For questions, please contact Sandra Krause, Sandra.Krause@uncc.edu.
The new Graduate Academic Petition System is live and can be reached by visiting academicpetition.uncc.edu.
*Note that these enhancements pertain only to the graduate petition tool at this time. The undergraduate tool remains unchanged.
As of today, students are being directed to the new system to submit their petitions. Faculty will have access to both systems until all open petitions have been completed in the old system.
A reminder that training material has been published in the Graduate School Electronic Systems Training course in Canvas. Use this link to self-enroll in the course if you haven’t already, then click Go to the Course. Click Modules on the left navigation pane to access the Graduate Academic Petition System module.
To further assist in this transition, we have added a few more open swim opportunities during the month of June:
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 2:00pm (WebEx)
Thursday, June 9, 2020 at 10:00am (WebEx)
Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 3:00pm (WebEx)
Monday, June 22, 2020 at 2:00pm (WebEx)
You can also find answers to specific questions in the FAQ or email gpetitionhelp@uncc.edu.
The Graduate School can now accept electronic signatures on milestone documents.
All Graduate School forms are fillable PDFs to which electronic signatures can be added using Adobe DC. All University affiliates have access to Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes Adobe DC.
Instructions for downloading this software onto a personal or university computer is available from Spaces.UNCC.edu.
Once Adobe DC is installed, any Graduate School form can be completed, electronically signed and distributed to other committee members or students for signature.
To complete and electronically sign a document:
Open the form and select Fill & Sign in the right pane
Add recipient(s) and optional custom messages to recipient(s)
Send form. You’ll be notified when your signatories sign.
Here are Adobe’s instructions for signing PDFs, and here are their instructions for filling and signing PDFs. For additional help, please contact IT Services. , IT services can help.
The Graduate School will launch the new Graduate Academic Petition System on June 1, 2020.
On June 1, students will be directed to the new system to submit their petitions. Faculty will continue to have access to both systems until all open petitions have been completed in the old system.
*Note that the new system pertains only to the graduate petition tool at this time. The undergraduate tool remains unchanged.
While the new system functions in a similar way to the current system, the screens and navigation are different. To assist in the transition, training material has been published in the Graduate School Electronic Systems Training course in Canvas. Use this link to self-enroll in the course if you haven’t already, then click Go to the Course. Click Modules on the left navigation pane to access the Graduate Academic Petition System module. Please review this information and then drop in on any of the virtual open swim opportunities below for additional assistance.
Open Swim Schedule
Monday, May 18, 2020 at 11:00am (WebEx)
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 2:00pm (WebEx)
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 9:00am (WebEx)
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 10:00am (WebEx)
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at 1:00pm (WebEx)
Friday, May 29, 2020 at 11:00am (WebEx)
Students will have access to an improved system for submitting petitions beginning June 1.
The new system offers:
Faculty will continue to have access to both systems until all open petitions have been completed in the old system.
Look for more information in the coming weeks regarding training and open swim opportunities.
If you have questions, contact Janet Morse, jmorse9@uncc.edu.
The Graduate School congratulates the graduating class of May 2020. A special message from Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds is available for download.
UNC Charlotte recently updated its policy on parental leave to keep pace with changing pressures faced by students, faculty and staff.
Read the full policy statement at Academic Affairs.
The Provost’s memo of March 25, 2020, stated that, due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus Covid-19 virus, all students will have the option to modify their grade type at the end of the term. Specifically, for graduate students this means that after grades post, students may select a pass/unsatisfactory grade for any course.
The Graduate School has published guidance to assist graduate faculty in appropriately assigning grades during this period.
There are particular ramifications related to graduate courses. Please consider the following:
Questions should be directed to Dr. Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean of the Graduate School.
More information is available from the Graduate School’s Faculty and Staff Resources, Academics page.
Due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, students may face issues when trying to finish the semester due to social distancing guidance and mandated closings (e.g., student teachers, interns, research activity having to be curtailed). Below please find some of the Graduate School’s updates concerning this subject:
Graduation Clearance
While the Graduate School has moved to working remotely, graduation pre-clearance activities continue. 1,439 Graduate students have applied to graduate for spring 2020. Currently, 101 doctoral, 1,017 masters, and 184 certificate students have been pre-cleared to graduate. Overall 93% of the students who applied to graduate have been pre-decisioned by our office. Please remember that we need milestone forms in order to clear students for graduation. Please scan or email the form to Aura Young – doctoral forms or Julie Green – thesis forms.
Placeholder Course
The Graduate School created a non-credit, placeholder course, which may be used by students who were planning to graduate in May but, due to closings, could not complete a course. If they take an incomplete, they may complete the work in the Fall semester, register for GRAD 6777 – no cost- and apply to graduate in December. This course is available by petition to the Graduate School and is only available for the Fall semester.
Dissertation, Thesis Deadlines Extended
Because of the disruption to schedules caused by the nationwide response to COVID-19, the deadlines for dissertations and theses have been extended.
Dissertation and thesis defense deadlines are now May 1. Submission deadline for both dissertations and theses is May 14.
Thesis and Disserations
The Graduate School will be very flexible regarding defenses. Committee chairs and students should agree on the best method for a given defense. ALL committee members must participate in the defense, whether in person or virtually. This flexibility extends to students who need to defend remotely.
It is the chair’s responsibility to ensure that all committee members sign-off on the final defense form. Scanned signatures are allowed and additional time will be extended so that a form can be signed by all members. When this is not possible, we will accept the defense form with the chair’s signature, accompanied by emails from each committee member stating their approval. Read more.
