Graduate Student News
Olga Radovic, a graduate student, performing with the UConn Symphony Orchestra at von der Mehden Recital Hall
Graduate Student Timely Topics Series
The Graduate School’s Timely Topics is a series of learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to engage with subject matter experts on topics relevant to graduate education. The student track of this series features sessions that highlight University resources and supports, answer questions about academic processes and procedures, and provide strategies to help students successfully navigate their graduate career. All sessions are offered virtually.
Register for a Session | View the full student track schedule and session descriptions
Spring 2025 Student Sessions
Seeking External Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities
UConn’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships (ONSF) advises and mentors students seeking prestigious, nationally-competitive scholarships and fellowships. In this session, staff from ONSF will discuss several specific opportunities that might be of interest to both early- and late-career graduate students (e.g., NSF-GRFP and Fulbright), and highlight resources to help graduate students from all backgrounds identify opportunities for which they might be eligible.
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitator: Vin Moscardelli, Director, Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships
Getting to Conferral: Master’s Degrees and Graduate Certificates
This session will discuss the Office of the Registrar’s degree audit process for master’s degrees and graduate certificates, including 6th Year Certificate programs. Degree Audit staff will share auditing terms and timeline, degree requirements for Plan A and Plan B, as well as the thesis submission process. Time will be available at the end of the session for participants’ questions.
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitators: Sandra Cyr, Master’s Degree and Graduate Certificate Programs Registrar Specialist
Getting to Conferral: Doctoral Degrees
This session will discuss the Office of the Registrar’s degree audit process for doctoral (Ph.D.) students. Degree Audit staff will share auditing terms and timeline, degree requirements, the master’s on the way process, and the dissertation submission process. Time will be available at the end of the session for participants’ questions.
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Facilitators: Jenn Horan, Doctoral Degree Registrar Specialist
Promoting Mental Health
This informative and interactive workshop will increase graduate students’ knowledge of the range of mental health resources on campus as well as helpful self-care and stress management strategies.
Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitator: Alyson Faires, Staff Psychologist, SHaW Mental Health
Building Financial Credit and Dealing with Debt
In this workshop, we’ll discuss financial credit, credit scoring, and how to use credit wisely. Further, we will also talk about dealing with debt and what to do when you can’t pay your bills. This workshop will be provided by the UConn Financial Education Program.
Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Time: 11am – 12pm
Facilitator: Faye Griffiths-Smith, Personal Finance Educator, UConn Extension
“Distinguished Graduate Fellows” and “Impact Scholars” Programs
Official guidance on The Graduate School’s new Distinguished Graduate Fellows and Impact Scholars fellowship programs for incoming students has been made available to the Executive Committee of The Graduate School, the Graduate Faculty Council, Department Heads, Directors of Graduate Studies, Graduate Student Administrators, Associate Deans for Graduate Education, and Academic Deans. Please reach out to those groups or jack.corcoran@uconn.edu from The Graduate School for access to this guidance.
Upcoming Spring 2025 GA Registration Deadline
As a reminder, all students employed as Graduate Assistants are required to maintain full-time student status (6 or more credits), as noted in their offer letter and The Graduate Catalog. Employment as a GA is a result of student status, therefore GAs are expected to be registered for a minimum of 6 credits before the start date of their employment (the deadline is January 8, 2025 for grads who have been appointed as GAs for Spring 2025). Please be aware that if you do not enroll in the minimum 6 credits required to maintain full-time student status, the University cannot employ you as a GA.
To register now, log into Student Admin. You can also find helpful information, resources, and to-do items specific to your role as a GA, including information about GA health insurance and deadlines for enrolling in GA payroll deductions to pay our fee bill, at the Graduate Assistant Onboarding page.
Students who have the “GEMB – Graduate Embargo” hold on their record, will be unable to register in classes until they are present in the U.S. If you are a student with this particular hold, please be sure to check in with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) immediately upon arrival and register for classes through Student Admin as soon as ISSS has removed the hold.
If you have any questions about this requirement or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to megan.petsa@uconn.edu.
Graduate School News from UConn Today
Community, Collaboration, and Preparation
The Graduate School is dedicated to the welfare and progress of its students. We strive to strengthen this through a commitment to the ideas of creating community, promoting collaboration, and addressing your academic, professional, and career preparation. UConn is committed to fostering a diverse and dynamic culture that prepares you to meet the challenges of a changing global society.
The Graduate School leads and coordinates a variety of activities and resources to navigate your pathway through graduate school and to enrich the overall personal and professional experience of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Our vision for training of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars rests on three pillars as outlined in our academic plan.
Community: The Graduate School will enhance the quality of life for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars by nurturing an engaged community of scholars that includes all disciplines and all campuses.
Collaboration: The Graduate School will foster the development of inter-, cross-, multi-, and trans- disciplinary research and teaching programs by removing barriers to cross-departmental, cross-program, and cross-campus graduate and postdoctoral education.
Preparation: The Graduate School will enhance career and professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars through programs designed to enhance discipline-independent, transferable skills. We utilize a framework of three categories to help students and scholars prioritize their activity: Professional Engagement, Career Development, Personal Growth.
