COVID-19 Updates Impacting FAU Graduate College Community

The health and safety of FAU’s students, faculty and staff remains the top priority of this university. FAU has a dedicated website that contains a wide array of information and resources to help you stay informed about the COVID-19 virus.  Please continue monitor your FAU email and the University website for updates.  For Graduate College & graduate student specific updates, please read the information below.

Graduate Admissions

English Language Proficiency:

    • The Duolingo English Test (DET) is available for students to take remotely.
    • The minimum University-wide Duolingo score for graduate students is 90, however, score requirements for individual departments may be more stringent.  
    • For more information on the test, or to take the test, please visit the Duolingo web site https://englishtest.duolingo.com/home.
    • Applicants should select FAU as one of their school choices before or after they take the exam; from there we will automatically receive the score report.

Other Admissions Tests (GRE, GMAT, etc.)

 

Temporary GRE/GMAT Waiver (with exceptions):

    • For information on temporary GRE/GMAT waiver and list of program exceptions, please click here.

Graduate Student Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Grading Option for Spring 2020

For more information on the option to submit a request for S/U grading, please click  HERE.

Graduate Student Employees (GTAs/GRAs/GAs)

  1. As university employees, Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are expected to assist in their assigned courses during the transition to and delivery of instruction via remote means. GTAs should be in contact with their faculty supervisor regarding all aspects of the remote instruction of their courses.
  2. GTAs and Graduate Assistants working as tutors are expected to continue to offer tutoring via on-line platforms. Although the Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS), Math Learning Center, and University Center for Excellence in Writing remain open, most services are transitioning to online. Students have been encouraged to avoid face-to-face tutoring whenever possible and should choose online instead. GTAs and Graduate Assistants (GAs) should be prepared to provide online tutoring services to fulfill their work responsibilities.
  3. Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and are expected to continue to work with faculty on research projects. Although research labs remain open, faculty have been asked to limit group meetings, limit students’ time in labs (i.e., get in, do your work, and then leave), avoid group meetings, and to consider assigning research work that GRAs can be conducted remotely (e.g., data analysis, generation of reports, reading relevant journal articles, work on to-be-published manuscripts, or their theses, and/or to confirm their research compliance training is current).
  4. All other graduate students working on master’s and doctoral research projects in labs at FAU are expected to also follow the recommendations in #3 above.

Thesis/Dissertation Defenses

At this time, there are no changes to the published graduation deadlines. Thesis and Dissertations defenses planned for Summer 2020 term should continue as planned.  Students should work closely with their committee to minimize interruptions to their scheduled defenses.
 
At this time, the Graduate College supports the following options for Spring 2020 defenses:

  1. Virtual defense via WebEx, Skype, Zoom, or other University approved platforms.
  2. In cases where a student has obtained University approval to remain on campus for employment or residence, an in-person defense that is closed to the public may be permitted (only committee members should attend). It is recommended that committee chairs contact GraduateWriting@fau.edu for approval to hold an in-person defense.

Graduate College Advising Appointments

In accordance with University guidelines the Graduate College Advising has transitioned to online or phone appointments until further notice. Graduate students should continue to check their FAU email accounts for important information and updates. Graduate students may contact us at:

Graduate College Events

All in-person Graduate Admissions Information Sessions have been converted to virtual session via WebEx, and Thesis and Dissertation Workshops are cancelled until further notice. The Graduate College will reach out to confirmed attendees to schedule appointments through a virtual platform or by phone. 

The Graduate College successfully transitioned FAU’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition to an online format in the Spring, and our graduate students produced exceptional videos which are accessible via the previously referenced website. For more information, please contact 3MT@fau.edu.  

University Resources

Student Health Services
For FAU Student Health Services hours, please click    HERE. If you are feeling ill or suspect you may have been exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus), please call 561-297-3512 before coming to the clinic.

Counseling and Psychological Services
We recognize the stress that can accompany the rapidly shifting circumstances and disruption of the coronavirus outbreak. Visit the resources below for information on how to cope during uncertainty: