The Office of Graduate Studies provides support to graduate advisors and other faculty who work with graduate students. We can present a workshop or webinar to a program or department about any of the resources or services that the GRC offers, provide assistance and instructions for completing forms and petitions, and we can provide support and consultation on graduate student advising issues. Associate Deans are the Graduate Deans of the College and we work with them to update and implement policies and procedures.
Download our Graduate Advising PowerPoint slides.
GRC Description for your Syllabus
The Office of Graduate Studies provides leadership and service to graduate students and programs. It offers funding opportunities to students and provides administrative support to Departments and Colleges on graduate student advising. We are also the home to the Graduate Resource Center (GRC) which provides writing support and professional development workshops to graduate students. The GRC also oversees the thesis, project, and dissertation formatting and submission process for the University.
Collaborate With Us
If you would like the GRC Coordinator to present to your class, program, or department, or if you would like to collaborate on developing new programming, please send an email to [email protected].
Graduate Student Advising Milestones
At New Graduate Student Orientation, we instruct students to maintain regular contact with their graduate advisor. At a minimum, graduate advisors should meet with their students for an initial advising appointment, to advance them to candidacy, and to approve their application for graduation.
For all students:
- Establish the student’s program plan
- Discuss enrollment options for current and future terms
- Provide an overview of departmental requirements
For conditionally classified students*, also review qualifying course requirements:
- The courses that must be completed
- The grade that the student must earn in such courses
- The timeframe by which the student must clear their conditions
*Once conditions are met, change a conditionally classified (G1) student’s status to classified standing (G2) by completing a GS-8 form.
Advancement to Candidacy is the University prerequisite for undertaking the culminating experience (thesis/dissertation, project report, or comprehensive exam). It is done through the completion of the GS-10 form.
- Discuss how the culminating experience relates to the student’s professional goals (especially if they are given a choice)
- Example: Students wanting to pursue a doctoral program may want to consider a thesis over a comp. exam to demonstrate to an admissions committee their ability to conduct original research. Students wanting to pursue a professional career in their industry may choose a project to demonstrate how they can apply what they have learned in the program.
- Discuss what the culminating experience is designed to assess and the metrics by which it will be evaluated
- Share best practices for preparing for and/or progressing through the culminating experience
Students apply for graduation the term prior to their anticipated graduation term. Before signing off on a graduation application, log into GET and review the student’s CAAR to check the following:
- Is the student listed in the correct option (if applicable)?
- Is the student’s catalog date correct?
- Is the student advanced to candidacy?
- Have all the course substitutions been entered on CAAR?
- Has the student completed all or almost all of his/her coursework for their program?
- Will the courses the student is planning to enroll in for his/her last semester here fulfill any missing requirements that are listed on CAAR?
- Is the student’s program GPA a 3.0 or above?
- Are the program units that the student has completed listed correctly on GET? It is always good to hand count the units the student has completed for his/her program and compare those units with CAAR.
Checklist developed by NSS Associate Dean’s Office.