College of Graduate Studies

To facilitate, where possible, promotion and publication of graduate student research through research grants, conference travel grants, and other centrally administered mechanisms
To serve as the institutional site of periodic review of all academic units, particularly of the research they conduct and the knowledge they contribute to the discipline
To facilitate, wherever possible, development of interdisciplinary research and training programs that push the boundaries of current disciplinary fields and agendas
To develop graduate training programs at both the Master’s and the Doctoral levels that best serve the interests of UCF faculty, prospective graduate students, and the needs of our communities at large

To ensure that individual graduate programs offer a curriculum of graduate instruction that is both broad and deep enough to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for the broad array of postgraduate careers they may wish to pursue
To ensure that fair and reasonable guidelines are in place to regularize the assignment of graduate teaching and research assistantships
To ensure that departmental recruitment and admissions policies are consistent with stated university goals of maintaining or improving the quality of graduate programs and increasing student diversity
To ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place, both centrally and within individual degree programs, to ensure successful acculturation of international students to academic life in this country and at this university
To ensure, by tracking comparative data over time, that all aspects of the graduate programs conform to the highest academic standards and to provide mechanisms of redress when they fall below those standards
To develop financial support systems that will assist students in their progress toward a degree and to ensure that this support does not involve more than a minimal amount of work that draws them away from their graduate programs, that is irrelevant to their likely career trajectories, or that does not progress to greater levels of responsibility and independence.

To help develop support services—such as those offered by the UCF’s Pathways to Success program that enhance the professional, academic, and scholarly interests of graduate students
To maintain and publicize comprehensive data on student completion rates, time to degree, placement in at least first professional employment, and attrition. The Graduate School should also conduct exit surveys of graduating Master’s and PhD recipients to assess the performance of graduate programs and to modify them as warranted

To maintain a comprehensive description of the goals and expectations of individual graduate programs and to periodically compare these descriptions against graduate program data
To develop specific avenues for faculty and student appeals of existing policies or regulation, of perceived breaches of institutional standards of fair and reasonable practice, or of violations of honor or ethical codes. These avenues should be published regularly and provided to all graduate students and faculty

Expectations of the Graduate School