Academic Affairs Review

Academic Affairs Review (AAR) meetings are vital, collaborative conversations about the strengths and stressors of The Graduate School’s programs, across schools, fields, campuses, and disciplines. The process enables TGS to understand the status and trajectory of individual graduate programs and to identify emerging opportunities and challenges across the graduate education landscape that may warrant school-wide discussion, policy development, or additional support.

These discussions provide an invaluable opportunity for TGS to strengthen our shared and distinct goals for graduate education, maintain the essential partnership between TGS and the program leaders that we serve and support, and ensure that high quality is maintained for each TGS degree program.

How the Review Works

Each graduate program participates in a formal Academic Affairs Review every three years. Schools may also request more frequent or targeted reviews for specific programs. In a program’s review year, the process unfolds in four stages.

Fall: Planning

TGS meets with partner school associate deans to discuss the programs slated for review, school-specific priorities, and program strengths and challenges. Programs up for review then receive their data report and a program questionnaire, with about four to six weeks to review their data, consult colleagues, and respond.

Winter: Preparation

TGS builds each meeting agenda around the priorities identified by the program and its school, gathers additional data, and invites other TGS staff or campus partners to join the conversation as appropriate. Programs are asked to update their graduate placement information and submit their current program handbook during this period. TGS shares a final agenda with program and school leadership at least two weeks before each meeting.

Spring: Review Meeting

Review meetings are held in spring quarter (March through June). TGS invites the program’s chair, Director of Graduate Studies, admissions officer, and program administrator(s) to attend. TGS, program, and school leaders discuss the agenda and identify action items that further promote program and student success.

After the Meeting: Recap and Follow-Up

Meetings are documented using Zoom or Microsoft Copilot transcripts and summaries. Within three weeks, TGS sends a concise recap email, and programs are invited to suggest corrections. Specific action items are included in the meeting summary and tracked by TGS Academic Affairs and school leadership, drawing on campus offices and resources as needed.

What Programs Can Expect

Programs up for review receive their data report and program questionnaire together in the fall. The two are meant to be read side by side: the data report gives TGS and the program a common starting point, and the questionnaire invites program leadership to add context and set priorities for the review meeting. We encourage programs to share the report with departmental colleagues to gather additional perspectives before responding.

Programs that are not up for review can request an updated data report in any interim year by emailing tgsacademicaffairs@northwestern.edu.

Data Report

Prepared with the Office of Institutional Research, the data report includes:

• Admissions overview: application, admission, and enrollment figures for recent cohorts, as well as win/loss data on peer competitors
• Admitted student surveys: admitted applicant perspectives on recruitment, program quality, and student life
• Student outcomes: time-to-degree, attrition, academic outcomes, and instances of probation
• Exit surveys: graduate perspectives on program quality, satisfaction, advising, professional development, and climate
• Placement outcomes: where graduates go after completing their degree

Program Questionnaire

The questionnaire takes about 20 minutes, with one response per program. It asks about:

• Program snapshot: current strengths, notable changes since the last review, and progress on goals set in previous meetings
• Strengths and stressors: areas such as recruitment, funding, advising and mentoring, curriculum, time-to-degree, student well-being, career preparation, and program administration
• Reflections on the data report: what stands out and any points that raise questions or need clarification
• Trends in the field: developments in the discipline, job market, or applicant pool that affect the program
• Meeting priorities: the top two or three topics to discuss, including any that involve school leadership or campus offices

Review Schedule

The schedule below lists each graduate program’s review year under the three-year cycle. Some related programs are reviewed together in a single joint meeting; these are noted under the program name. Schedules may be adjusted as needed, and schools may request an earlier review for any program.

2026-27 Reviews

2027-28 Reviews

 2028-29 Reviews

Last updated: October 2026