Graduate Faculty

1. Setting Application Requirements 
   1. Graduate program directors should evaluate admission criteria to ensure they are appropriate for their program. Program requirements cannot be below the Graduate School’s requirements of (1) a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5 from an accredited university and (2) a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in all graduate-level work.
   2. Some criteria used by programs at SIUE include standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, portfolios, personal statements, minimum GPA and writing samples. Any changes to existing admission requirements in the Graduate Catalog require approval through the program change process.
   3. Consider the below best practices when implementing or revising application requirements:
      1. Standardized test scores: Provide average scores for admitted students to help applicants determine whether they would be competitive for your program; provide clear instructions regarding the University code for score reporting (SIUE’s GRE code = 1759); provide clear guidance if test scores can be waived under certain circumstances.
      2. Letters of recommendation: Provide clear instructions as to the type of individuals who should provide letters.
      3. Prerequisite courses: Consider the availability of prerequisite courses at other universities; clarify if students can be admitted conditionally without prerequisite courses; consider whether your program can offer prerequisite courses during the summer or if admitted students could take them in their first term as corequisites. 
      4. Personal statements/letter of intent: Provide clear instructions on what applicants should include in statements and provide a word/page length minimum or maximum. 
      5. Minimum GPA: Set GPA minimum to reflect admission history; clearly explain conditions under which minimum GPA may qualify for an exception, if applicable.
      6. Portfolios/Writing Samples: Be specific about the content, format and type/length of the submission expected.
   4. International Student Requirements
      1. International students must meet SIUE’s English language proficiency criteria on either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or meet one of the criteria to waive this requirement to be admitted; however, programs may set their own, higher requirements if desired. Programs may also allow students conditional admission upon completion of the on-campus Intensive English Pathway (IEP) program. For questions about the IEP program, contact the Director of Intensive English Pathway program at englishpathway@siue.edu.
      2. SIUE complies with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations that govern the financial eligibility of international students. International students must provide evidence of sufficient financial resources to support all their living and education expenses for one academic year. Financial requirements are updated annually. Additional information regarding this requirement and corresponding forms can be found on the International Admissions website.
2. Overview of Application Process
   1. Application Types
      1. Classified Graduate Student: Those seeking admission to a degree or certificate program.
      2. Unclassified Graduate Student: Those seeking admission to graduate study but not a specific program. (Students admitted to the Cooperative PhD programs are admitted as Unclassified at SIUE and as degree-seeking at SIUC.)
      3. Combined Bachelor and Graduate Degree (CBGD) Students: Provides conditional acceptance to graduate program via acceptance to either the existing Accelerated or Early Entry program for current SIUE upper-level undergraduates. 
   2. Application Fee: Currently, the fee is $40. Fee waivers for prospective students who attend department recruitment events or those with financial hardships can be requested through Graduate and International Admissions.
   3. Application Deadlines
      1. Classified students: A classified admission application is required for each graduate program. See the Application Deadlines website for the current deadlines. Students returning to the same program can submit a new application up to five days before the semester starts.
         The deadlines for international students to submit an application are June 1 for fall term, November 1 for spring term and April 1 for summer term, unless set earlier by the program.    
      2.  Unclassified students: The last day for domestic students to submit an application is one week prior to the beginning of the term (unless set earlier by the program). Typically, international students cannot be unclassified because visa restrictions require they be full-time, degree seeking students. However, when international students attend SIUE for a semester (or less) on a visiting exchange program, they will need to follow the deadlines for classified international students in order to obtain a visa in time to attend.
      3. Combined Bachelor’s and Graduate Degrees: Students should apply for admission for the term in which they intend to begin taking graduate courses, and must need no more than 32 credit hours to complete the bachelor’s degree upon admission. 
   4. Application Process Overview
      1. Students submit the application and upload supplementary materials and unofficial copies of all academic transcripts in the online application system. Although unofficial transcripts may be used during the application review process, students must send official transcripts to Admissions directly from their institution(s) to gain full admission to the university.
         1. If a student does not meet minimum Graduate School GPA requirements for admission, they will receive notification that they must submit an explanation of this deficiency. Requests will be reviewed by the Graduate School for approval before being sent to the program.
      2. Departments review applicant information in AppReview. Application materials are uploaded in AppReview as they are received by Admissions.  Faculty/staff must go through training to access AppReview.
         1. Review the App Review Tutorial.
         2. Submit a new SARF for new GPDs/Reviewers with a beginning effective date.
         3.  Please submit a new SARF for the termination of the old GPDs/Reviewers with an effective date of the termination.
      3. Programs make decisions on each applicant:
         1. Deny: Applicant is not admitted to program.
         2. Admit with conditions: Applicant is admitted to program but with conditions specified in writing in AppReview. Conditions may not conflict with Graduate School policies or the program’s Graduate Catalog admission/retention requirements. Students must be able to take at least one graduate course in their program of study during the first term of their admission. Note that the department is responsible for confirming that any conditions listed are satisfied.  
            1. For students who are not able to enroll in at least one graduate course, they should not be admitted as a graduate student. For these cases, email the Director of Graduate Admissions so that communications to the applicant can be tailored to be sure they understand their admission to the graduate school is only being deferred, not denied, for their own benefit.
         3. Accept: Applicant is accepted to program
      4. After decisions have been made, Admissions will notify the applicant.  The program can also communicate the decision (deny, admit with conditions, accept) to the applicant after Admissions sends the initial notification. However, the student is not fully admitted to the Graduate School and that program until activated by Graduate Admissions. Note that some fields have rules or common standards for deadlines by which offers must be made or accepted.
3. Best Practices for Review and Selection of Candidates
   1. Incorporate holistic admissions practices into the application review process. See the “Holistic Admissions” section below for information. 
   2. Create and use a rubric for reviewing candidates based upon admission criteria.  
   3. Consider having a subset of program faculty review each candidate.
   4. Rather than all graduate faculty evaluating applications, consider having a small committee that oversees the process, collates the faculty reviews, and makes the final decisions.
   5. For programs that limit the number of accepted students:
      1. Create “yes,” “no” and “maybe” lists of prospective students.
      2. Consider interviewing your top candidates. Interviews should be structured, with the same performance-relevant questions asked of each candidate. One best practice is to hold an interview day that includes group sessions with current students, tours of facilities/campus, and other activities that highlight the strengths of the program.                                                                           
      3. Make offers (in writing) to your top applicants. Give them a deadline for responding to your offer. If possible, make this deadline early enough so that second-tier students can be given an offer in a timely manner should the top applicants decline. 
      4. Send out regret letters to unacceptable candidates. Keep in mind that these letters are an important piece of PR for SIUE and for your program.
      5. Once the class has been filled, send out regret letters to all remaining applicants.
   6. For programs that do not limit the number of accepted students:
      1. Make offers (in writing) to your accepted applicants. Give them a deadline for responding to your offer. 
      2. Send out regret letters to unacceptable candidates. Keep in mind that these letters are an important piece of PR for SIUE and for your program.
      3. Consider holding a recruitment session for the candidates you accept that exposes students to the best of our university and your program.
         
