Academics
Resolve Spring & Summer 2023 Incompletes
If you received an Incomplete (I) grade in the most recent spring or summer semesters, you have until the date specified by your instructor - but no later than the 11th week of class (Friday, November 10) - to submit all outstanding work in order to have a final grade posted. If the Incomplete is not resolved by this date, the I grade will be converted to an F. See our Incomplete Policy in the Bulletin for more details.
Fall Break October 23 & 24
Students in the School of Graduate Studies will receive a two-day break from classes and class activities corresponding to Fall Break in the undergraduate calendar, Monday, October 23 and Tuesday, October 24. Please note that this exemption applies only to classes and class activities; faculty may still require students to perform research activities during fall break.
As a reminder if you do stay on campus over the break, please confirm access availability as some buildings and services (KSL, gyms, shuttles, dining, etc) may have reduced and altered hours, including the preceding weekend.
End of Daylight Saving Time: November 5
Daylight Saving Time (DST) for the United States will end overnight Sunday, November 5. Before going to bed that Saturday night, make sure reset any clocks that do not automatically update back one hour so you're on time for any appointments the following week!
Last Day for Course Withdrawal: November 10
If you need to withdraw from a single course (as long as it is not your only class), you have until Friday, November 10. For most classes, this is done in SIS; see the University Registrar's page on class registration (start at #20) for instructions.
When you drop the individual course, you will receive a grade of W on your transcript and you will receive a 0% tuition refund. If you have more questions or are unsure whether you should drop the individual course, speak to your professor and/or advisor before making the decision to withdraw.
Final Oral Defense
Doctoral candidates must submit the Notification for Scheduling the Final Oral Exam to Graduate Studies at least three weeks prior to the scheduled defense date. If you intend to graduate in January 2024, you should pay careful attention to submission deadlines and plan accordingly. Dissertation defenses (like classes) are to be held in-person (if special circumstances exist, students can petition Grad Studies for exceptions). See our Graduation page for more details.
Looking to Audit a Course?
Students can audit a course to gain knowledge in a subject area without being bound to complete all of the required coursework. Email a completed Add/Drop Form to gradstudies@case.edu to audit a course for Fall 2023 by Friday, November 10. A student may audit a course with the approval of the instructor and advisor, however, they receive no credit for the course (a grade of AD is posted on the transcript). Note that a course cannot be changed from Audit to Credit, and audited courses cannot be used to fulfill any degree requirements. Full tuition is charged for audited courses.
Submit Required Admission Documents
Do you have admission materials to submit to the School of Graduate Studies? If you have not yet turned in your official transcripts or test scores, please check your account for an email titled "CWRU official admission documents needed" sent on October 12. All students with unresolved conditions will have a Spring 2024 registration hold until the documents have been received and you will not be able to register for classes.
Meet the Incoming Fall 2023 Grad Students
Welcome to all of our students that started in Summer and Fall 2023! We wanted to provide some statistics to show you what the incoming group of students looks like. As the chilly weather sets in, be sure to give your fellow students a warm welcome as they continue to settle in to the CWRU community.
Academic Plans: 446 (63.5%) Masters students; and 256 (36.5%) Doctoral students
Gender: 378 (53.8%) Female; 319 (45.4%) Male; and 5 (.8%) Other
Minority Ethnic Groups: 263 Asian; 83 Black or African American; 42 Hispanic or Latinx; 15 multi-ethnic; 1 Native American; and 31 other
International Students: 34.6% of incoming grad students are international, representing 32 countries!
Special Features
CBTA Professional Development Conference
The Cleveland Biomedical Trainee Alliance 2023 Professional Development Conference is happening October 19 and 20 in Tink Ballroom to focus on providing resources for trainees to develop themselves for their future careers. The conference will include panels of multidisciplinary experts, hands-on workshops with experts in resumes, CVs and LinkedIn, sessions on topics ranging from scientific writing to mentor/mentee communication, and more! For those attending the conference, next month there will be an additional career-focused panel as an opportunity to meet and network with companies interested in hiring grad students and postdocs. The School of Graduate Studies is sponsoring this event in collaboration with the School of Medicine's Graduate Education Office, the Lerner Trainee Association, the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Association, and the Association of Biomedical and Chemical Engineers
See more information and register on CampusGroups.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Each year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students with three years of funding through the Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP). Eligible applicants are research-based Master's and doctoral students at accredited US institutions pursuing degrees in chemistry, computer and information, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, materials research, mathematical sciences, physics and astronomy, psychology, social sciences, and STEM education disciplines.
Students interested in applying this year should self-enroll in our NSF GRFP Canvas site to review the program purpose, key elements, eligibility, application timeline and components, deadlines, resources, events, and application materials from CWRU GRFP awardees. Dr. Jessica Slentz (Grad Studies alum and President/CEO of Lake Effect Grant Solutions) is also offering free 30 minute one-on-one sessions in-person on campus or via Zoom on Wednesday, October 18 between 4:00 and 6:00pm EDT to review your application. A recording is available of our panel webinar last month featuring current GRFP fellows at CWRU discussing their experiences in applying and also faculty discussing what reviewers are looking for in grant applications. Students can also attend several additional webinars in the coming weeks sponsored by NSF. For more details, the registration links to all the review sessions and webinars can be found in CampusGroups.
The deadline to apply varies by your field of study but will be in the second half of October.
Diekhoff Committee Members Needed!
Be a part of a 44-year CWRU tradition to recognize graduate faculty for their exemplary contributions to the education and development of students through advising, mentoring, and classroom teaching.
We are looking for motivated Graduate Studies students interested in contributing to the selection of this year's John S. Diekhoff Award winners. This group will interview and select the recipients of these distinguished graduate teaching and mentoring awards, presented annually to two CWRU faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and two who have done so in mentoring. Learn more about the awards here.
If you are interested in joining the committee, applications for the committee chair/co-chair are due Tuesday, October 24 and general applications to be a committee member are due Tuesday, October 31. Questions? Email diekhoff@case.edu.
3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition
The third annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) competition returns to CWRU on February 16, 2024! Developed by the University of Queensland and now held at over 900 institutions across more than 80 countries, 3MT celebrates the exciting research conducted by grad students around the world. 3MT is a competition that challenges students to cultivate their research and communication skills by effectively presenting the significance of their projects to a general audience in just three minutes.
CWRU students enrolled in either a Master’s or Doctoral program with an original research project may enter the 2023-2024 3MT competition! Want to learn more? Come to a 3MT information and research communications session on Friday, October 27 at 12:45pm EDT in Nord 356 (registration link coming soon but keep watch here for more info and additional events. You can also view the 2022-23 information session slides to learn more.
The deadline to submit video for the competition's first round is Friday, November 17 (application link coming soon). Visit our 3MT website for more details including the timeline and eligibility.
