An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a structured tool designed to help graduate students identify, plan, and track their academic, professional, and personal growth. It serves as a roadmap to guide skill development, set actionable goals, and map out strategies for success
Expectations for IDP Use:
- All graduate students are encouraged to use an IDP throughout their program.
- We recommend reviewing your IDP each fall and updating it in the spring in collaboration with your faculty advisor or mentor.
- Some academic programs may require an IDP as part of their annual review process—consult your department for specific guidelines. While IDPs may be required by programs, they are not submitted to the Graduate School for review.
Grad School IDP Worksheet & Template
The Grad School IDP is a structured guide to help you plan and track your progress throughout your graduate experience. It balances goal-setting, resource identification, and self-reflection, allowing for flexibility as your goals evolve.
What’s Included:
- Self-assessment to reflect on strengths, areas for growth, and long-term vision.
- SMART goal-setting to create 3-5 actionable short-term goals for the academic year.
- A structured IDP template to document goals, action steps, and review schedules.
- Guidance on reviewing & revising the IDP as a living document with advisor feedback.
Download: [DOCX]
Archived IDP Versions
These past versions of the Grad School IDP remain available for reference:
Grad School IDP (Condensed)
A simplified version for quick and straightforward goal setting.
Download: [PDF] [DOCX]
Grad School IDP (Original)
A comprehensive IDP aligned with the GradEssentials framework, designed for in-depth competency-based planning.
Download: [PDF] [DOCX]
Other IDP Resources
For students exploring career-specific IDP options, these external resources may be helpful:
myIDP
myIDP is a free, web-based career-planning tool for graduate students and postdocs in the sciences to define and pursue their career goals.
Imagine PhD
Imagine PhD is an online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and alumni in the humanities and social sciences (though master’s and PhDs in all disciplines will find it useful).