Michigan Tech's process of Internal Review of Graduate Programs asks the question: Is the program itself performing the way we think it should?
The Graduate Programs Outcomes (GPO) Internal Review is a periodic exercise undertaken by graduate programs at Michigan Tech in cooperation with the Graduate School. The exercise is a year-long process of data compilation (by the Graduate School) and data examination (by the programs) with the goal of examining the degree to which the program is meeting its own and the University's expectation for program outcomes, such as time-to-degree, completion and attrition rates, and student satisfaction. This is a regularly scheduled process, taking place every 5-6 years, depending on the external review customs of the discipline. The overall goal of the Internal Review is continuous improvement of graduate programs.
The GPO Internal Review process culminates in a report prepared by the program and the Graduate Dean's response to that report. The report and response, along with the cumulative Annual Graduate Student Learning Outcomes (GSLO) Assessment Reports from the program, are key resources preparing for external graduate program reviews, which take place periodically, as scheduled and organized by the Provost's Office. The Procedure for Periodic External Review of Academic Degree Programs may be found on the Provost's website.
More questions on graduate program review? See our FAQ page.