Student Development

Faculty Judges Sought for March Symposium

January 07, 2019 by White, Brian

The Graduate & Professional Student Government (GPSG) is seeking faculty volunteers to judge entries in the annual Graduate Research Symposium March 15.

The Symposium will include poster and oral presentations. Goals of the Symposium are to:

Foster and promote graduate student research
Encourage research skills including preparation and presentation
Expose students to research across the disciplines
Provide opportunities to network with faculty and peers

More information is available from the GPSG Research Symposium site. To volunteer as a judge, visit Symposium sign-up page.

Research Proposals Sought for Charlotte Incubator

December 13, 2018 by White, Brian

The City of Charlotte is seeking proposals from UNC Charlotte to conduct sustainability research and scholarly engagement through a resource called The Innovation Barn near Uptown, a 39,000 sq. ft. space the city has committed $3.4 million to renovate over the next four years.

The project has dedicated 24,000 sq. ft. of the Barn for UNC Charlotte projects. Proposals for space must be submitted by Jan. 11, 2019.

Download a copy of the Call for Proposals for details and application information.

Urge Students to Apply for Paid Summer Research Programs

December 11, 2018 by White, Brian

PathwaystoScience.org provides a searchable database of programs at to find and apply for STEM paid summer research programs.

Sponsored by the Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP), the database has over 650 paid summer research programs, including programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. 60 programs have deadlines within the next 45 days.

With the site’s advanced search feature, you can filter by discipline, level of study, citizenship status, and more.

For assistance, contact Liv Detrick at IBP.

New Faculty Guide for Student Writers Available

November 29, 2018 by White, Brian

Purdue University’s Writing Lab has just released a resource to help faculty work more effectively with graduate-level writers.

The resource, Working with Graduate Student Writers (Faculty Guide), provides an accessible introduction to writing at the graduate-level. The guide presents best practices for responding to student writing, helping students to develop competence in disciplinary writing, assisting multilingual writers, working with students on theses and dissertations, and more.

To access this free resource, please follow this link: https://owl.purdue.edu/writinglab/faculty/documents/Writing_Lab_Faculty_Guide_Summer_%202018.pdf

New Teaching Course Planned for Spring

October 30, 2018 by White, Brian

The Center for Graduate Life (CGL) will introduce a new course for graduate students who teach, or undergraduates who want to learn, to identify and build effective classroom practices.

Read the full story in the Graduate School‘s News section.

CGL Offers 3MT Communication Skill Enhancement

September 26, 2018 by White, Brian

Graduate students will have an opportunity again this year to compact their thesis or dissertation into a powerful, three-minute presentation for a chance to win cash prizes and a trip to the Conference of Southern Graduate School’s annual meeting.

Through the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) program offered by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL), contestants vie for the most compelling presentation of research to an audience that may not share the same expertise. The 3MT competition originated at the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008 and has expanded worldwide.

Encourage students to register for the competition through Oct. 8 at the Center for Graduate Life.

Nominate Your Best Master's Students

September 18, 2018 by White, Brian

Faculty nominations of student candidates for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award will be accepted through Oct. 19.

The Master’s Thesis Award is presented annually to a student whose thesis makes an “unusually significant contribution” to their discipline. The award focuses on students who completed their master’s degree requirements and thesis between Fall 2016 and Summer 2018.

More information is on the Center for Graduate Life’s Graduate Student Competitions site.

Ventureprise Launch NSF I-Corps Seeking Research Ideas

September 05, 2018 by White, Brian

Ventureprise is seeking particpants for its fall 2018 Ventureprise Launch National Science Foundation I-Corps cohort. The six-week program provides UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and students with commercialization training and an initial $3,000 in NSF funding.

The goal of the program is to identify potential commercial uses and prepare for more substantial commercialization funding opportunities, including a six-month $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant.

Applications are due September 14 and the cohort begins September 21.

