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University of Florida

Individual Development Plan

Your IDP is a blueprint for academic and professional collaboration with your faculty mentor.

Faculty members conferencing with graduate students

Your Individual Development Plan (IDP) helps guide your work with your faculty advisor by aligning your personal and professional goals with your academic expectations and responsibilities.

It’s a tool to help you reflect on your skills, set meaningful goals, and map out steps that will support your success in graduate school and beyond.

Since 2017, all Doctor of Philosophy students at the University of Florida are required to complete an IDP.

What is the format of an IDP?

The Graduate School offers two general IDP templates:

However, your program may use a different format or have its own expectations. Every IDP includes a self-assessment of your current skills and interests, a set of goals for the coming year based on that assessment, and a collaborative action plan developed with your advisor to help you build your skill set.

How will an IDP help me?

An IDP gives you a clear way to have productive conversations with your advisor about your goals, expectations, and progress. You’ll revisit your IDP each year, updating it as your interests, skills, and priorities evolve. This helps you turn big, long-term goals into smaller, manageable steps you can actually work toward.

Does my IDP replace my plan of study?
An IDP does not replace your plan of study. It can serve as a complement and could be reviewed concurrently with your plan of study. The formal academic requirements and milestones of a program may still be outlined and monitored via a plan of study.

How should I write my goals?

Writing clear goals and how you will reach them is an important part of completing your graduate degree program. Using the S.M.A.R.T. goal format may be helpful in clarifying your goals for the future. In this format, goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

I’m not sure what to write. Who should I contact for help?

It’s all right if you are unable to provide clear answers on parts of the IDP template. The document is meant to be assembled and refined over the course of your graduate program.

Your advisor, graduate coordinator, or someone in your cohort can provide guidance in completing your IDP and address any questions you may have. You can also find help and examples at...

What do I do with my IDP once I have completed it?

You should follow any program-level procedures that are already in place — you may need to submit a copy directly to your advisor, or graduate coordinator. After sharing your IDP, you will have at least one meeting with your advisor, to review the contents of your IDP, as it pertains to any goals you have developed for the year.

How should I prepare for my meeting with my advisor?

  • Be prepared to discuss how the goals set in your IDP will benefit your degree progress, professional development, and research in the short-term (next six months) and long-term (more than six months).
  • It can be useful to research opportunities and resources that may aid in achieving the goals you have set in the IDP.
  • Send your IDP to your advisor a few days before your scheduled meeting so they can read your assessment and goals ahead of time.
  • Be knowledgeable about the topics your advisor has expertise in and those topics that may require a discussion with a different mentor. You may also ask your advisor and/or committee members if they have someone else in mind that you could reach out to help you in achieving your training goals.

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