4. Holistic Admissions 
   1. Holistic admissions as a concept is often misunderstood. An effective holistic admissions process hinges on two key ideas:
      1. the consideration of multiple sources of evidence to gauge applicants’ qualifications (to ensure arbitrary quantitative threshold scores do not prevent qualified candidates from admission)
      2. assessing those sources of evidence using carefully developed rubrics designed to admit applicants that have the characteristics shown to contribute to success in the program (also allows for equitable review across all reviewers)
   2. The benefits of utilizing holistic admissions practices in recruiting a diverse student body that is more likely to succeed in your graduate program is well studied and documented. Below is only a sampling of the various resources and research available
      1. Council of Graduate Schools: Holistic Review in Graduate Admissions Report
      2. ETS: Holistic Admissions Promising Practices
      3. ReNUWIt’s (NSF-Funded Engineering Research Center) SPCDI Admissions Working Group: Evidence-Based Practices for Systematic Holistic Review in Graduate Engineering Admissions
         1. Page 3, Table 1: Summary & examples of evidence-based practices
         2. Page 16, Table 3: Sample rubrics used by UC Berkeley
      4. University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School: Examples of Factors to Consider in Holistic Admissions
      5. University of Washington Graduate School: Holistic Admissions Practices & Resources
      6. University of Oregon Division of Graduate Studies: Holistic Admissions Resources
   3. Graduate programs are encouraged to request a consultation with an internal SIUE review team to receive personalized recommendations on moving towards more holistic admission practices.
      
