigned to the student contribute to professional development and that the performance of these is appropriate.
    8. Funding Opportunities - Provide to the student information about funding opportunities from the Graduate School, such as Travel Awards and Dissertation Enhancement Grants (currently inactive), and from other sources, such as the NIH, NSF and private foundations.
    9. Ph.D. Committee & Qualifying Exam* - Submit in advance requests to appoint or revise a Ph.D. committee, arrange for the Qualifying Examination, and return to the Graduate School the completed and signed examination results form. 
    10. Requests for Extension* - On behalf of the student, and in advance, request extension to complete requirements for the Ph.D. or an extension of the deadline for taking the Qualifying Examination. Contact: graduateschool@vanderbilt.edu
    11. Request for Leave of Absence* - Request in advance, on behalf of the student, a leave of absence. Contact: graduateschool@vanderbilt.edu
    12. Dissertation Defense, Defense Results, and Intent to Graduate* - Submit in advance to the Graduate School, the date, time and place of the Dissertation Defense. When the defense has been completed, see that the completed and signed defense-results form is returned to the Graduate School. Ensure that the student has submitted an Intent to Graduate Form. Learn more.
    13. Program Spokesperson* - Act as the program's spokesperson to the Graduate School office, keeping the Graduate School informed of developments affecting the students, e.g., the termination or withdrawal of a student. Contact: graduateschool@vanderbilt.edu
    14. Awareness of Regulations - It is also important that the DGS be knowledgeable of the rules and regulations listed in the Graduate School Catalog.

Orientation of New Students

  • Graduate School Orientation

    The Graduate School hosts a mandatory orientation program for all new Graduate School students each Fall Semester, typically the Monday before classes begin.

    The program consists of a welcome from Dean Wallace who will review the mission of the Graduate School, and brief presentations from important campus services, including the Graduate Student Council, Career Development, Life Coach, University Counseling Center, the Office for Student Care Coordination, etc.  After the program, students will visit Alumni Hall for lunch and a resource fair.

    We request that programs not schedule activities on Monday between 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM, to allow students to attend this comprehensive orientation.

  • Within Individual Programs

    Keep in communication with the students during the summer prior to enrollment. Correspondence, telephone calls, and/or e-mails will let the students know that they are expected and welcome. Communication with the students gives them the opportunity to ask questions and request information. Make an effort to attend the new Graduate Student orientation at the beginning of the Fall term.

    Relocation to Nashville can be difficult for students and many come long distances, often bringing their families with them. Finding appropriate and affordable housing can be a challenge. Near campus housing is in short supply. Enlist the help of currently enrolled students in locating suitable and available accommodations. Also, contact the Off-Campus Housing Office (Ext. 2-2594) for assistance and suggestions.

    Having an informal social event before classes begin is a great ice-breaker. A reception, a coffee hour, or even a picnic in one of the nearby parks might be planned. Care should be taken to assure that the event is a time for the students and faculty to interact in an informal, non-academic setting. An off-campus location lends to the social nature of the occasion and decreases anxiety. Families should be included.

    Students, individually and/or as a group, should meet with the DGS prior to the beginning of the semester to orient the students to the department or program and to Vanderbilt University. This would be a good time to discuss and distribute information about the program’s curriculum and research interests, the rules and regulations of the department, and the program’s philosophy of graduate education. At the time of this meeting, students can be given preliminary help with their schedules for the semester. Information concerning the university facilities (libraries, cores, recreation center, etc.) and research activities in related disciplines should be mentioned as well. The students should be made aware of what is available to them as a graduate student at Vanderbilt University.

Maintaining Records and Monitoring Progress

  • Maintaining Student Records

    Accurate records are necessary if the DGS is to be effective in counseling students and monitoring progress.  In addition to a file for correspondence and information about the student, the DGS should maintain a running cumulative record of the student’s accomplishments, which includes the following information:

    • Courses taken and grades received
    • Transfer credit – what and how much
    • Number of hours taken each semester
    • Cumulative hours earned
    • Dates when language requirements, if appropriate, were met
    • Results of preliminary and qualifying examinations
    • Number of incompletes
    • Record of financial aid
    • List of Ph.D. Committee members
    • All communications with the student from DGS, adviser, Graduate School

    About one month after the beginning of each semester, the Graduate School sends to the DGS a copy of an updated transcript that the Graduate School has generated for each student in his/her program.  This should be used by the DGS to monitor the student’s progress and help make decisions about the next semester’s registration.  Also, if the department sends a request to the Graduate School, the DGS can be added to their students’ records to access by AAI (Access to Academic Information), which allows the DGS to monitor this information online.

  • Monitoring Student Progress

    As information is added to the student’s record, the DGS will need to review the record to determine if progress is satisfactory and that no problems have arisen.  Again, this should be done at a meeting with the student and his/her adviser.  Has the semester’s work been satisfactory?  Have there been delays in meeting requirements?  The Graduate School also reviews student progress each semester.  Students who have failed to maintain standards may be placed on academic probation or dismissed by the Graduate School.

