The Graduate College offers extensive services to support graduate students in many different areas. In cooperation with various offices at UNLV, Graduate Student Services seeks to provide information and programs that meet the unique needs of graduate students and support their academic and professional success.

Student Nonacademic Advising Services:

The Graduate College nonacademic advising services provide informal and student-centered issue-resolution services and general nonacademic advising to graduate students and prospective graduate students. The office offers guidance, information, and assistance when regular channels have failed to provide graduate students with the information that they need to solve problems or make informed decisions.

Nonacademic advising services include answering questions and offering advice on graduate-level appeals, course overloads, leave of absence, thesis and dissertation formatting, undergrads seeking to take graduate-level courses, as well as information about professional development and career readiness and other administrative matters. Graduate students must consult with their faculty advisor, GAC, graduate coordinator, department chair, and/or college for academic advising.

In summer 2021, the Graduate College implemented an Early Alert program designed to check in on students weekly regarding their emotional, physical, cognitive, relational, academic, and financial wellness as well as their sleep and life satisfaction. Early Alert checks in on students using confidential text messaging to see how they are doing. Based on student responses to the text messages, resources to help address the specific concerns are shared. Students opt in via this online form to be a part of the Early Alert program.

Graduate Career Support: It is never too early to start planning for the future. The Graduate Career Support website contains information that will help students prepare for life during and after their graduate studies. You can find helpful tips on the website regarding the following topics:

UNLV Career Resources
Academic and Nonacademic Job Market
Application Materials
Preparing for the Interview
Search Fellowships, Graduate Assistantships, Jobs, Internships, Summer Programs, and Postdoc Positions

Helpful tips and resources for writing academic papers, professional presentations, and conducting job search may be found here.

The Grad Academy

The Grad Academy is the central hub for evidence-based graduate student leadership, professional, and career development and wellness programming. Beginning in fall 2019, The Grad Academy transitioned from a virtual center to a designated space in the University Gateway Building. Annually, The Grad Academy offers over 60 workshops, 12 signature events, nonacademic advising, and career support each year in addition to offering three professional development certifications and six Grad Rebel Programs. All of these are free opportunities that are available to graduate and professional students.

While all students are able to attend any workshop, the goal is to help students prioritize their experiences and provide resources that will be most useful to them as they need particular skills in the course of their degree program. The Grad Academy accomplishes this by providing an organizing framework that clearly shows students the topics of workshops, programs, and activities, as well as the learning objectives, the mode of delivery, the time commitment required, and at what level the student is poised to most benefit from the experience. To accomplish this, The Grad Academy has broken down professional and career development opportunities so that students may participate across the master’s and doctoral student lifecycles.

The Pillars of Professional and Career Development

The Grad Academy is built around six Pillars of Personal, Professional & Career Development. They are:

Research
Teaching
Communication
Leadership
Career Prep
Wellness (financial, mental, and physical)

These pillars, informed from literature on key skills graduate students need to be successful in their personal and professional lives, are designed to ensure that all workshops, events, and professional/career development opportunities are user-friendly, relevant, and intentional. Each opportunity falls under at least one of these pillars. Students wanting to refine or brush up on a particular skill set have an easy way to know which opportunities will be most relevant and useful to them. By taking the Professional and Career Skills Assessment (forthcoming), students will be able to assess their own strengths and weaknesses in each of the pillars and design their own path of engagement to address their weaknesses and enhance their strengths.

Graduate College Co-Curricular Certifications

Graduate and professional students have the opportunity to participate in free, year-long professional development programs in the areas of research, teaching, mentorship, and communication. Each non-credit bearing certification helps students develop and hone skills through a series of workshops, cohort meetings, and the completion of a culminating experience. Students are accepted as a cohort and need to complete a number of certification requirements. The free application cycle for each certification opens at the start of the spring semester for the following academic year. On successful completion of all requirements for the certification, a notation is made on the student transcript to indicate completion. The Graduate College currently offers the following certification programs:

Graduate Research Certification: Provides graduate, professional, and select undergraduate students with skills and knowledge necessary to initiate, conduct, and successfully conclude research projects. The program is designed to foster intellectual discussion of ethical issues in conducting research, as well as, to provide insight and training on best research practices.
Graduate Teaching Certification: Provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to teach successfully in a post-secondary classroom. The program is designed to foster intellectual discussion of effective teaching strategies, as well as, to provide insight and training on best teaching practices.
Graduate Mentorship Certification: Provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively be mentored and serve as a mentor in higher education settings. The certification workshops are designed to foster intellectual discussion of ethical issues in mentoring, as well as, to provide insight and training on best mentoring practices.

