graduate students
Plan of Study
This page is only for those Purdue University graduate students who have been formally admitted to a residential program in the College of Education.
Who is this information for?
This page is only for those Purdue University graduate students who have been formally admitted to a residential program in the College of Education.
Online and Hybrid Students
Online and hybrid students should work with their assigned enrollment specialist on the procedure for registration.
ABA 4+1 Program Students
Students admitted to the ABA 4+1 program should work with their undergraduate advisor on registration while completing the undergraduate portion of the program.
International Students
International students should carefully review all of the Purdue ISS requirements for registration (Fall/Spring and Summer) and online course registration for students on an F-1 visa and students on a J-1 visa.
Introduction to the Electronic Plan of Study
The Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars (OGSPS) requires all students in a degree-seeking program (MSEd, EdS, and PhD) to submit an electronic plan of study.
- For MSEd students, it is recommended to submit the plan of study sometime during the second semester. Please see the College of Education Master’s Checklist that is emailed to students at the time of admission or contact the Graduate Office.
- For PhD students, it is recommended to submit the plan of study by the end of the third semester. Please see the College of Education PhD Checklist that is emailed to students at the time of admission or contact the Graduate Office.
The approval process can be lengthy, so submit as early as possible. The plan of study must be approved before the preliminary exam can be scheduled.
Students will work with their assigned faculty advisor regarding the plan of study and course sequencing prior to the submission of the plan of study. Faculty advisors also review and determine approval for any course substitutions, transfer courses, and credits that may be used from previous programs. Faculty advisors provide guidance on all academic matters, and the Office of Graduate Studies staff provide support on the procedural/paperwork aspect of the plan of study submission as well as ensuring students meet departmental, college, and university policies.
There are policies at the OGSPS, College, and department level that guide the plan of study. These policies vary by department and also by degree objective. These policies are provided to all new residential graduate students with the Welcome Letter upon admission and emailed to students in the fall and spring semester via the COEGRAD mailing list. Students are encouraged to save the most recent version of the policy documents for future reference. If you have any questions about policies or about how to subscribe to COEGRAD, please email the Graduate Office.
Once you have met with your faculty advisor to discuss and finalize your plan of study, you will need to complete the technical steps of drafting and submitting the plan of study.
For the Electronic Plan of Study Generator Student Instructions, navigate to the Graduate Student Forms webpage, and select “Plan of Study” under the Instructions for Electronic Forms section. These instructions provide step-by-step guidance with screenshots for how to submit your electronic plan of study.
Once the plan of study is submitted and approved, there may be instances when a student needs to submit a change to a plan of study. These reasons for submitting a change might include,
- A change to the student’s committee chair or committee member(s)
- A change to the semester in which a course was taken
Be sure to discuss any changes with your advisor/committee chair before submitting a change request. *If you are planning to change your committee chair/advisor, please first reach out to our office.
For the Change Request Instructions, navigate to the Graduate Student Forms webpage, and select “Change to the Plan of Study” under the Instructions for Electronic Forms section. These instructions provide step-by-step guidance with screenshots for how to submit a Change Request to update your plan of study.