For a complete schedule and application, please visit the Ventureprise Launch site. For more information, contact PI Devin Collins at devin.collins@uncc.edu or 704-687-8058.

Dávalos, Phippen Take Dissertation Awards

July 05, 2018 by White, Brian

Dr. Eleonora Dávalos, Public Policy, and Dr. Britney Phippen, Biological Sciences, are recipients of the 2018 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award.

This award is presented each year by the Graduate School to recognize outstanding research and scholarship by a doctoral student at UNC Charlotte.

For details, check out the Recent News on the Graduate School home page.

Dissertation, Thesis Submission Streamlined and Updated

February 27, 2018 by White, Brian

Several improvements recently were made in the way final documents and fees are submitted for completing dissertations and theses.

The downloadable form for Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) was simplified and reduced to a single page. The form should be scanned and emailed to aura.young@uncc.edu. Just as before, the committee chair’s signature is required for students’ work to be accepted into ProQuest. (In the case of an unsatisfactory defense, this document should be withheld and not the Final Defense Report.) Deadline for submitting the ETD is April 16 for doc students and May 7 for Master’s students.

An online payment portal now is available for submission and optional copyright, Open Access and binding fees.

For more information visit the Center for Graduate Life’s Dissertation & Thesis Formatting page, also updated with links to information on manuscript preparation, ProQuest’s subject categories, publication options, embargoes, copyright, and permissions.

Remember, the inaugural Doctoral Hooding Ceremony is only weeks away!

New Course Scheduler Coming Mar. 5

February 14, 2018 by White, Brian

Schedule Wizard is a schedule building tool for students that allows for a simple and less cumbersome course scheduling process to support the goal of degree completion. Students easily select preferred classes, block off breaks/personal commitments, and generate possible schedules for registration.

Schedule Wizard will be available on the student view of my.uncc.edu under Quick Links beginning Mar. 5. While the tool will be helpful to undergraduates with many course options, it is also available to graduate students. For more information about the program, visit the Schedule Wizard page of the Office of the Registrar website.

Advisor Open Swims:

Thursday, February 22, 10:00 – 11:00 AM, CHHS 370
Monday, February 26, 2:00 – 3:00 PM, CHHS 370

Spring Dissertation Writing Retreat Registration Open

February 12, 2018 by White, Brian

The spring Dissertation Writing Retreat Mar. 5-8 gives doctoral students an opportunity to advance their dissertation work. More information is available from the Center for Graduate Life.

Graduate Life Fellow Applications Open

February 12, 2018 by White, Brian

Students may apply to join the Graduate School’s Graduate Life Fellows (GLF) program through Mar. 19.

GLFs have an opportunity to build leadership skills by helping build awareness of opportunities and resources, and providing support for graduate students from orientation through graduation.

For more information, please visit the Center for Graduate Life’s GLF page.

Feb. 9 Conference: Beyond Academia Careers for Ph.D.’s

January 30, 2018 by White, Brian

Beyond Academia, scheduled Feb. 9 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Harris Alumni Center, is a half-day conference designed to help doctoral students understand employment options outside of college and university settings, and how to find them. Students will meet and hear from experts in industry and government sectors, take advantage of one-on-one resume writing help, and network with professionals who can offer real-world advice. Registration is required.

For more information, visit the Center for Graduate Life.

English Language, I-9 Form Help Available to International Teaching Assistants

December 19, 2017 by White, Brian

International graduate assistants paid from Teaching Assistant funds, regardless of assigned duties, are required to attend an English language assessment session.

Sessions are scheduled in January, as follows:

Fri Jan 5, 1:00-4:00, CHHS 280

Tue Jan 9, 9:00-12:00, CHHS 280

Fri Jan 12, 1:00-4:00, CHHS 280

Assistance also is available for completing the I-9 Form, required for non-residents working in the U.S. That session is Friday, Jan. 5, 10:00-12:00, CHHS 370.

