Graduate Student Guide
Welcome to the PBS Knowledge guide for graduate students. This section covers everything you need to know about tracking your milestones, completing required forms, and moving through your thesis or dissertation in the system.
Getting Started
Accessing the System
- Visit dartmouthpbs.org
- Click "Sign In" and authenticate with your Dartmouth credentials
- Your account is linked to your graduate student profile
If you see a "No Student Selected" or "account is not linked" message after signing in, contact an administrator to link your account to your student profile.
Your Dashboard
Your home page is the student dashboard at /dashboard/student. Alongside your profile information, graduate students see milestone widgets:
| Widget | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Mentoring | Your current fall/spring check-in form and its status |
| Presentations | Presentations completed this year and your next registered talk |
| Annual Review | Your annual review status and due date |
| Dissertation/Thesis Progress | Your current stage and committee (appears from year 2, or earlier if started) |
Each widget has a button that takes you straight to the matching workflow page.
The Five Graduate Workflows
Mentoring Check-In Forms
Twice a year (fall and spring) you complete a short check-in form about your research, coursework, and goals. Your mentoring committee reviews it and provides feedback.
Learn more about Mentoring Forms →
Annual Review
A comprehensive yearly self-assessment combined with faculty input, a committee meeting, and a summary letter that is released back to you.
Learn more about the Annual Review →
Master's Thesis
A four-step workflow covering defense scheduling, thesis submission, the defense itself, and final document submission.
Learn more about the Master's Thesis →
Dissertation
The PhD workflow: proposal submission and defense, private defense, public defense, and final submission to Guarini.
Learn more about the Dissertation →
Presentation Registration
Register brownbag talks and research presentations so they count toward your area's presentation requirement.
Learn more about Presentation Registration →
Where Things Live in the UI
All workflow pages are reachable from your dashboard widgets, or directly:
| Page | URL |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | /dashboard/student |
| Mentoring check-in form | /graduate/mentoring |
| Annual review | /graduate/annual-review |
| Master's thesis | /graduate/masters-thesis |
| Dissertation | /graduate/dissertation |
| Presentation registration | /graduate/presentation-registration |
Every page has a breadcrumb back to the dashboard, and submitting or cancelling a form returns you there.
How Approvals Work
All graduate approvals run through a single unified workflow system. When you submit a form:
- Your submission's status becomes Submitted
- An approval record is created for each required reviewer (for example, your primary advisor, secondary advisor, and peer mentor)
- Each reviewer approves independently; you can see per-reviewer progress on the form page after submitting
- When all reviewers have approved, the item is marked Approved (or moves to its next stage)
- If a reviewer requests changes, the status becomes Revision Requested and the form reopens for editing so you can resubmit
You do not need to email reviewers — they are notified automatically when you submit.
Drafts and Autosave
Wizard forms save drafts as you work, so you can leave a partially completed form and return to it later. Forms can be edited while they are in Draft or Revision Requested status; once submitted they become read-only until a decision is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I open a step in the thesis or dissertation workflow?
Steps unlock in order. A locked step shows which earlier steps must be completed first. Steps labeled "Faculty" (such as recording a defense outcome) can only be completed by faculty or administrators.
Who is on my mentoring committee?
Your mentoring committee consists of your primary advisor, secondary advisor, and peer mentor. Committee assignments are managed by the department; contact the graduate administrator if yours looks wrong.
I don't see an annual review for this year
Annual reviews are initiated by the department each academic year. If review season has started and you don't have one, contact the graduate program administrator.
Getting Help
- Program questions - Contact your primary advisor or the graduate committee chair
- Technical issues - Email pbs.knowledge@dartmouth.edu
- Committee or record corrections - Contact the PBS graduate administrator