May 20, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

Early-Career Students


Initial Steps for New Graduate Students

Progression, Forms, and Milestones

Engagement Opportunities

 

Early-career students are defined as students who are working on completing the first third of the coursework required for their degree. 

Initial Steps for New Graduate Students

Students should identify their initial advisor or contact their graduate coordinator listed in their Grad Rebel Gateway portal or on the Degrees Directory which also houses the program handbook. 

Students must complete the mandatory new graduate student orientation online modules provide by the Graduate College so they can get information on important policies, access to campus resources, and more. 

New graduate students must also complete any orientation/meeting for their specific programs as an opportunity to get to know fellow incoming students, meet faculty, and access information they will need as they are starting their program. 

New GAs must attend the GA orientation to learn more about their role and responsibilities.

Students are encouraged to engage with the Graduate College and the GPSA to become involved with the larger graduate community and take advantage of the many free resources available to students.

Progression, Forms, and Milestones

Early-career students must satisfy any admissions conditions or provisions as specified on their admissions offer letter (see Admission status and classification of students ).

Students needing to declare a subplan (concentration or track) or change a plan or subplan, should do so during the early-career stage by contacting their Graduate College RPC coordinator who will work with the student and their department. 

Students who need a Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) should identify a faculty mentor and begin working on establishing their full GAC. Students needing a GAC will see the Appointment of Advisory Committee form in the Required Forms page in their Grad Rebel Gateway account. All students completing a thesis, dissertation, or doctoral project  are required to have a GAC. Students who need a Graduate Faculty Advisor should work with their department to identify that individual. Students needing a Graduate Faculty Advisor will see that form on their Required Forms page in the Grad Rebel Gateway.

Online Surveys and Mandatory Annual Individual Development Plans

Each fall, an optional Graduate Student Life and Climate Survey is distributed for students to complete which allows the university to compare graduate student experiences, satisfaction, and needs, over the years.

Each winter, graduate students are required to complete a mandatory annual evaluation called an Individual Development Plan (IDP), which is reviewed and approved by the student’s advisor (where applicable) and graduate coordinator.

 

Navigation:

Next: Mid-Career Students    

Previous: The Graduate Student Lifecycle