Graduate School News

Important Deadlines for Spring

Please note the following deadlines for spring semester:
  • November 23-Graduate Program Directors:  Last day to recommend admission for an international applicant who resides outside the U.S. and requires a F or J visa.
  • December 1-Prospective Students:  Last day to submit a degree or certificate application.
  • December 12-Newly Admitted International Students who reside outside the U.S. and require a F or J visa:  Last day to submit a financial certificate form. (https://isso.charlotte.edu/future-students/newly-admitted-students/obtain-unc-charlotte-i-20).
  • December 22-Graduate Program Directors:  Last day to recommend admission for applicants.
  • January 10-Prospective Students:  Final date to submit a post-baccalaureate application.

 

Update Your "Apply Now" Links

In preparation for the Graduate Admissions migration to Slate (go-live date TBD), please update all “Apply Now” links on your webpages, communications, and materials to the URL below.

Nationwide, Graduate Enrollment Projected to Grow less than 1% through 2029

Nationwide, graduate enrollment is projected to grow by less than 1% from 2021-2029.

The Education Advisory Board (EAB) compiled a downloadable white paper to help institutions better understand the future needs of adult learners and develop strategies to recruit, enroll and retain them. Charlotte’s graduate enrollment is projected to grow 20% over the next ten years, so the work to strategically serve this unique audience must begin now.

Take Action Soon on Catalog Changes

If you need to make changes to next year’s Graduate Catalog for standardized test requirements/changes, please note that October 31 is the strongly recommended deadline for ‘Course Revision’ proposals to be launched and approved by the originator via Curriculog. The earlier you start, the more likely the proposal will reach final approval in time for Fall 2022 implementation, registration, and publication in the 2022-2023 Catalogs. See all Course and Curriculum Deadlines.

Help Students Get Funding: eGPS Refresher Training

Do you know and/or remember how to use eGPS to nominate students for funding from the Graduate School?  If you hesitated to think “yes!”, you are invited to one of two training/refresher sessions about how to use eGPS.  Please click a link below to attend, and also send this to others who use eGPS on your behalf.

October A2I Sessions Planned at CGLL

The Center for Graduate Life and Learning kicked off their Fall Accelerate to Industry (A2i) series on October 1 with an informative interactive presentation on professional communication from industry partner JELD-WEN. There are two more sessions scheduled:
Friday, October 15, 2021
Graduate students can register here for zoom link
11:00-12:30
While teleworking has been around for a while, the need for so many people to work remotely during the pandemic has vastly expanded its use. As students graduate and enter the workforce, they will likely face many workplace options including face-to-face, remote, and hybrid environments. Each one has its own challenges, etiquette, and opportunities. All graduate students are invited to join professional development specialist, Kim Harris for an interactive session that will teach them how to figure out which environment will best support their professional success and how to navigate and thrive in each of these settings.
Friday, October 22, 2021
11:00-12:30
Graduate students can register here for zoom link
By Application Only
 

We’ve all heard the expression, “feedback is a gift,” but it’s a gift that can be difficult to give and difficult to receive. When we receive feedback, it’s easy to become defensive and stubborn or insecure. When we need to give feedback, we may feel hesitant to criticize a team member who has worked hard on a deliverable. Yet, figuring out how to use feedback to improve ourselves and our teams is one of the most important keys to professional success. This Accelerate to Industry(A2i) session, run by our industry partner, Tresata will be a  90-minute interactive workshop, in which participants will learn how to have honest discussions about improvement without damaging important relationships.

There will be a presentation and then practice in small-group breakout rooms where participants will receive (you guessed it) feedback from Tresata leaders. We will provide Tresata with a resume book of attendees after the event. Space is limited and an application with a resume upload is required. Applications are due by October 19. 

How to Conduct the Job Search for International Students

The job search is tricky for everyone, but even more so for international students. This session offers specific insights and tips on how to approach and navigate the job search.  Food will be served!

To register, please visit the Center for Graduate Life and Learning.

CGLL Hosts Teaching Workshops

Each semester the CGLL’s Faculty Associate for Graduate Teaching, Dr. Judith Krauss offers a professional development series in teaching to help students  build critical skills. These workshops are helpful for graduate students who plan to recruit for tenure-track academic positions, those who will pursue teaching positions at the university level, and those who wish to be more effective as Teaching Assistants. Dr. Krauss is an invaluable resource for graduate students with questions about teaching and can be contacted at jkrauss@uncc.edu.This Fall, the virtual series will include the two workshops described below.
October 13, 2021 4:00-5:00
Register here for zoom link
Virtually all graduate students who apply for a position that involves teaching will need to prepare a statement of teaching philosophy. Faculty Associate for Graduate Teaching Dr. Judith Krauss, will guide graduate students through the process of creating this important document. Participants will be encouraged to share best practices they’ve encountered as students and explore their personal beliefs about effective classroom practices.
October 26, 2021 12:00-1:00
Register here for zoom link
Graduate students going on the academic job market in the near future will likely be asked to provide a teaching demonstration. Dr. Judith Krauss, Faculty Associate for Graduate Teaching will offer concrete guidelines for conducting an effective teaching demonstration for a variety of audiences, including multi-disciplinary hiring committees and student committees. Q&A will be encouraged.

NCCGS Fall Conference is Virtual and Free

The 2021 North Carolina Conference of Graduate Schools (NCCGS) all virtual annual conference will be held Oct. 28 and 29 from 9 a.m.-Noon with no registration nor fee required.
Sessions include Engaging Graduate Students in Wellness
and Campus Activities, Mindfulness versus the Anxious Brain, Graduate Student Organizations’ Best Practices and more. Faculty, students and staff are encouraged to attend.

The full conference agenda with links to each session is available for download For more information, please visit the NCCGS conference site.

 

GRE Changes Testing for China, Iran

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) made a recent, and sudden, decision to suspend the computer-based GRE and reintroduce the paper-based version of the exam in China, effective Oct. 1.
The test administration change is apparently in response to security breaches in China. According to a press release by ETS, an investigation uncovered numerous websites offering questions and answers from live versions of the computer-based GRE.
Also, according to the ETS website, although the GRE General Test at home is not available to test takers in Iran, it is available at testing centers in country.
At Home Testing
The GRE® General Test at home is a safe and convenient option for test takers who prefer to take their test at home rather than at a test center. It’s offered everywhere that the test is normally available, based on the country of your account address, except Mainland China and Iran.
Testing Locations
The GRE® General Test is a computer-delivered test that is offered both at test centers and at home.
Test Center Testing
The GRE General Test is administered in a secure testing environment at more than 1,000 ETS-authorized test centers in 160-plus countries.
  • In most regions of the world, the test is available on a continuous basis throughout the year.
  • In Mainland China; Hong Kong, China; Taiwan, China; and Korea, the test is available up to three times per month.

 

New University Policy on Authorship

The following is a message from Tom Reynolds, Dean of Graduate School, to University leadership:

Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing to share information with you about a Graduate School initiative to support a culture of research integrity through good authorship practices at UNC Charlotte.

When we surveyed UNC Charlotte faculty and graduate student researchers, we found a number of issues related to authorship in collaborative research. For example, faculty and student respondents reported issues with ghost and gift authorship, and fewer than 50% of respondents reported that authorship was discussed at the beginning of projects. Responses also indicated a desire for additional authorship guidance from the University.

One result of this work is University Policy 318, “Authorship Policy and Resolution Procedures,” approved in May 2021 by the University Faculty Council and the Provost.

The policy’s purpose is not to require a single set of authorship practices. Instead, it highlights significant areas of consensus, advances healthy authorship practices, and sets out institutional policies should disputes arise.

I invite you to watch Provost Joan Lorden’s introduction to the policy below for more information, or read the policy here. More information about authorship can also be found on the Graduate School’s Responsible Research page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvbGL9pyoHY

Graduate Program Directors, please forward this email to your graduate students.

Sincerely,

 

Tom

Thomas L. Reynolds, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Graduate Programs
Dean of the Graduate School

Hanover Research Materials Available to Support Graduate Student Recruitment and Program Management

The following four documents by Hanover Research are now available in the Graduate School Data section of GPDNet:
  1. Best Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment
  2. Effective Strategies for Recruiting and Engaging Adult Learners
  3. Program Capacity Management Strategies
  4. Top 10 Degrees on the Rise in 2021

Help Available for Prepping for 3MT

Preparing for Your 3MT Presentation + Prize Drawing October 5, 3:30-4:30. Elise Demeter, Senior Assessment Research Analyst and SciComm will help students prepare to explain their research to a lay audience in 3 minutes or less using only one static slide. Anyone registered to compete in 3MT by this date will be entered into a raffle to win several great prizes including yoga mats, water bottles, and more!

CGLL Hosts Weekly Writing Q&A

Swipe Write: Commit to Better Writing is a weekly Q&A session about academic writing with the CGLL’s Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing, Dr. Lisa Russell-Pinson held virtually, Mondays 12:30-1:30. She’ll offer a weekly writing tip and information about upcoming writing events, and then open the floor to graduate students questions about writing such as how to write a good literature review, how to write more efficiently, managing procrastination, and responding to feedback.

Reminder Issued for Doctoral Candidates

All doctoral candidates must submit their dissertation to iThenticate and share the resulting similarity report with their entire committee prior to the final defense. Please remind your candidates that all of the Graduate School’s requirements for defense and submission can be found in the Doctoral Checklist (master’s requirements can be found in the Master’s Thesis Checklist).
Please send questions to Aura Young, aura.young@uncc.edu.

Reynolds Leadership Award Nominations Accepted Through Jan. 28

Honoring excellence in graduate program administration, the  Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award recognizes excellent leadership and outstanding service by a Graduate Program Director or Coordinator. Nominations for 2021-22 will be accepted through 5 p.m., Jan. 28.

Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators are leadership positions for the University and play an important and pivotal role in the success of our graduate students.  Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators must not only manage and shape the direction of their programs to ensure the academic success of their students, but must also serve as advocates for graduate education at all levels. Doing this well, deserves recognition and praise.

The recipient receives a cash award, an engraved plaque, and their name engraved on a perpetual trophy.  For additional information and to submit a nomination visit the Reynolds Leadership Award web page.

GradSchoolMatch Aims to Improve Prospect Targeting

GradSchoolMatch from ETS is an online platform to help prospective students find the best fit for a graduate school and help recruiters stand out among top prospects.
For a $195 registration fee, GradSchoolMatch allows programs to create a profile to showcase unique strengths, then sends notifications when prospects express interest and provides a site to cultivate personal connections.

For more information and to register, please visit GradSchoolMatch and select For Recruiters.

CGLL to Host JELD-WEN on Professional Communications

Students can learn how to develop and improve effective communication in the workplace from a JELD-WEN subject matter expert Oct. 1. The session, part of the Accelerate to Industry (A2I) series, runs from 11-12:30 via Zoom.

As part of the session, participants can practice skills in breakout rooms with a JELD-WEN representative.

The Center for Graduate Life and Learning will provide JELD-WEN with a resume book of those in attendance.

More information and a link to apply is available from the Center for Graduate Life and Learning.

Nominations Open for Outstanding Master's Thesis

Faculty may nominate students for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 8, 2021.

The Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award is a part of the Graduate School’s focus on enhancing research skills.

Nomination information, fields of competition and more is available from the Graduate School.

If you have questions, please contact Julie Green, jhgreen@uncc.edu, Graduate Student Services and Fellowship Specialist.

ETS Webinar: Recruitment Strategies for a Reopening World

As we begin to move past the global pandemic, “returning to normal” doesn’t necessarily mean returning to pre-COVID conditions. In this session, we’ll share the latest graduate enrollment and student flow trends, lessons learned during the last 18 months and tools for finding and connecting with prospective candidates.

Join recruitment expert Ayo Strange Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. ET for this informative, complimentary webinar where we’ll explore:

  • The current state of college enrollment
  • Trends in international student flows
  • Changes made due to COVID–19 that are worth keeping
  • Tools, including the GRE® Search Service and the GradSchoolMatch™ platform, that can help programs find and build relationships with prospective candidates

For more information and to register, please visit the ETS Registration site.