    Careful attention should be made to the following when reviewing students’ progress:

    • Grade point average.  Average should be B (3.0) or above.  A student will receive a letter from the Graduate School placing him/her on probation if his/her cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0.  If this continues through the next semester and in consultation with the DGS, the student may be dismissed
    • Number of hours completed.  Attention should be given to the number of hours in formal course work – seminars, classes, and dissertation research credits.  If the student has more hours than required, he/she should be discouraged and prohibited from registering for more coursework.  It is an unnecessary expense for the student or the department/program.
    • Language Requirements (if required).  The DGS should ensure that meeting the language requirements is not delayed so that it interferes with the completion of graduate studies.  The results should be conveyed to the Graduate School as soon as completed so they may be posted on the student’s transcript.
    • Qualifying Examination.  The Qualifying Examination is a major step in a Ph.D.  program, but students’ apprehension must not permit an unreasonable delay in taking the examination. A student should pass the Qualifying Examination no later than the end of their fourth year (8 semesters) of graduate studies.  Requests for an extension of this deadline should include an explanation of the need for an extension, and must be approved by the Graduate School.


      The recommendation for appointments to a student’s Ph.D. Committee is the responsibility of the DGS, the student’s adviser and the student. Members of the Ph.D. Committee should be Graduate Faculty.  All Ph.D. committees appointed must be comprised of at least 4 faculty members, three from the student’s department and one from outside the department.  There may be more than 4 members on a committee.  The Graduate School may approve one non-Graduate Faculty member to serve on a committee.  This requires a letter of justification, i.e., why this person should be on this committee, and a copy of the proposed committee member’s curriculum vitae.  It is very important for the Graduate School to receive requests to appoint the Ph.D. Committee and schedule the qualifying examination at least two weeks before the date of the examination.  This is necessary in order to approve and appoint the committee and to verify the status of the student.  A student must have completed his/her 24 hours of didactic coursework and must have passed the language requirement, if required, before taking the exam.  The results form indicating the outcome (pass or fail) should be sent to the Graduate School immediately after the examination.   The Qualifying Examination results form must be signed by the DGS.  A student is usually given two opportunities to pass the examination.  If unsuccessful on the second attempt, the student is officially dismissed from the Graduate School unless he/she has been given the option of receiving a Master’s Degree.

    • Progress on the dissertation.  After the qualifying examination is passed, there is a four-year (8 semesters) limit for completing the dissertation.   An extension beyond this time can be sought and given with the approval of the Graduate School.  The DGS should determine that adequate progress is being made through reports from the adviser and the Ph.D. Committee and conferences with the student.  The Ph.D. Committee should check the dissertation progress at least semi-annually and report to the DGS any concerns.


      The DGS must maintain continuing relationship with the out-of-residence Ph.D. candidates to remind them of deadlines for completing the work and to encourage the committee to read and return materials quickly.


      It is also the responsibility of the DGS or the Chair of the Ph.D. Committee to notify the Graduate School of the date, time, and place of the defense and the title of the dissertation.  Since this is a public event, information about the defense should be provided at least two weeks prior to the examination to allow time for posting and circulating the information throughout the university.  It is also important that the DGS ensure that the signed results form be sent to the Graduate School immediately after the Dissertation Defense.  Once the student submits an Intent to Graduate form, the Registrar of the Graduate School will send a form for the DGS to complete to ensure further that the student has indeed met all the requirements of the program and the Graduate School and is eligible for graduation.  There are three graduation dates – May, August and December.  Those students receiving degrees in August and December may participate in the May graduation ceremony.

DGS Resources

  • Proposals to Create or Change Academic Programs (PCCAP)

    Proposals to Create or Change Academic Programs (PCCAP) are managed through the Office of Academic Program Review, Assessment, and Accreditation (OAPRAA). OAPRAA staff will support faculty or administrators with the change process and will handle the reporting of any substantive changes to Vanderbilt’s institutional accrediting agency if needed and as appropriate. Visit the OAPRAA website to schedule a help session, or email oapraa@vanderbilt.edu for assistance.

    Please note that OAPRAA is concerned with substantive changes to programs of study (as defined by federal requirements); changes to course content descriptions or titles are handled through the University Registrar.  

  • Process for Vanderbilt Graduate Programs to Eliminate the GRE Requirement

    There is a growing national trend for programs to eliminate the use of the GRE as a tool in graduate admissions, notably in the biomedical disciplines. The reasons for this trend are manifold, but largely revolve around concerns regarding the potential biases associated with this test, financial issues, and ease with which singular metrics can be used to speed the review process. The GRE Opt Out document outlines the process for graduate programs to eliminate the GRE requirement.