      
   4. The admissions software that SIUE uses for graduate admissions, Radius/App Review, has several features that can facilitate a holistic review of applicants. View the Radius Holistic Admissions PDF for more information, and discuss any ideas you may have about adjusting your admissions process with Graduate and International Admissions.

At the graduate level, students look to their academic department as their primary source of guidance, connection to the University, and link to resources.

As you plan and execute your departmental orientation sessions and documents, please consider the below information and recommendations. The Graduate Student Orientation Toolkit created by the Graduate School can be utilized as a resource for generating and executing improvements to departmental-level orientation activities.

1. Understanding University-Level Orientation Provided
   1. Encourage (or require!) your new students to complete the online SIUE Graduate Student Orientation modules, which include content on academic requirements, campus resources, University technology systems, health and wellness, financial resources, research funding, community engagement, and mentoring.
   2. Graduate students are also encouraged to attend the SIUE Experience program during their entry term. This program, organized by Student Affairs, provides a variety of informational sessions and access to a variety of student services before the start of the semester.
2. Create a Plan of Study for each new student
   1. Taking the time to work with each incoming student to create an individual Plan of Study provides each student with a road map of how they will achieve their goal of a graduate degree. Using a fillable PDF template for a Plan of Study for your program and encouraging students to save it electronically allows for potential revisions to the plan as students progress each semester. Seeing the “big picture” reassures students that they are on track and making progress, even at their starting point.
   2. A Plan of Study is an ideal location to consistently remind students of other important academic expectations, such as minimum grades/GPA required for retention, thesis/exit requirements, and other progression elements unique to your program. Maintaining a Plan of Study also fulfills the requirements in Policy 1L6: Graduate Student Matriculation, Advisement, Instruction, Evaluation and Assistantships.
   3. Utilize the Plan of Study template available online and customize it to your program for easy implementation for new students.
   4. Ensure students are familiar with the Graduate Catalog for the official source of information on curriculum, graduation requirements, course descriptions and academic policies.
   5. Use the Plan of Study document to provide details on your program’s exit requirement(s).
3. Explaining and Emphasizing Academic Integrity
   The start of students’ graduate study is the ideal time to reinforce the meaning of academic and research integrity and how those concepts are executed within your discipline. Consider facilitating discussions and the sharing of information about:
   1. Acknowledging the contributions and ideas of others across all types of information sharing
   2. Common mistakes leading to accusations of plagiarism, cheating, or academic dishonesty
   3. Guidance on conducting research in your discipline that adheres to moral, ethical, and professional standards
   4. How to report instances of academic or research misconduct
   5. The serious consequences that can arise from lack of adherence to academic/research integrity policies or procedures
4. Promoting Community
   Your new graduate students automatically have one thing in common: they are all embarking on the pursuit of your graduate degree at the same time. Beyond that, they will likely have a variety of life experiences, interests, and backgrounds. Be intentional in helping them to connect with each other and with your current students in those early weeks. What works will be different depending on your program structure, but ideas include:
   1. Plan lunch or coffee breaks at on-campus locations, such as Starbucks or MUC Food Court
   2. Host a happy hour gathering at one of Edwardsville’s many local establishments or an evening of bowling at Cougar Lanes
   3. Offer group campus tours, given by faculty or by current students in your program
   4. Give students the option to come to class an hour early or stay an hour after for social time and bring snacks to share
   5. Promote sharing online via Blackboard discussion board questions or private social media groups to encourage students to get to know one another
   6. Organize a group outing to a social event, such as a sporting or cultural event, either on or off campus
5. Emphasize Campus Resources
   Orientation is a great time to remind your new students that SIUE campus resources are available to assist graduate students in all areas of their development. Encourage them to utilize the Graduate Student Online Orientation modules to familiarize themselves with the many services on campus, and highlight those that may be of particular interest to your students.
   
