The Graduate School
Graduate
Dean: Mark Riley; Associate Deans: Debra Ann Fadool, Brian Barton: Assistant Deans: Lisa Liseno, Adrienne Stephenson
The University's first graduate degree was a Master of Science (MS) degree in psychology that was awarded to Barbara Elizabeth James in 1903. Boris Gutbezahl, a student in the Department of Chemistry, was awarded the University's first Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1952. The mission of the Graduate School is to advance the quality and integrity of graduate education. The Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for the broad oversight of all graduate programs. Florida State University offers an extensive range of graduate and professional programs through the fifteen colleges. Graduate education at FSU includes 112 master's degrees, 11 specialist and advanced master's degrees, and 70 doctoral degrees. Professional degrees are also offered in Law, Nursing, and Medicine. In addition, a variety of opportunities are available for students interested in advanced degrees, including interdisciplinary degree programs, joint graduate pathways, dual degrees, and combined bachelor's/master's degree pathways. Florida State University also offers several online academic degree programs and graduate certificate programs. Details about these programs can be found in the appropriate department chapter of this Graduate Bulletin, and online at The Graduate School Website at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, FSU is among the nation's top-producing institutions of US Fulbright Scholars and Students. Record numbers of total undergraduate and graduate students received Fulbright awards in 2022-2023(9), 2020-2021(9) and 2019-2020(10). Moreover, FSU graduate students have consistently received over $3 million in national and prestigious fellowships and awards since 2016, setting a record during the 2021-2022 academic year with over $5.2 million in external fellowships and awards.
Offices, Centers, and Special Programs
The Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, a unit of The Graduate School, assists current graduate students in identifying and applying for external national fellowships, grants, and awards. The office provides professional development support to introduce opportunities to explore external fellowships and awards, teach strategies for creating competitive award applications, and discuss relevant campus policies and procedures related to fellowship funding. Additionally, students may seek one-on-one guidance from the OGFA while identifying and applying for various award mechanisms. For more information, call (850) 645-0850, e-mail ogfa-info@fsu.edu or visit the Website at https://ogfa.fsu.edu/.
The Frederick L. Jenks Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) provides intensive instruction in the English language to non-English speakers. Its primary target audience is international scholars who are preparing to pursue degree work in American colleges and universities. In addition, CIES evaluates the English-speaking proficiency of FSU's international Teaching Assistants (TAs) through its administration and scoring of the SPEAK test. Along with this assessment, the Center provides credit-bearing classes for those prospective international TAs who need further development of their speaking proficiency in English. CIES also offers a seven-week Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language for FSU students or any in the community who wish to go abroad to teach English. For further information, call (850) 644-4797 or visit the Website at https://cies.fsu.edu/.
The Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE), a unit of the Graduate School, is a University-wide program that helps prepare graduate student teaching assistants (TAs) for their instructional role at FSU and their future career in academia. The PIE program also supports departmental TA training, and any graduate student at FSU interested in learning about best practices in teaching and learning. Through its many programs, PIE creates opportunities to foster a sense of collaboration and community among graduate student TAs, and all graduate students wanting to enhance communication and teaching skills. For more information, see the 'Professional Development' section in this chapter or visit the PIE Website at https://pie.fsu.edu/ or email at pie-info@fsu.edu.
The Fellows Society is an interdisciplinary scholarly community consisting of graduate students who hold competitive national fellowships and awards, and University-wide fellowships administered by The Graduate School. The mission of the Fellows Society is to have Fellows participate in interdisciplinary professional development opportunities, including the annual spring Fellows Forum, the Induction and Networking Session, President's Social, monthly research sharing luncheon series, and other special events. These initiatives are designed to expand the intellectual horizons of its members through interdisciplinary engagement, leadership development, and community service. For more information, visit https://fellowssociety.fsu.edu or email at Grad-Fellows@fsu.edu.
Fellowships, Assistantships, and Awards
The Graduate School administers several internal University-wide fellowship and award programs to support or recognize the achievements of new and returning graduate students. In addition, many graduate students receive financial support (stipend and tuition waivers) as Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, or Graduate Assistants. Interested students should contact The Graduate School, departments, and administrative units directly for more details and information.
Each Spring, FSU graduate students are recognized for their outstanding contributions in teaching, research and creative endeavors, and leadership at the Celebration of Graduate Student Excellence. Awards include the University's Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards, the Graduate Student Research and Creativity Awards, the Graduate School Student Leadership Award, the FAMU Feeder Fellowship, McKnight Doctoral Fellowship, McNair Scholars Fellowship, Legacy Fellowship, Leslie N. Wilson Delores Auzenne Assistantship for Minorities, and external nationally competitive fellowships and awards.
Details of these programs, with updated deadlines and due dates, are provided each year on the Graduate School Website at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/.
