Guide to Brown for ENTERING GRADUATE STUDENTS
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2012 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 11 Professional Development 20 Financing Graduate School 22 International Students 25 Campus Offices and Services 27 Brown Email and Computing 27 The Brown Card 29 Dining Services 31 Health Services 33 Public Safety 35 Writing Center 38 Brown University Box 1867 Providence, RI 02912 Athletics and Physical Education 38 (401)863-2600 [email protected] Beyond the Gates 41 http://www.brown.edu/gradschool 2 | Guide to Brown | CONTENTS Calendar for 2012-2013 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 21 • Last day for payment of charges Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; no classes August 24 January 21 International Graduate Student Pre-Orientation Registration for new students for spring semester August 31 January 23 New Graduate Student Orientation First day of Semester II classes September 4 February 5 Registration of new students for fall semester Last day to add a course online without a fee September 5 February 16-19 • First day of Semester I classes Long weekend; no classes • Opening Convocation February 20 September 18 Last day to add a course, change from audit to credit, or Last day to add a course without a fee change a grade option declaration October 2 March 8 Last day to add a course, change from audit to credit, or Last day to change course from credit to audit change a grade option declaration March 23-31 October 8 Spring recess Fall Weekend April 16-23 October 19 Registration for Semester I, 2013-14 Last day to change course from credit to audit April 26-May 7 November 1 Reading Period Deadline for students on leave to confirm readmission for Semester II April 30 Deadline for declaring a leave for Semester I November 6-13 Registration for Semester II May 1 • Deadline for students on leave to confirm readmission November 21-25 for Semester I 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 II May 7 • Classes end for courses not observing the Reading December 8-12 Period Reading Period • Last day to drop a course or to file for an incomplete December 13-21 May 8-17 Final examination period Final examination period December 12 May 26 • Classes end for courses not observing the Reading Commencement Period • Last day to drop a course or to file for an 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 August 31, 2012. 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 151.7 acres on the East Side of Providence and in the Knowledge District, including 245 buildings. The University also owns 372 acres at Mount Hope in Bristol, R.I. • Between 2001 and 2012, Brown increased its campus research buildings by 38 percent and its laboratory research space by 25 percent. 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. • 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. 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 Gradu- [email protected]. The Graduate School is on Twitter @BrownGradSchool and has a Facebook page. “Like” us on 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 gradu- ate students. New Student Orientation for the 2012–13 academic year will take place on Friday, August 31, 2012. 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 24, 2012. For details please contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (see page 25 for the section on International Students). Student Gateway and Calendars The Graduate School provides an online listing of important dates and deadlines for fellowship applica- tions, award nominations, academic deadlines, and other dates related to registration and orientation in the For Students gateway on the website. Events specifically for graduate students are listed on the Graduate School calendar. Once students have registered for and activated their Brown email addresses (see the section on Computing and Information Services), they are able to download events to a Google or desktop calendar, register for reminders about upcoming events or deadlines, email information on an event or post it to Facebook. All University 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 expect- ed 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 require- ments, the approval process for new courses and other modifications of existing degree programs, and ap- proval 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 con- cerns. Every month, the GSC convenes in the Graduate Lounge to discuss issues affecting our academic and non-academic lives.