CHD Meeting Schedule
The Committee on Higher Degrees meets to review submissions of PhD, SM, and AB/SM program plans, qualifying exam committees, and qualifying exam delay requests throughout the Fall and Spring terms. Approximate submission deadlines are provided below for your reference, but are not final. The Office of Academic Programs cannot guarantee that submissions made after a meeting's deadline will be reviewed during that meeting cycle. Please look for emails from gradalerts@seas.harvard.edu or ximena@seas.harvard.edu for final deadlines.*
All CHD submission forms can be found on our website's Graduate Student Forms page.
Note that the CHD expects PhD students not to petition for a revised Program Plan less than a year prior to the final defense. If your coursework deviates from your previously-approved plan, be sure to submit a revised version promptly.
| Month of Meeting: | Submission Deadline (estimated) | Main topics (although other student petitions are welcome) |
|---|---|---|
| August/September | August 15 | Program Plan updates for Fall Add/Drop |
| October | October 1 | Plan updates for Spring Preregistration |
| November | November 1 | G2 Qual Committee Declarations & Dean's Nominee Assignments |
| January | December 10 | AB/SM Plan updates (ahead of Allocation deadline) and Plan updates for Spring Add/Drop |
| February | February 1 | G1 Initial PhD Plans and G2 Qual Exam delay requests |
| March | March 1 | Newly Admitted AB/SM Plans and Plan updates ahead of Fall Preregistration |
| April/May | April 15 | General submissions |
*SEAS PhD and AB/SM students can expect to receive notices via emails from gradalerts@seas.harvard.edu (PhD) or ximena@seas.harvard.edu (AB/SM) prior to meetings with more detailed information, including the final deadline, instructions for submissions, and general reminders. If you do not receive these emails, or if you have other questions regarding the CHD, please contact the Office of Academic Programs at gradprograms@seas.harvard.edu.