Grad Rebel Programs

All of these programs help graduate students build and refine transferable skills that can be used in a variety of career pathways. Students are accepted as a cohort and need to complete a number of program requirements. The free application cycle for each program opens at the start of the spring semester for the following academic year. We currently offer the following programs:

Grad Rebel Ambassadors Program: Ambassadors are among the best and brightest graduate students on campus, and they act as the face of the college at our campus and community events, in meetings with prospective and current donors, and they participate in advocacy work with local, regional, and national engagement. Grad Rebel Ambassadors are highly visible members of the Graduate College team who help cultivate a strong graduate community and strengthen ties between the Graduate College, alumni, and community members. These students receive scholarships for their participation in this prestigious program as well as training in multiple skills and areas to prepare them for their ambassador roles.
Grad Rebel Advantage Program: Provides cohorts of UNLV undergraduate students with mentorship, workshops, professional development opportunities, and scholarships to help prepare them for graduate studies, whether at UNLV or elsewhere. Graduate students have the opportunity to serve as mentors to a small sub-group of program participants.
Rebel Research & Mentorship Program (RAMP): Pairs undergraduate and graduate students - who are overseen by a faculty mentor - on research/scholarly/creative projects to provide them with the opportunity to learn from one another and gain valuable skills. Participants receive scholarships and are funded to attend a conference to present their research/scholarship/creative activity at the end of the program.
Grad Rebel Writing Boot Camp: A biannual, week-long program that assists students working on major writing pieces, including theses, dissertations, and publications. A free intensive writing experience with optional writing groups that continue year-round.
Graduate College Medallion Program: Honors exceptionally involved and high-achieving students with medallions to be worn at commencement to mark their accomplishments.
Post-Graduate Career Pathways Program: Helps graduate students explore and prepare for a variety of career options after completing their graduate program.

Workshops

The Graduate College offers more than 60 workshops annually. In collaboration with campus partners, alumni, and the community, students hone valuable skills to help them progress through their graduate program and into their career. Workshops cover a wide range of topics including academic, professional, and interpersonal skills that can help graduate and professional students gain valuable skills for success in their graduate studies and future careers. Workshops can be found on the student calendar.

Events

The Graduate College hosts major, signature events each year and you can learn more about them on the Signature Events page. These are free and generally involve receptions; the goal is to highlight the impressive work of graduate students and build a community around graduate education. These events also serve as opportunities for community members and donors to see graduate students in action and better understand the importance of research, scholarship, and creative activities and the value of graduate education. The Graduate College also hosts a number of major student events each year that offer information, training, and resources.

Signature Events

FALL:

Rebel Grad Slam: 3-Minute Thesis Competition

The Rebel Grad Slam: 3-Minute Thesis Competition is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research and scholarship in an engaging way. This is a fast-paced research rumble to highlight the innovative and impactful work being done by UNLV graduate students. Come out to cheer on friends, students, and colleagues! Click here for more information.

Diversity Research & Mentorship Reception

The annual Diversity Research & Action Mentorship Forum showcases undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty/staff who are from diverse backgrounds and/or whose research is on diversity. Diversity is defined broadly and includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ideologies, and physical abilities. This event includes an undergraduate and graduate student and postdoctoral faculty poster session; lunch; faculty, postdoctoral scholar, and student panel; and table fair for campus resources. Click here for more information.

SPRING:

Graduate & Professional Student Research Forum

The UNLV GPSA and the Graduate College host the Graduate & Professional Student Research Forum each spring, which showcases excellence in research conducted at the graduate and professional level. For more information, click here.

Inspiration, Innovation, Impact: A Celebration of Graduate Student Research

This event showcases the best in UNLV graduate student research. We invite you to join us to see a select group of outstanding graduate students from a variety of colleges giving short, five minute, TED-style talks or performances. Please see the program website for additional details.

Graduate Showcase

This event highlights exceptional graduate student research at UNLV. Students apply and are selected from across colleges and disciplines to share their research in seven minutes. Please see the program website for additional information.

Graduate Spotlight Student Events

New Graduate Student Orientation - Welcome Mixer

The Graduate College hosts a New Student Orientation in fall and spring semesters. Whether you are new to campus or an alumnus, you will learn important information unique to graduate studies at UNLV. You will also have a wonderful opportunity to meet other graduate students and get even more insider tips on how to survive and thrive in your graduate studies! Please check here for current orientation dates. Each department and/or program offering a graduate degree provides additional orientation and advising for new students.

