Guide to Brown for ENTERING GRADUATE STUDENTS
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
2011 Guide to Brown FOR ENTERING GRADUATE STUDENTS | Guide to Brown | 1 Guide to Brown FOR ENTERING GRADUATE STUDENTS CONTENTS Calendar 3 Message from the Dean 4 About Brown 5 About the Graduate School 6 Living at Brown 9 Academics and Research 12 Professional Development 16 Financing Graduate School 18 International Students 21 Campus Offices and Services 23 Brown Email and Computing 23 The Brown Card 25 Dining Services 28 Health Services 29 Public Safety 31 Writing Center 34 Brown University Box 1867 Providence, RI 02912 Athletics and Physical Education 34 (401)863-2600 Beyond the Gates [email protected] 37 http://www.brown.edu/gradschool 2 | Guide to Brown | CONTENTS Calendar for 2011-2012 Semester I Semester II August 1 January 1 Last day for Graduate School to receive: Last day for payment of charges • Final transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work in progress at time of application January 16 • Last day for payment of charges Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; no classes August 26 January 25 International graduate student pre-orientation • First day of Semester II classes • Theses of candidates for master’s/Ph.D. September 2 degrees in May are due New Student Orientation, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. February 7 September 6 Last day to add a course without a fee Registration of new students for fall semester February 18-21 September 7 Long weekend; no classes • First day of Semester I classes • Opening Convocation February 22 Last day to add a course, or change a grade option September 20 declaration Last day to add a course without a fee March 9 October 4 Last day to change from audit to credit a course Last day to add a course, change from audit to credit, or change a grade option declaration March 24-April 1 Spring recess October 10 Fall Weekend April 1 Deadline for students on leave to confirm October 15 readmission for Semester I • Deadline for students on leave to confirm readmission for Semester II April 17-24 • Last day to change from credit to audit a course Registration for Semester I, 2012-13 November 1-8 April 27-May 8 Registration for Semester II Reading Period November 23-27 April 30 Thanksgiving recess; begins Wednesday at noon • Theses of candidates for master’s/Ph.D. degrees in May are due December 1 • Deadline for declaring a leave for Semester I Deadline for declaring a leave for Semester II May 8 December 8-12 • Classes end for courses not observing the Reading Period Reading Period • Last day to drop a course or to file for an December 13-21 incomplete Final examination period May 9-18 December 12 Final examination period • Classes end for courses not observing the Reading Period May 27 • Last day to drop a course or to file for an Commencement incomplete CALENDAR | Guide to Brown | 3 Message from the Dean Welcome to Brown! I look forward to meeting you and your fellow students from around the world at our Orientation for New Students on September 2, 2011. This guide will help prepare you for the early days of your graduate experience. It provides information on life at Brown and living in Rhode Island. Important dates, contacts, and resources are highlighted for you. I hope this information will be useful to you, and I encourage you to engage in our vibrant campus community. Thank you for choosing Brown! Sincerely, Peter M. Weber Dean of the Graduate School 4 | Guide to Brown | MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN About Brown Brief History Brown’s climate of openness and cooperation can be traced back to its founding as the third college in New England and the seventh in America. Brown was the Baptist answer to Congregationalist Yale and Harvard, Presbyterian Princeton, and Episcopalian Penn and Columbia. It welcomed students of all religious persuasions (following the example of Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island in 1636 on the same principle). Brown has long since shed its Baptist affiliation, but it remains dedicated to diversity and intellectual freedom. Founded in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island in Warren, Rhode Island, the school registered its first students in 1765. It moved in 1770 to its present location on College Hill, overlooking the capital city of Providence. Graduate study at Brown University began in 1850, when a provision was made for the awarding of the master’s degree upon successful completion of one year of academic work beyond the bachelor’s degree. This system was discontinued in 1857. The more modern tradition of graduate study at Brown began in 1887, when the faculty and fellows agreed to publish in the following year’s catalog rules for the awarding of both the master’s and the Ph.D. degree in regular programs of advanced work. The first master’s degrees under the new plan were granted in 1888 and the first Ph.D.s in 1889. Brown Basics • Brown’s motto is In Deo Speramus – In God We Hope. The University colors are red and brown. • The University mascot is the bear. The costumed bear mascot that appears at athletic games is named Bruno. • The University employs just under 700 full-time faculty members, all of whom teach undergraduate, graduate, or medical students. • The main campus occupies 143 acres on the East Side of Providence. Included within the main campus are 236 buildings. The University also owns a number of properties in the Jewelry District of Providence and 376 acres at Mount Hope in Bristol, R.I. Traditions Brown has some proud traditions going back decades and even centuries. Some of the practices observed at Brown are listed below. • The Van Wickle Gates are opened only twice a year: inward toward the campus on the day of Opening Convocation and outward down the hill on Commencement Day. • Candles traditionally have been lit in the windows of University Hall on Christmas Eve, Reunion and Commencement Weekend, Rhode Island Independence Day, and the anniversary of George Washington’s visit to the University in 1790 to receive an honorary degree. • When you are in need of some good luck, wander over to the John Hay Library and rub the nose of the statue of John Hay. This charm supposedly has been effective since 1910. ABOUT BROWN | Guide to Brown | 5 About the Graduate School The most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information about the Graduate School is our website. Much of the information in this guide is also available there. If you have questions about anything provided here, check the site for updates or supplementary information. If you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed by this guide or the website, please email us at [email protected]. The Graduate School also has a Facebook page. “Like” us at facebook.com/BrownGraduateSchool. New Student Orientation Each year the Graduate School organizes an orientation program for new graduate students. New Student Orientation offers an introduction to Brown, the Graduate School, and academic life, as well as social and health issues on campus, security matters, and other important information for all first-time Brown graduate students. New Student Orientation for the 2011–12 academic year will take place on Friday, September 2, 2011. Please consult the Graduate School’s online calendar in July for the final time and details on this year’s program. Many departments and programs also offer specialized orientations for their incoming students. There is also an additional orientation program for international students on Friday, August 26, 2011. For details please contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (see page 18 for the section on International Students). Online Calendar The Graduate School’s online calendar is a comprehensive listing of dates, deadlines, and events that are relevant to graduate students. Listings include academic deadlines and other dates related to registration, orientation, etc. Once students have registered for and activated their Brown email addresses (see the section on Computing and Information Services), the Graduate School calendar allows them to register for reminders about upcoming events or deadlines, as do all the online calendars at Brown. The calen- dars are located at http://events.brown.edu/cal/main/showMain.rdo. Directors of Graduate Study Every department or program offering a graduate-level degree at the University has a director of graduate study (DGS). Faculty members who act as the primary liaisons between graduate students and the Graduate School, DGSs are responsible for all graduate-student issues in their respective programs. DGSs are expected to send annual updates to graduate students informing them of their academic standing and progress and are the primary point of contact for students who need to make special requests regarding admission, appointments, leaves of absence, etc. 6 | Guide to Brown | ABOUT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL Graduate School Governance The Graduate Council sets policy for the Graduate School, subject to the approval of the faculty and the Board of Fellows. Such policy includes the conditions for admission, the supervision of degree requirements, the approval process for new courses and other modifications of existing degree pro- grams, and approval and recommendations to the faculty regarding new degree programs. Graduate Student Council The Graduate Student Council congratulates you on your decision to join the Graduate School at Brown. The Graduate Student Council (GSC) is the official organization for graduate students of Brown University. The GSC organizes social events and free classes to bring people across departments into contact with one another. To support graduate academic life, the GSC offers financial support for graduate student-driven events and for graduate students to attend conferences. It also serves as a forum for graduate student concerns.