Doctoral Progress Tracker — Navigating Uncertain Terrain

Introduction

Starting a doctoral program in rhetoric and composition means entering a field with its own vocabulary, culture, and unspoken expectations — and doing so largely without a map. This guide is an attempt to provide that map. It was designed for students at every stage of their PhD journey. Inside, you will find year-by-year planning templates, explanations of major milestones like comprehensive exams and the prospectus, career-track guides for six different professional paths in the field, and a glossary that defines the acronyms and terms that tend to get used without explanation.

Nothing in this document is a substitute for conversations with your advisor — requirements vary by program, and your advisor is always your best source for specifics. Think of this guide as a starting point for those conversations, a reference you can return to throughout your five years, and a reminder that the path to a PhD is rarely linear but is absolutely navigable.

These appendices are designed to help graduate students plan Years 1–5 in the program. Use them as guides, not strict rules. Consult your advisor and program handbook to adapt timelines and deadlines to your institution.

This file lives entirely in your browser. Your progress is saved automatically to this device's local storage. It will not sync across devices or browsers, so if you switch computers, use Export backup (bottom of the Milestones tab) to save a copy and Import backup to restore it elsewhere.

📄 Export as PDF (button at the top of the page) opens your browser's print dialog with a clean, printer-friendly layout of everything you've filled in across all four tabs — buttons and edit boxes are hidden automatically. Choose "Save as PDF" as the destination/printer instead of printing on paper. If you filter the Milestones tab by track, year, type, or search first, only that filtered set will appear in the PDF.

What's inside

Milestones & Requirements — every required and suggested item across Years 1–8+, filterable by your career track (tenure-track, teaching/WPA, writing center, industry, technical & professional communication, or community-engaged public rhetorics). Every field is editable, and you can delete any item that doesn't apply to you.

Semester Planner — a term-by-term grid for courses and other responsibilities, Years 1–5, fully editable and expandable.

Individual Development Plan (IDP) — yearly goals across degree progress, skills, career, personal wellbeing, and funding, plus a summary table that fills in automatically as you go.

Glossary — key acronyms and terms used throughout (RCWS, WPA, IDP, prospectus, etc.), plus room to add your own.

Rhetoric and Composition Tracks

These are the six career-track paths from the article. Pick one (or several) in the Milestones tab to filter the tracker down to just your path — General items always show alongside your track, since they apply to everyone.

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Status	Item	Year	Type	Track	Evidence / Deliverable	Reviewers	Deadline	Access Planning Note	Notes

This table is wide — scroll sideways within the box above to see every column, or shrink your browser's zoom level.

Add your own item

Import backup

Semester-by-Semester Planner (Years 1–5+)

Fill in your actual course names and other responsibilities each term. Students in Year 3+ typically register for very specific courses and credits — confirm with your institution. Every field is editable; delete a term if it doesn't apply, or add extra terms below.

Term	Year	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Other Responsibilities	Status

Add a term

Individual Development Plan

Set goals for each year across degree progress, skills, career, personal wellbeing, and funding. Revisit and edit at the start of each academic year. The summary table below fills in automatically as you type.

Summary Table

This updates automatically from the cards above — it's a read-only rollup, so make your edits up there.

Year	Degree Goals	Skills Goals	Career Goals	Personal Goals	Funding Goals	Access Planning

Committee Selection Summary

Aim for a committee with (1) subject expertise, (2) methodological expertise, (3) intellectual alignment, and (4) an external reader when appropriate.

Important note: If you don't mesh with the faculty member at your university who is supposed to be an expert in your subject matter, don't work with them. Identify another faculty member willing to support your research and find other ways to develop your knowledge of the research subject through other mentoring relationships.

Mentor Roles

Fill in who fills each role for you, and any notes about that relationship. Delete a role that doesn't apply, or add your own below.

Mentor Role	Who Fills This Role	Notes

Add a mentor role

Job Market Dossier

What a dossier is: a curated packet of materials used when applying for academic jobs.

Typical contents are listed below. Track your progress on each, and use the "Audience & Length" column to note guidance as you learn it from your advisor or program (for example: teaching philosophy — 1 page; research statement — 2 pages). Delete anything that doesn't apply to your search, or add items below.

Status	Item	Audience & Length	Notes

Add a dossier item

Term	Definition