President’s Innovation Challenge

This event is a team competition to encourage social and business entrepreneurship that helps solve major problems of our day here in Southern Nevada. When Rebel undergraduate and graduate students sign up for this challenge, they soon learn that this is not just a technology challenge for techies — it is an idea challenge for all of us. Students form teams to invent a solution. Maybe teams identify a significant social issue to solve; or launch the development of a new business or nonprofit that can take root and thrive; or invent an app that fosters a sustainable improvement in the socio-economic factors that drive or hinder this city; or maybe they come up with a brilliant idea for an expansion of the arts to achieve a greater benefit for everyone, residents and visitors alike. The challenge is what we offer. The idea is up to our students – one that could win them a significant cash prize, including a $25,000 grand prize, and even a life-changing path for their future. Please see the program website for additional information.

Graduate Assistant Orientation

New Graduate Assistant Orientation is hosted in the fall semester. It features representatives from the university discussing issues such as student conduct, disability resources, policies and procedures, and meeting a class for the first time. It also includes a student panel discussion with Q & A. New Graduate Assistant Orientation is mandatory for all new GAs and recommended for returning GAs. Please check here for current orientation dates.

Doctoral Recognition Ceremony

Each spring and fall the Graduate College hosts this reception in celebration of our graduating doctoral candidates. The Doctoral Recognition Ceremony is held in addition to the university Commencement Ceremony and does not replace Commencement. For more information, click here. All graduates that attend the event will be awarded the UNLV Doctoral Honor Cord to be worn at Commencement. Students are hooded at Commencement.

Professional Development Resources and Opportunities Across Campus

Various offices across campus offer a variety of workshops and trainings, these include:

Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP): OSP serves as the principal point of contact for individuals seeking and/or managing external funding for research, scholarship, and creative activities. It acknowledges and supports the efforts of faculty in seeking and utilizing external funding on behalf of their own professional interests and on behalf of the university’s mission. Visit the Training page for more information.
The Office of Research Integrity: The mission of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is to create and support an environment that promotes the ethical and responsible conduct of research while assisting researchers to comply with federal, state, NSHE, and local regulations with regard to research. Through key committees, related programs, and administrative activities, the ORI oversees UNLV policies related to research integrity, including the coordination of policy development and policy implementation. The ORI also provides support for the responsible conduct of research.
UNLV Libraries Offers Instruction: Information sessions are provided for instructors that are designed to help students develop their abilities to identify, access, evaluate, and make effective use of information in its various formats.
UNLV Libraries Workshops: A wide variety of library workshops are offered to UNLV graduate and professional students. All sessions are free. For a complete listing of available workshops and registration please visit the Graduate College Student Workshop Calendar.
Writing Center: The Writing Center can help you with any writing assignment at any stage of the writing process. They can help in person, or you can send your paper using the simple form on their Online Writing Lab (OWL) page. Please note: GAs and adjunct instructors can request the UNLV Writing Center send a consultant to your class to talk about the services the Writing Center can offer your students. Call 702-895-3908 to schedule a presentation.
Career Services: The mission of UNLV’s Career Services is to educate, prepare, and assist students as they pursue the career development and job search process in a global and dynamic world of work.
Interfolio: Interfolio is a system to collect, manage, and showcase academic and professional credentials for post-graduate education, teaching positions in higher education, and other opportunities. Interfolio offers individuals one central place to store their most important documents, while also providing the means to distribute these materials to thousands of institutions across the country. Interfolio’s services offer a revolutionary way for people to market themselves professionally.
Faculty Center: The Faculty Center hosts workshops and events, many of which are offered to graduate and professional students. See their calendar of events here.
LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning offers thousands of on-demand courses on business, creative, and technology skills - available for free to UNLV students, faculty, and staff.
Military and Veteran Services Centers: UNLV is honored to have the opportunity to educate and serve our nation’s heroes. We strive to provide responsive academic, social, and administrative support to student veterans, as well as active duty military members. Please note the following policy as it relates to veterans and VA funds:
PL 115-407 Section 103 and 104 Compliance: Title 38 USC 3679 (e): A policy that does not impose any penalty, including assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds while awaiting payment of VA funds under chapter 31 and 33. Individuals must submit a COE before the first day of class, a written request to use such entitlement, provide additional information necessary to certify enrollment, and may impose a fee for the amount that is different between the VA payment.
Prevention, Education, and Outreach: CARE Presentations: Their mission is to grant access to knowledge, increase sensitivity, and change individual attitudes about interpersonal violence through presentations, discussions, and workshops around campus activism and violence prevention. To accomplish their mission, they facilitate educational workshops and presentations and staff outreach tables at campus events.
OIT Canvas Training Workshops: Students have access to training workshops through Canvas. View a full training schedule here.
OIT Trainings/Workshops: Training courses are offered to faculty and staff at UNLV, and student employees when space allows. Students are invited to contact the IT Help Desk where technicians can provide assistance with a wide range of computing needs.
Safe Zone Training: Peer Educators are dedicated to leading presentations, training sessions, and workshops related to social justice and diversity.

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