Student Newsletter - June 2024

Welcome to the CCAS Graduate Student Newsletter! Designed to keep you up to date with news and events, policies and processes, and all things for CCAS graduate students!

Graduate Student Newsletter Archive

June 2024

The Student Services Team is here to advise, guide, and provide you with resources to aid in your success, as well as help you navigate university policies and procedures. Our office is located in Smith 118, and we are open during normal business hours on Monday – Friday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. You can schedule a virtual, phone, or in-person appointment with your Student Services Coordinator and our Career Counselors.

For our June newsletter, we have the following topics:

Summer Graduation Deadline
Registration Reminders
Summer ETD Deadlines
Summer 2024 Ph.D. ETD & Copyright Workshops
Gelman Library Closure & Available Resources
Career Services & Upcoming Career-Related Events
Funding, Fellowships, Internships & Employment Opportunities

Summer Graduation Deadline

The deadline to apply for Summer graduation is July 15. All students who plan on completing their requirements in the Summer need to apply to graduate through GWeb by the deadline. Online graduation application instructions can be found on the Registrar’s Office website.

Registration Reminders

All CCAS graduate students are required to register continuously each fall and spring semester until the completion of their program. You are not required to register for courses over the summer, but may choose to do so if there are summer courses which interest you, or if you would like to get some requirements out of the way before the start of the 2024-2025 academic year. If you have questions about your program’s requirements or which courses you should take to meet those requirements, please reach out to your academic advisor. More information on registration can be found on the CCAS Registration page.

Fall 2024 Course Registration

Fall 2024 course registration is open in GWeb until August 21st, 2024. Please visit the Registrar’s Office website for instructions on course registration.

Leave of Absence

If you wish to take a Leave of Absence (LOA) during Fall 2024, please review our LOA policy and discuss this option with your Director of Graduate Studies. If you choose to take a LOA, please complete a Leave of Absence Application Form and submit it to us at [email protected].

Summer Sessions

Summer Session offers students a variety of courses designed to broaden the mind and enhance skills. You can fulfill program requirements, take in-demand courses that fill up quickly during the regular academic year, and get a leg up on prerequisites.

Summer Session I this year is scheduled for May 20 - June 29; Summer Session II is scheduled for July 1 - August 10. More information on Summer Sessions, including registration deadlines, special programs, and tuition, can be found on the Summer Sessions website. Key dates for Summer Sessions I & II are listed below.

Key Registration Dates this Month:

May 20-June 29	Summer Session I Please visit the Registrar's Office's Summer Sessions page for more information on summer registration dates.
June 2	Last day to drop a Summer Session I class via any means
June 14	Last day to withdraw from a class with a grade of “W” using the RTF-EZ or to change grade mode with Dean’s permission
June 16	Last day to withdraw from a class with a grade of “W” using GWeb
June 30	Last day of General Registration for Summer Session II *July 5 is the last day for all Consortium registration scheduled during Summer Session II

Registering for Courses with Variable Credit Hours

Certain courses, including thesis, dissertation, internship, and research courses, have variable credit hours. This means that you can choose the number of credits you will be earning when you register for the course.

When you register for a course with variable credit hours, the registration system will automatically default to 1 credit hour registered. If you would like to register for more than 1 credit, you will need to adjust the number of credits using the following steps:

Within the registration system, click on the Schedule and Options tab on the Register for Classes menu.
Under the Hours column, any courses that have variable credits will be underlined.
Click on the credits displayed and a box will open up to enter your credits.
Enter the credits you wish to register for within the valid range and click Submit at the bottom of the page to save the changes.

Please note that if you register for a course with variable credit hours, it is important to adjust the number of credits you register for by the end of the second week of classes. This is because your tuition fees are determined by the number of credits you register for each semester, and it is possible to make changes to course registration within the first two weeks of the semester for a 100% tuition refund. If you need to make changes to the number of credits you register for after the first two weeks of the semester have passed, you may be billed for additional tuition fees. The next section of this newsletter will cover how changes to your registration can impact your Student Accounts balance.

Student Accounts Late Fee Policy

Tuition, health insurance charges, and other fees are due by the first day of the semester, or upon registration if the semester has already begun. This means that changes to your registration once the semester has started may impact your Student Account.

