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Balance Advisor and Mentor Roles

Categories: GPD Development

Understanding the difference between ‘advising’ and ‘mentoring’ – and applying just the right balance of the two – is a key to helping students successfully navigate graduate studies at UNC Charlotte.

Advising is often procedural, focused on policies, courses and in some cases, funding.  Mentoring is more personal and includes emotional support, career advice and role modeling to help students through graduate school and their postdoctoral training.  Graduate students need both.

Using University policy as a base, consider these important elements of student success:

  • Shared Values
    • Academic integrity and responsible research
    • Respect for others and for their differing view points
    • Expectations for professionalism
  • Shared Goals
    • A completion time line
    • Expectation for mastery of the content
    • Understanding career goals
  • Shared Responsibilities
    • Following University policy
    • Meeting deadlines
    • Communicating openly with one another

For more resources, visit the Graduate School’s Mentoring and Advising site and DegreeWorks for a useful advising tool.

 

New Grad Student Orientation Aug. 19

New graduate students will find the Graduate School Student Orientation packed with information designed to get their graduate education off to a strong start.

The program runs Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (registration begins at 9 a.m.). Sessions hosted by students and faculty will cover such topics as:

  • Advice on the transition from undergraduate to graduate education
  • How to build and strengthen relationships with peers and academic mentors
  • Understanding academic expectations
  • Making the most of library services and other campus resources
  • Living in Charlotte, including how to get around, living and socializing, and great opportunities for fun.

More information on orientation is located at the Center for Graduate Life’s New Graduate Student Orientation page.  Image courtesy of Aaron Cress.

Showcasing Graduate Talent

Two of UNC Charlotte’s outstanding graduate students represented the university at the 2017 Graduate Education Day at the General Assembly in Raleigh, sponsored by the North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools.

The students met with several elected officials, including Rep. Linda Hunt Williams of Wake County, left, to discuss the impacts of their research.  Shown with UNC Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds who hosted the visit, are from left: Rep. Williams, who also holds a Master’s of Public Administration degree from UNC Charlotte; Ben Gordon,  doctoral student in Biological Sciences and Kinesiology whose research is focused on lowering blood pressure through isometric exercise; and Nathan Lambert, Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science.  Nathan’s research encompasses machine vision, optical design, control systems design, and nanoscale precision engineering used in material testing to help maintain the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile.

3-Article Dissertation Option Available

With the doctoral dissertation formatting deadline coming October 6, graduate students this fall have another formatting option to consider: The Three-Article dissertation.

While not a good fit for every situation, the three-article format may be of interest to graduate students whose field of study and research suggest the possibility of three, connected journal articles rather than the traditional dissertation.

“Students who choose the three-article approach have to pay particular attention to the formatting,” said Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean for Graduate Academic and Student Affairs, “The articles submitted must be coherent, with clear rationale for how the papers are grouped.”

Download the Three-Article-Dissertation-Guidelines.

Immigration Updates

The International Student Scholar Office (ISSO) maintains a website Read more…

Recruitment Fair Opportunities

Categories: HomeRecruitment

Representatives from the UNC Charlotte Graduate School participate in several recruitment fairs each year. These fairs present great opportunities to connect with prospective students.
Read more…

Faculty Research Connections

Categories: GPD Development

The UNC Charlotte Faculty Connections site contains an aggregation of profile information for faculty from most colleges with details about their areas of academic interests.  Read more…

GRE® Test Takers Snapshot Available

Categories: Performance Trends

Interest in physical sciences, engineering and life sciences all are up 2-3% among test takers this year compared to last, and interest in business grew by five percent.
Read more…

Holistic Review in Graduate Admissions

Categories: Performance Trends

Holistic review, or the consideration of a broad range of candidate qualities including “noncognitive” or personal attributes, is a growing strategy that many graduate programs consider when evaluating a candidate for admission.Read more…

Graduate Application Reports Available

Categories: Performance Trends

Graduate Application Reports are uploaded to the Graduate School Data tab in eGEM weekly.  The reports include applications submitted by citizenship (domestic/international) and college as well as decisions rendered (admit/deny).Read more…

National Signing Day: April 15th

April 15th is the deadline for prospective or enrolled graduate students to accept an offer of financial support such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship, for the next academic year.  Read more…