   
6. Engage in Career Readiness through Group Discussions
   Students may have been able to articulate interest areas or career goals during the admissions process, but it is still likely that they would benefit greatly from thorough discussions about the various career pathways in your discipline upon matriculation. They may have changed their plans or may need more in-depth information about the career choices that they will have upon completing your program. Consider small group discussions or panel presentations with current students, faculty, and/or program alumni that help to answer the following questions for your new students:
   1. What are the most common career paths that graduates from your program pursue?
   2. What are examples of the less common career paths that have emerged?
   3. What does the current job market look like for those career paths? Are certain areas experiencing more growth than others?
   4. What “soft skills” do employers in your discipline rate as important in their hiring decisions? What are concrete ways that students can learn and demonstrate those soft skills while in the program?
   5. How can students distinguish themselves during the program to be more highly sought after by employers in your field?
   6. What are the ways in which students can or will participate in experiential learning in your program? How can they expect those experiences to shape their career development?
   7. For students who may pursue additional education following graduation, how can they be competitive in their next application process? In what ways and when should they begin searching for programs to pursue?
   8. What does the job application process commonly look like for your field? How can students build their résumés/CVs, LinkedIn profiles, or portfolios to be fully prepared for the search when the time comes?
   9. What formal and informal networking opportunities for students to connect to both alumni and potential employers exist in your department or profession?
   10. What are the notable success stories of your alumni?
7. Orientation for Graduate Assistants
   1. Graduate Assistants have additional orientation needs specific to their roles and responsibilities. All new GAs should be encouraged (or required!) to complete the online GA Orientation modules in addition to department-specific training.
   2. Position and Department-Specific Training: Consider the additional needs of your GAs to be successful in their positions based on the unique responsibilities they will have in your department, and provide the training needed to help them start off prepared to execute those responsibilities. Consider the following as you evaluate the training provided to your new GAs:
      1. What technology systems will they use in their position, and how is training provided? (For example, for new TAs, how is Blackboard training provided for them to carry out instructor-level tasks?)
      2. What university resources and offices will they interact with? Consider providing a “Frequent Contacts” guide to help them know where to go for commonly asked questions.
      3. Who are the department stakeholders and where are the department resources? Take the time to introduce them to the staff and faculty in your department and show them how to access the supplies they need for the job.
      4. Who are their peers? Consider planning time for new GAs to connect, informally or formally, with experienced GAs who can serve as mentors and fellow new GAs.
      5. What are the standards for performance? Be explicit in describing the expectations for work performance and what excellence looks like in their position.
      6. What ethical issues can arise in their position? Spend time familiarizing TAs with the specific concepts of academic integrity and RAs with research integrity. All GAs, regardless of role, should be explicitly informed about standards of professional behavior and conduct. Provide examples of how they might encounter tricky situations and consider hosting small group discussions on how to navigate various hypothetical case studies.
      7. What regulations and laws apply to the kind of work they will be doing? Discuss the relevant federal, state, and University regulations, including FERPA (privacy of academic records), Title IX (sexual harassment and violence), and any others. Examining case studies can be helpful to enhance new GAs understanding of how such laws and regulations can apply in real-world scenarios within their role.