- To book an advising appointment online, visit go.osu.edu/senrgradadvising
- (614) 292-9883 (Taylor)
- (614) 247-7219 (Susan)
Student Services from the Graduate School
All Ohio State University graduate students and faculty advisors are welcome to contact the Graduate School academic services office with questions such as:
- Registration (including help adding a class for which you have instructor permission)
- Thesis/dissertation formatting and final oral examination procedures
- Petitions to Graduate School rules
Degree Requirements
The Graduate School is the central office that establishes rules and expectations to ensure the quality of graduate education at The Ohio State University. These rules are published in the Graduate School Handbook, which you are not expected to read in full but should be aware of. Access Graduate School forms on the GradForms website.
Additionally, each graduate program establishes its own local rules and procedures, with which all students and faculty in the program should be familiar. You can find the ENRGP Handbook here. This handbook contains all information specific to ENRGP students. At minimum, students should read the chapter pertaining to the degree that they are pursuing. ENRGP forms may be accessed here.
Current students may begin a joint degree program at any time as long as they can enroll in the second program before they complete their first degree. Requirements for the non-ENRGP degree are determined by that program.
Petitions
If you believe that you have cause for an exception to a normal program requirement, such as a request to be exempt from taking a required course, then you may submit a petition using the graduate petition form here. List your academic advisor as a signer when initiating the form (MENR students list the MENR advisor; MS and PhD students list their faculty advisor).
Registration
The University Registrar determines registration policies and procedures that apply to all Ohio State students. Graduate students have additional requirements from the Graduate School and their program.
See the registrar's website for:
- The full academic calendar with term start and end dates, university holidays, and more.
- Deadlinesfor registration and fee payment
See the Graduate School website for:
- Registration instructions (including if you need instructor permission or other exceptions)
- Minimum/maximum course load
- Reactivatingenrollment eligibility
I need help adding/dropping a course
First, confirm that you have no holds on your student account by looking at your "to-do list" in the right sidebar of your Buckeye Link; the most common hold is needing to complete the Financial Responsibility Statement each term. For the most expedient assistance with adding or dropping a class, please contact:
If your registration request requires a petition because it is past a certain date (see the link to the deadlines above), then you will submit your petition to the Graduate School through GradForms. Find instructions for submitting your petition here.
Graduation
See the Graduate School Website for important requirements leading up to and during your final semester:
- Final semester checklist
- Thesis/dissertation requirements
- Commencement information
- Graduation calendar
You must also refer to the ENRGP handbook section for your degree for any ENRGP-specific requirements.
For help with graduation questions, including anything related to your final examination or thesis/dissertation, you can get help from:
- Graduate School Graduation Services
- The SENR Graduate Studies Office (see top of page)
Funding Opportunities
Graduate associateships
Graduate students may hold graduate associateships. For MS and PhD students, your advisor may offer to support you on a graduate research associateship (GRA), and you may be considered for a graduate teaching associateship (GTA) if your advisor requests it. Graduate administrative associateships (GAA) are not commonly available within SENR.
Funding typically covers the 9-month academic year. For summer funding, students who were on a regular graduate associateship in autumn and spring will have their tuition paid through the summer fee authorization benefit; the payment will come from the funding source that paid your spring tuition. The availability of summer pay should be discussed with your advisor.
Fellowships for current students
Current Ohio State graduate students are ineligible for nomination to the recruitment fellowships, such as the University Fellowship, which are restricted to new, incoming students. However, there are a few opportunities that may be a possibility for you.
MS and PhD students may apply for the multi-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.
The Presidential Fellowship, offered by the Ohio State University Graduate School, is a highly competitive fellowship intended to support outstanding doctoral students during their candidacy period. Requests for proposed nominees are solicited among SENR graduate faculty advisors every autumn semester, but you may find it helpful to ask your advisor whether they would consider nominating you. All final nominations are determined by the Environment and Natural Resources Graduate Program’s Graduate Studies Committee prior to nomination to the Graduate School’s competition.
Current PhD students or master’s students considering continuing as a PhD student may be eligible for a one-year fellowship through the EmPOWERment National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program. Students must be studying in an energy-related field to be eligible: for example, examining the social and political barriers facing the adoption of certain types of energy generation.
Current master’s-level students who will complete their degree and continue in a doctoral program in a graduate program in the College of Food, Environmental, and Agricultural Sciences (including continuing as a PhD student in our program) are eligible for consideration in the CFAES fellowship competitions. Nominations are made in spring semester of each year, so to be eligible, your PhD enrollment shall be effective in summer or autumn of that calendar year.
External fellowships from other agencies and organizations may be available. If you find or are awarded an external fellowship that provides a stipend only and does not cover tuition, ask your advisor to contact the SENR graduate program office for information about the opportunities for tuition matching.
Unfunded students
Information about financial aid for graduate students, such as federal loans, can be found on the Student Financial Aid website. Students may be eligible for university special scholarships, which are generally small awards for students with specific backgrounds or involvement in activities; there is a single application that can make you eligible for multiple scholarships. You can speak to a financial aid counselor in person or by phone or email.
All students not on a graduate associateship may apply for hourly student positions on campus. SENR sometimes hires hourly Student Instructional Assistants (SIAs) to support instructors with the work of running a course, such as grading or driving students to field sites. Such opportunities will be announced via the SENR graduate student mailing list.
MENR students and unfunded MS or PhD students may hold graduate associateships in another department across the university (such as the Graduate School, the Office of Student Life, etc.), which are often open to students from any degree program. These general opportunities are usually as a graduate administrative associate, or GAA. To find such opportunities, we recommend doing a search on www.osu.edu for "graduate administrative associate" or "GAA"; there is no central clearinghouse for graduate associateship opportunities.
Other research and professional development funding
SENR offers conference travel funds to all SENR-affiliated students (all ENRGP MENR, MS, and PhD students, and ESGP students with an SENR faculty advisor). The form to request these funds is here.
The Office for Research and Graduate Education in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences maintains a list of funding opportunities for graduate students that can be used for purposes such as research or professional development.
Academic and Research Resources
As an Ohio State university graduate student, you can benefit from a wealth of resources to succeed academically. These resources are paid for by student fees, so you should take advantage of them as much as possible.
The Graduate School maintains an excellent list of research resources here. Below are some resources that we recommend for all students:
The Dennis Learning Center offers one-on-one academic coaching and workshops on topics such as effective note-taking, good study habits, and beating procrastination.
The Research Commons provides workshops and one-on-one consultation with research support experts, rooms for group projects and meetings, and more.
Social, Wellness, and Student Life
Thriving as a graduate student requires more than just doing well in your classes, and Ohio State provides a wealth of ways to stay connected socially and take care of yourself. Many of these resources are entirely covered by your student fees. The Graduate School maintains an excellent list of these resources here.
Below are a few resources of which all students should be aware:
Full-time students have free access to Ohio State's world-class Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC). We encourage all students to make the most of this facility while they are here!
The Student Wellness Center offers programming and one-on-one consultation in a number of wellness areas, such as financial or nutritional coaching. This is a great place to start if you want to stay well but need some expert advice in different areas.
The Counseling and Consultation Service is a great place to go if you feel like life is getting the better of you or if you would like to talk to someone before things get to that point. Individual and group sessions--including groups for graduate students--are available. If you think you might be interested, you should call now in order to get in as early as possible.