From Academic Affairs: Currently, there are no plans to move registration for upcoming summer and fall semesters. Students are encouraged to check My UNC Charlotte for registration holds and times. Following conversations with their advisor, students can begin building their potential schedules in Schedule Wizard, which allows students to send their schedule to Banner Self Service when their registration time opens.
Social distancing measures related to the Coronavirus may prevent a thesis or dissertation committee from meeting face-to-face. When illness or caution prevent someone on the committee from attending the defense, remote participation is appropriate.
The Graduate School will be very flexible regarding defenses. Committee chairs and students should agree on the best method for a given defense. ALL committee members must participate in the defense, whether in person or virtually. This flexibility extends to students who need to defend remotely.
It is the chair’s responsibility to ensure that all committee members sign-off on the final defense form. Scanned signatures are allowed and additional time will be extended so that a form can be signed by all members. When this is not possible, we will accept the defense form with the chair’s signature, accompanied by emails from each committee member stating their approval.
Please remember that milestone forms are needed in order for the Graduate School to clear students for graduation. Please do your best to send the forms electronically as soon as possible following a defense.
Final and proposal defense thesis forms should be sent to Julie Green (jhgreen@uncc.edu) and final and proposal defense dissertation forms should be sent to Aura Young (Aura.Young@uncc.edu).
This flexible interpretation of our policy will remain in effect for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester.
The series of Graduate Mentor Training sessions offered by the Graduate School will continue this year, with sessions scheduled Mar. 2 and May 12.
The training for graduate faculty is intended for faculty who want to improve mentoring skills. The effort is part of the Graduate School’s commitment to improve research climate on campus. The training is derived from the evidence-based practices of the CIMER Institute (Center for Improved Mentoring Experiences in Research) at the University of Wisconsin.
While the March session is full, seats are available for May. To register, visit the Graduate School Calendar.
For more information, check the Graduate School’s Mentoring Training and Mentoring and Advising pages.
The Graduate School Teaching Fellows (GSTF) program launches spring semester, aimed at helping UNC Charlotte doctoral students be more competitive for tenure-track and teaching faculty positions. Formerly known as the Provost’s Doctoral Teaching Program, the GSTF is open to current UNC Charlotte doctoral students.
The two-semester program provides training to graduate students interested in college-level teaching and a career in the professoriate. During the first semester, students receive classroom development in course design, teaching methodology, and best practice. Semester two consists of classroom observations, support, and constructive feedback from the Center for Graduate Life’s Teaching Faculty Associate, Dr. Judith Krauss. Fellows are recognized with a cash award and certificate at the completion of the program.
More information is available at the GSTF web page at the Center for Graduate Life.
Graduate Students who were not able to complete registration during the standard add-drop period must submit Late Add requests no later than Tuesday, January 21 to ensure registration is completed prior to the Census Date, Wednesday, January 22. These requests should be submitted through the Graduate Academic Petition Portal.
If you have students — particularly funded doctoral students — who traveled over winter break and have not been able to return, please contact Sandra.Krause@uncc.edu to ensure they are not held responsible for tuition charges.
If you’re looking to make changes to the Undergraduate or Graduate Catalog, please note that December 31 is the deadline for course and curriculum proposals to be launched and approved by the Originator via Curriculog (Course and Curriculum Deadlines). The earlier you start, the more likely the proposal will reach final approval in time for Fall 2020 implementation, registration, and publication in the 2020-2021 Catalogs.
The working drafts for the 2020-2021 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs are available online for preview to help with planning your course and curriculum changes for the 2020-2021 academic year. These previews should reflect any course and curriculum changes that have gone through the full approval process within Curriculog. Any proposals that have not yet gone through the full approval process will not yet appear. Future changes will be added to these working drafts of the catalogs as proposals have completed the FULL approval cycle within Curriculog.
An Open Swim Curriculog Training Session will be held on Friday, December 13 from 2:30-3:45 p.m. in Colvard 4103. This open swim training is where you can work on Curriculog proposals and/or bring questions. Matt Wyse, the Curriculog Administrator, will be there to help you navigate Curriculog and answer your questions. Register here. To learn more about Curriculog, visit the Curriculog Training page of the Faculty Governance website.
Students who meet the criteria to withdraw due to Extenuating Circumstances for the CURRENT term must submit their request to the Office of Student Assistance and Support Services no later than Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.
The Extenuating Circumstances Committee meets monthly during the academic school year. For their application to be heard, students must have had their consultation with the Assistant Director for Withdrawal Services and submitted all documentation by 5:00 p.m., Dec. 4, 2019.
More information on withdrawal is available on the Withdrawal Services website.
Two new reports from DegreeWorks are now available in Reports Central. Both can be found under the DegreeWorks tab:
DegreeWorks Progress Report – Snapshot of students in your program and their progress toward completion. It includes information such as credits completed, credits needed, length of time in the program, as well as program milestones. This report will continue to sent to those who subscribed, but can also be run on demand via Report Central.
Pre-Clearance Report – Outlines outstanding requirements for each student who has applied to graduate. Use this report to ensure that students who need to submit petitions to complete their DegreeWorks audits do so as soon as possible. Our office will continue to reach out regarding outstanding requirements. What’s nice is that you can run the report any time and see the current graduation status for your students. As we pre-clear students, their graduation status is updated to reflect this.
