The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has oversight responsibilities for the more than 9,000 students pursuing degrees in over 100 masters and doctoral programs in more than a dozen academic colleges, schools, and institutes. The College awards over 600 doctorates and 2,500 master’s degrees per year. The College works to address a wide range of issues basic to graduate education at Illinois. More information about the Graduate College is online at www.grad.illinois.edu.
This Handbook covers campus, academic, and administrative policies pertaining to graduate students at the University, and is current as of September 2007. Individual graduate departments or units may have policies specific to students enrolled in their units, and students should become familiar with their departmental handbooks. Please consult the Web sites linked throughout this handbook for additional information or the University of Illinois homepage for current policies in specific units.
Students are expected to be aware of and follow the policies and requirements in effect at their term of admission. Departmental and Graduate College policies may change subsequent to the term of admission, but subsequent changes in program requirements may not be imposed on students.
The Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has jurisdiction over programs leading to post baccalaureate degrees awarded by the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois except for the Juris Doctor degree program in the College of Law and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Graduate College is responsible for developing and safeguarding high academic standards and promoting research in all academic disciplines, and operates according to established bylaws.
The Graduate College approves the appointment of graduate faculty members. For more details on graduate faculty membership, see the Graduate College Policy on Graduate Faculty Membership adopted October 24, 1999. More details on graduate faculty and doctoral committees can be found elsewhere in this handbook (see chapter VI.B).
The chief executive officer of the Graduate College is the dean. The work of the Graduate College is supported by a number of advisory committees. The Graduate College Executive Committee (GCEC) is the Graduate College’s primary policy-making body. The GCEC consists of eight graduate faculty members elected by the graduate faculty, six graduate faculty members appointed by the chancellor on the recommendation of the dean and current members, and two graduate student observers. The Program Subcommittee of the Executive Committee provides preliminary review of program proposals prior to GCEC approval.
The Committee on Extended Education and External Degrees (CEEED) is responsible for ensuring the quality of all graduate degree programs offered to students off-campus, including programs delivered through electronic distance learning technologies.
The Fellowship Board consists of fifteen faculty members and two graduate student members. This committee sets campus policy on graduate fellowships and grants and awards approximately $4 million in student support per year.
The Administrative Advisory Group consists of twelve departmental administrators whose work complements that of the Graduate College Executive Committee, focusing primarily on the operational aspects of the Graduate College. Members of this committee are nominated by their peers and appointed by the dean of the Graduate College.
The Career Advisory Committee consists of faculty and staff chosen for their expertise in issues related to career advising and professional development. This committee advises the dean on programs and services that will assist students in these areas.
The Graduate College and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research work collaboratively to ensure commitment to principles of academic integrity and responsible scholarly conduct. A number of campus policies outline ethical and professional standards applying to faculty, students, and staff, and prescribe procedures to be followed when unethical conduct may have occurred. Students should be familiar with the following resources on academic integrity and professional conduct:
The term "intellectual property" refers to property that includes patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and trademarks. Any individual using University facilities, equipment, funds, or resources needs to be aware of University policies and procedures related to sponsored research and intellectual property issues, including rights to inventions and copyrightable works developed at the University. For additional information about intellectual property, consult the Office of Technology Management.
The Graduate College provides services to students, graduate advisers, and academic units regarding admissions, fellowships and grants, tuition and fee waivers, thesis preparation, underrepresented student support, degree requirements, career services, and student academic concerns including academic standing, grievances, and petitions.
Many campus resources can be found online, and some of those most important for students include:
For additional campus resources see The Guide to Graduate Life at Illinois.
Faculty members are a critical resource for students. Departments typically assign a faculty member to new students to provide assistance with early planning of their academic programs. Once students have settled on an area of special research interest, they are generally expected to choose a faculty member from that area to act as their primary adviser. In addition, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies is also a good resource.
Terminology used throughout this Handbook:
Definitions: