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

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

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.

Graduate Council Launches 2017/18 Academic Year

Categories: Dean's Office

The Graduate Council’s first meeting of the 2017/18 academic year was held Aug. 22 in the Cato Building. Council Chair Christine Haynes, Department of History, thanked members for their willingness to serve and reviewed the Council’s roles and responsibilities. Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds stressed the importance of the Council’s advice and counsel in advancing graduate education. Both the Dean and the Chair discussed the importance of Faculty Governance in the successful function of the university. Chair Haynes also encouraged Council members to bring their college graduate faculty concerns and issues to Council meetings for discussion and to convey to faculty the Council’s activities.

Graduate Recruitment Cited in Best Practices Study

UNC Charlotte’s graduate enrollment management strategy was highlighted as a best practice in a recently released national research report on enrollment trends.

The report, produced by Hanover Research, a firm that provides research and consulting services to corporate, education, and healthcare clients, is entitled “Best Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment.”  The report suggests the most effective steps college deans nationwide are taking to ensure continued strong enrollment in the face of increasing tuition rates and student debt.

UNC Charlotte was acknowledged for “harnessing the power of technology and data” through its enrollment management strategy to recruit students who are a good fit with the university.

“Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) looks at the larger context for an institution (its mission, goals, and view on the emerging needs for skills and abilities in its students),” the report says, “and builds those considerations into the enrollment process, coordinating student recruitment, marketing, tuition and financial aid, academic portfolio offerings, and student support services.”

The report goes on to say, “UNC Charlotte’s Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) plan is designed as a collaborative process by an academically diverse group of representatives. Decisions are informed by data collection and analysis and aim to produce measurable improvements in recruitment, admissions, retention, funding, and graduation.”

Hanover’s research report can be downloaded here.

UNC Charlotte Ranks High for NSF Grants

UNC Charlotte has ranked fourth in North Carolina for the number of NSF Graduate Research Fellows since 2010, behind Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State.

You can help continue this success by encouraging your best students to apply for the NSF GRFP, which provides a $34,000 annual stipend for three years, and pays tuition and fees.

Deadlines are October 24th – 28th, depending on field of study.

For more information on student funding, visit the Graduate School’s Student Funding site.

GA Contracts Must Be Approved by Aug. 16

Categories: Student Funding

Students on TA/RA/AA from the first day of school must have their eGA contract approved by August 16 to be paid Aug. 31.

More information is available at the Recruitment and Hiring website.  Questions may be directed to Teresa Shook, Student Employment, tshook4@uncc.edu, Tamika Coleman, Temporary Staff Employment, tcolem20@uncc.edu, or Herlicia Blakely, I-9 Compliance, hblakel2@uncc.edu.

 

Master's Thesis Award Nominations Sought

Categories: Student Funding

The Graduate School is seeking nominations for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 9.

Faculty may nominate a student whose thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of master’s degree requirements during the past two academic and/or summer sessions.

For more information, fields of competition and criteria, download the Award leaflet here.

 

GPDs Suggest DegreeWorks Improvements

Categories: Academic Affairs

With DegreeWorks poised for deployment throughout UNC Charlotte this year, key users in the Graduate School who got a head start using the system the past year recently shared their views and suggestions for enhancements.

Graduate Program Directors (GPDs) and staff were interviewed over the summer months to gain their thoughts on how to get more out of the audit and graduation clearance tool.  In all, 65 faculty and staff participated in the interviews.  The suggested improvements fall into five categories:

  1. New reports on student progression, milestones and course demand to help in planning and keeping students on track
  2. Enhancements to the system’s audit capabilities, such as time limits and ensuring C and I grades get noticed
  3. Streamlining the petition process
  4. DegreeWorks training
  5. Improved search capabilities

Ideas for improvement will be prioritized based on greatest potential impact, and action plans will be built for the high priority needs.  More information on those plans will be shared soon.

“DegreeWorks has proven to increase transparency for students and advisors, while bringing graduation clearance into the 21st century,” said Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean for Graduate Student Affairs and the Center for Graduate Life. “We appreciate those who took the time to provide their feedback on the experience to help us continuously improve DegreeWorks as an advising tool.”

More information can be found on the DegreeWorks home page and FAQs.  For other questions, please send them to degreeworks@uncc.edu .

 

GRE® Test Takers Snapshot Available

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.  This and much more useful information is available in the recently released GRE Program’s Snapshot of Individuals Who Took the GRE® General Test.

The latest version includes volume data on the GRE test-taker population for the past three testing years (July 2013 through June 2016).

The comprehensive information in the Snapshot report can be helpful in creating targeted recruitment campaigns….

Dissertation and Thesis Committees Now Available in DegreeWorks

Dissertation and thesis committees can now be viewed in DegreeWorks.  When a committee is established, a new block of data will appear below the general student information on the audit.  Information includes committee chair, graduate faculty representative and committee members.

Another recent change includes moving the program GPA from the degree block to the major block.  This change, which does not alter its operation, accommodates the expansion of DegreeWorks to undergraduate students this year.

PLEASE NOTE: To view these changes, you will need to clear your browser…

Half-time Enrollment Definition changing for Fall Semester

UNC Charlotte’s definition of graduate school half time enrollment is changing beginning in Fall 2017.   To be considered enrolled half time, graduate students must take at least 4.5 credit hours, which essentially means 5 or more credit hours for UNC Charlotte.  For more information, please visit the Office of the Provost website. 

UNC Charlotte Honors Heather Smith with de Silva Award

Categories: Dean's Office

University leaders gathered Mar. 30 to congratulate Dr. Heather Smith, professor of geography and earth sciences and director of the doctorate in Geography and Urban Regional Analysis, who received the 2017 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. For more information on the event, please visit the Graduate School’s website.

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…

Federal Budget Proposal

Categories: Student Funding

The proposed FY 2018 federal budget has significant changes to programs that support graduate education.  Read more…

New GPD Electronic Resources Guide

Categories: Admissions

New Graduate Program Directors: The at-a-glance Electronic Resources Guide provides quick links to the systems needed to help you manage your graduate program.
Read more…