General overview of schedule for graduate students



Detailed descriptions are provided by, and vary, with each program.

​Default timeline for a SFRC PhD student



First semester
  • Idea development
  • Discuss potential committee members. See committee page for specific requirements.
  • Begin adding committee members

Second semester
  • Develop study plan. See study plan page and template for specific requirements.
  • Complete core committee members
  • First committee meeting - mid to end of semester
    • discuss overall interests 
    • discuss summer research plans and objectives
    • discuss and sign off on study plan

Summer 1 - ranges from exploratory research to publishable research depending on student

Third semester
  • Second committee meeting - start of Fall semester
    • ​Discus summer advances
    • Discuss in more detail PhD research interests
  • Over semester write up a PhD research proposal per guidelines on 'students' page
  • Share research proposal with committee and have 1-2 rounds of revisions (by late mid semester)
  • Third committee meeting - late-mid Fall semester
    • Proposal defense - See 'students' page for detailed information.
      • 20 minute presentation of proposed research
      • Discussion of research proposal
  • Share revised final proposal with committee - Late-end of Fall semester

Fourth semester
  • Assign themes and format for each committee member
  • Written qualifying exams - mid Spring semester
  • Oral qualifying exam - Late Spring semester

Summer 2 - PhD research suitable for inclusion as a chapter

Fifth to sixth semester (if on a 4 year plan)
  • Field data collection, analysis and writing
  • Often conducting extensive field work or based entirely at field sites depending

Seventh semester (if on a 4 year plan)
  • Final exam / Thesis defense - late-mid Fall semester. See 'students' page for detailed information.

Eighth semester (if on a 4 year plan)
  • Complete revised version of PhD
  • Submit to UF graduate school
  • ​Graduation (typically May)

​Default timeline for a SFRC MS student



First semester
  • Idea development
  • Discuss potential committee members. See committee page for specific requirements.
  • Begin adding committee members

Second semester
  • Develop study plan. See study plan page and template for specific requirements.
  • Complete core committee members
  • First committee meeting - start of semester
  • discuss overall interests
  • discuss and sign off on study plan
  • Second committee meeting - mid to end of semester
    • discuss summer research plans and objectives
    • Over semester write up a MS research proposal per guidelines on 'students' pagE
    • Share research proposal with committee and have 1 round of revisions (by late mid semester)

Summer - MS research suitable for inclusion as a chapter (s). Manuscript format.

Third semester
  • Data analysis and write up
  • Thesis defense - late semester

Fourth semester
  • Complete revised version of MS
  • Submit to UF graduate school
  • ​Graduation (typically May)