First Year 1. Email is an official means of communication with incoming students as well as students already in the program. You should monitor your email for important notices. Once you have a UGA email account, official notices will be sent to that account. Prior to entering the program, official information will be sent to the email account you gave the department or used in correspondence with the department during the admissions process. 2. Before arriving, you should receive information about orientation activities, rotations, registration, and paperwork that must be completed before matriculation in the fall. These notices will most likely be sent by email (see #1). If you do not receive such notices or have questions, contact the Graduate Program Associate or the Graduate Program Coordinator. 3. Information from the Graduate School for incoming students is available at: http://www.grad.uga.edu/orientation/to-do.html 4. Incoming students will be asked to perform multiple online training modules to satisfy UGA (and in some cases funding agency) requirements for working in laboratories at UGA. As of 2013, this includes mandatory CITI ethics training and workplace safety training. More information will be provided via email, or in MIBO8150 or GRSC7770, both of which are typically taken in fall of the first year. Failure to follow instructions for completing these online training exercises could result in serious repercussions, including removal from payroll. 5. With few exceptions, all students will conduct laboratory rotations during fall semester and officially declare an advisor before the end of the calendar year. A schedule for rotations will be sent to incoming students and also posted on the departmental website under Current students > Graduate Students > Rotations. Please meet the posted deadlines for declaring where you will be rotating. 6. The Graduate Program Coordinator and Graduate Program Associate will advise you regarding registration for your first semester after joining the department. See the section of this handbook on registration. From this point in graduate school onward, students are responsible for registering themselves on time each semester (fall, spring, and summer). Be aware of deadlines, and be sure to get advisement or course-specific permissions on time to register. Review the Departmental Requirements and typical program of study to ensure that you stay on track and register for appropriate courses each semester. 7. Read and familiarize yourself with the contents of this web-based graduate handbook, and with additional resources provided on eLearning Commons. 8. By summer of the first year, if not sooner, students should choose a committee and submit the appropriate committee form. The composition of the committee should be discussed with the student’s advisor, who is also a committee member. 9. Toward the end of the First Year, students should start working on a prospectus and should discuss a program of study with their advisor. These will be due in the Second Year.