Professional Development
Professional development, improving and increasing one's skill sets, is important at every stage of graduate education and beyond. For example, improving one's oral and written communication skills and developing an understanding of ethical behavior in research and creative endeavors are types of professional development. At FSU, numerous professional development opportunities are offered by academic departments/programs, the Career Center, and the Graduate School.
The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program assists doctoral and terminal master's students in preparing for faculty work. Through participation in coursework, workshops, mentoring, attending prospective faculty talks at FSU, and interviewing faculty at other institutions, PFF candidates increase awareness of expectations for faculty performance and of resources available to aid in scholarly careers, and build their readiness to address teaching, research, and related demands of faculty life. PFF program requirements and activities are organized around the keystones of: Teaching Preparation, Research Preparation, Career Development, Mentoring, and Portfolio Development. In order to begin working toward earning the Preparing Future Faculty Academic Certificate, students must complete and submit an application. For more information or to schedule a meeting, contact James Beck at jpbeck@fsu.edu. To earn the PFF Certificate, candidates must complete a minimum of twelve graduate hours in the areas of Teaching Preparation, Research Preparation, and Career Development. Events are either discipline-specific or campus wide. All FSU doctoral and terminal master's students are eligible to participate, as are FSU post-doctoral scholars and adjunct/visiting faculty. Candidates who meet specified requirements, often involving participation over a two-year period, are awarded a completion certificate, but PFF events are open to graduate students/postdoctoral scholars/visiting faculty regardless of whether they intend to earn a completion certificate.
FSU's PFF program coordinates with the national Preparing Future Faculty initiative of the Council of Graduate Schools and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, involving forty-five doctoral degree-granting institutions and more than 300 partner institutions.
To learn more about FSU's PFF program, check with your academic department and visit https://gradschool.fsu.edu.
Another approach to professional development is the series of workshops offered during the academic year for FSU graduate and postdoctoral students. Working closely with outstanding research faculty, administrators, the University Libraries, the Writing Center, the FSU Center for Leadership and Social Change, the Center for Global Engagement, and the Career Center. The Graduate School offers a wide range of workshops designed to equip students to achieve their educational and career goals. Descriptions of the professional development workshops for the academic year are located at https://gradschool.fsu.edu.
The Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE) serves as a teaching and professional development resource for graduate student teaching assistants (TAs), academic departments, and any graduate student interested in developing teaching and learning skills. Each Fall and Spring semester, a university-wide, two-day teaching conference/TA orientation is held for teaching assistants. The conference, an orientation to FSU teaching resources, policies, and best practices of teaching and learning, accommodates TAs across disciplines with varied teaching responsibilities. All graduate students are invited to participate in any part of the conference they feel might be useful. University administrators, organizations, faculty, and experienced teaching assistants take part in this program, offering advice and conducting sessions on all aspects of teaching at FSU. As a continuation of the PIE Teaching Conference, PIE offers online and face-to-face workshops to enhance teaching throughout the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. All workshops qualify for PFF credit. PIE also provides other professional development opportunities to learn the art and science of teaching, including, but not limited to reading groups, teaching observations, consultations, teaching newsletters, an online teaching course (for 0 credits) The Basics of Teaching @ FSU, and the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award program. For more information, visit the PIE website at https://pie.fsu.edu/ or email at pie-info@fsu.edu.
The PIE program also sponsors FSU's PIE Teaching Associate Program to assist with departmental teaching assistant training. A PIE Teaching Associate is an experienced graduate student TA nominated by the student's academic department and trained by PIE. These graduate students serve as mentors for other TAs in their department and assist PIE with university-wide teaching conferences, workshops, pedagogy reading groups, peer teaching observations, office hours, and other initiatives. This leadership role broadens skills and provides a deeper understanding and appreciation of teaching from a larger perspective. PIE Teaching Associates receive a stipend for an academic year appointment (Fall and Spring semesters). This stipend is in addition to the Teaching Assistantship stipend (and waiver) that will be provided by the department. Applications are accepted in the Spring for the following academic year. Appointments are made each year at the beginning of the Fall semester. For information regarding other programs for TAs offered through PIE or the PIE Teaching Associate Program, visit the PIE website at https://pie.fsu.edu/ or e-mail pie-info@fsu.edu.
The Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards (OGFA) serves as an integral part of the professional development of graduate students. Through participation in individual and group meetings, workshops, departmental presentations, and ongoing mentoring and advising, graduate students engage in applying for nationally competitive fellowships and awards as a holistic process that includes but is not limited to early career development, academic portfolio building, and ongoing development of writing and communication skills. The Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards offers virtual and face-to-face interactions during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. All workshops qualify for PFF credit. The OGFA also serves as the university liaison for the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program. The McKnight Doctoral Fellowship is designed to address the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic faculty at colleges and universities in the state of Florida by increasing the pool of faculty with PhD degrees to teach, conduct research, and serve in administrative roles at the university level. To learn more about the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, visit https://ogfa.fsu.edu/, call (850) 645-0850, or email ogfa-info@fsu.edu.