For more information and possible additional sessions, contact ITASupport@unc.edu.

Upcoming Spring 2018 GRAD Courses

October 09, 2017 by Stanchina, Karla

GRAD courses offered by the Graduate School are an excellent way for your students to enhance their professional skills outside their academic discipline. For the Spring 2018 semester, we are offering seven unique credit-bearing courses for the graduate student. From academic writing to leadership development, expert faculty deliver interactive content designed to help round-out graduate student skills, regardless of career path.

“Research shows many graduate students lack the soft-skill basics employers want and need when they graduate,” says Tom Reynolds, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School. “Through the Center for Graduate Life, its Faculty Associates, and our partnerships with various campus departments, colleges and the Charlotte community, we are pleased to offer a large selection of courses designed to help meet this need.”

For Spring 2018, we add to the offerings with three new courses:

Intrapreneurship for Non-Business Majors GRAD 6000 (CRN# 27381)
An intrapreneur is defined by American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language as a person within a corporation or organization who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a viable finished product or service through assertive risk-taking and innovation. Through this two-credit course, the graduate student will learn how to create, and develop new ideas, turning them into final products/services.
Academic Writing for Graduate Students GRAD 6000 (CRN# 27382)| GRAD 8000 (CRN# 27383)
Graduate students who seek refinement in their academic writing skills, especially those related to writing about empirical research, will find this this three-credit course beneficial. Through it, students will gain skills needed to effectively produce key parts of an empirical paper: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis, results, discussion and conclusion. Additionally, students will explore different academic genres relevant to their disciplines, which may include conference proposals, book reviews, and research articles. International students should visit the Courses web page for specific pre-requisites.
Data Analysis and Presentation for Impact GRAD 6040 (CRN# 27164 | GRAD 8040 (CRN# 27173)
In this two-credit course, graduate students learn to gather, organize and present data for understanding and impact in professional settings. This critical skill will help students advance in decision-making, predictive modeling, etc. so they can be successful in their chosen careers.

We encourage you to share this weblink http://gradlife.uncc.edu/what-we-offer/academic-courses with your students, their advisors, faculty and within your department. Registration opens October 30^th and students can do so via my.uncc.edu

Future Faculty Enrollment Open

September 11, 2017 by White, Brian

NC State’s Building Future Faculty (BFF) Program is accepting applications for the 2018 Program through Nov. 12, 2017.

The all-expenses paid workshop in Raleigh Mar. 14-16, 2018, is designed for diverse graduate students and post-doctoral students who are seeking a career as a faculty member. Workshop topics explore what to expect as a faculty member, a discussion of the wealth of resources available to faculty for teaching and expectations of productivity for faculty engaged in research. Participants will spend time with current faculty and department chairs in their discipline discussing effective strategies to prepare for an academic career.

For more information and to apply, please visit the Building Future Faculty website.

3MT® Competitions Slated for Nov. 3, Nov. 10

August 25, 2017 by White, Brian

After an excellent first event in spring 2017, 3MT® returns to UNC Charlotte this fall. Developed by The University of Queensland, the 3MT® exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

Preliminary competition for the UNC Charlotte event is Nov. 3, with finals following on Nov. 10. Cash prizes are awarded for the first place, runner up, and People’s Choice presenters. The first place presenter will advance to the Regional Conference of Southern Graduate Schools 3MT® competition in February.

For more information, videos, and rules, visit the 3MT® Competition page at the Center for Graduate Life.

Nominate Your Best Master Student Thesis

August 25, 2017 by White, Brian

Oct. 9 is the deadline for nominating students for the Graduate School’s 2018 Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award. Faculty may nominate a student whose thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of master’s degree requirements during the past two academic years and/or summer sessions.

Winners may also be considered for the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Master’s Thesis competition.

For more information, please visit Graduate Student Competitions at the Center for Graduate Life.

New Grad Student Orientation Aug. 19

July 18, 2017 by White, Brian

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.