Even if you paid your balance in full prior to the start of the semester, it is important to check your Student Account eBill in GWeb any time your registration changes. For example, if you choose to take an additional course or increase the number of credits you take for a course, you will automatically be charged additional fees and have an outstanding Student Account balance. Additionally, if you drop one course and pick up another course after the 100% tuition refund period has ended, you may have an outstanding Student Account balance even if the courses both have the same number of credits.

Any outstanding balance on your Student Account after the start of the semester may be subject to a late payment fee. The Student Accounts Office charges late fees for each semester in two rounds: a flat, $75 fee earlier in the semester, and a 5% fee based on the total amount owed later in the semester. In fall, the $75 late fee is charged in November, and the 5% fee is charged in December.

More information on the late fee policy, as well as the full fee schedule, can be found in the Late Payments section of the Student Accounts Office website. Information on course exchanges can be found in the Adding & Dropping Courses section of the Student Accounts Office website.

Choosing the RTF vs. RTF-EZ

As we gear up for Fall registration, you may have seen some references to forms called the RTF (sometimes called the RTF Classic) and the RTF-EZ. Students can register for most courses online via GWeb. When a student cannot self-register online, we use a registration form - either the RTF or the RTF-EZ - to help them register.

Please note that these forms also differ in how they are submitted:

RTF-EZ: submit to the Registrar’s Office
[email protected] or in-person at the USC Student Services Hub
RTF Classic: submit to Graduate Student Services
[email protected]

More information on the RTF and RTF-EZ can be found in the Registration section of the CCAS student handbook. If you are ever unsure which registration form you should use, please reach out to us at [email protected] for guidance.

Summer ETD Deadlines

As you plan your summer, please be mindful of ETD clearance deadlines for both Ph.D. students and for Master’s students completing a thesis.

Ph.D. students should visit our Ph.D. Clearance Deadlines page, and Master’s students completing a thesis should review our Master’s Thesis ETD Submission page.

Summer 2024 Ph.D. ETD & Copyright Workshops

ETD Workshop
June 6 from 3:00 - 4:00pm

Students completing their dissertation in Summer 2024 or in the near future are strongly encouraged to attend this online Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) workshop. The ETD formatting requirements and submission process are a primary focus of the workshop. Our Student Services Team members will also discuss procedures and deadlines pertinent to Ph.D. graduation clearance. This workshop covers requirements specific to CCAS Ph.D. students only.

Please register in advance to attend this workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Copyright Workshop
June 27 from 3:00 - 4:00pm

This informative workshop hosted by the GW Libraries Scholarly Communications team will explain how copyright restrictions may affect your dissertation and the steps you must take to protect your work. Students whose dissertations will include previously published works are strongly encouraged to attend this workshop.

Please register in advance to attend this workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Gelman Library Closure & Available Resources

The Gelman Library building is closed from May 20 - August 11, 2024 to accommodate major HVAC maintenance, which should ensure a more sustainable and comfortable library environment for GW community members. This project will require the library to close for three consecutive summers: Summer 2024, 2025, and 2026. The library will reopen for fall and spring semesters.

While the Gelman library building is closed for summer, library services will still be available. Please visit the Gelman Library Building Closure page on the GW Libraries website for more information on accessing books, course materials, and study spaces during the library closure.

Career Services & Upcoming Career-Related Events

Our Career Counselors are available throughout the summer to discuss your unique career goals and job search strategy! We are here to help with resumes, cover letters, networking, interview preparation, LinkedIn profiles, job offer negotiations, and more. Schedule an appointment with Erin Ahart or Dr. Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser on Handshake. Visit our website or email [email protected] for more information.

Funding, Fellowships, Internships & Employment Opportunities

The Inter-American Foundation Research Fellowship Program

Application Deadline: December 3, 2024

The Inter-American Foundation (IAF), in conjunction with the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), welcomes applicants for its new Research Fellowship Program to advance rigorous field-based research on actionable questions about community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The IAF will award up to ten Fellowships in 2025. Each of the ten fellowships includes a stipend of $20,000 to support an individual researcher working over the course of twelve months in one or more of the countries in the region where the IAF works (see IAF.gov/Where we work), participation in a three-day in-person orientation workshop, and engagement with the network of IAF Fellows.

Applicants must be a citizen of one of the countries in which the IAF works or the United States and must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree.

Updated June 3, 2024.