Graduate Student Orientation
Wondering how to start your transition to campus? Check out our After Admission guide and click through each header for detailed checklists.
International Student Orientation
Fall: August 15 and 16, 2022
oiss.rice.edu/orientation
oiss.rice.edu/gio
More information can be found here.
Graduate International Orientation (GIO) is a mandatory orientation program for all new international graduate and graduate exchange students. Students will review immigration regulations, graduate specific policies, and programs geared specifically to support the international graduate population.
Any student unable to attend must notify OISS in advance and schedule a make-up session. Unfortunately, those students who do not attend will have a hold placed on their student record, which blocks them from registration until check-in and orientation requirements are met.
*Please note that MBA has a special session designed for MBA international students that will take place during the international immersion week.
President's Dinner for Incoming Students
Fall: August 16, 2022 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Founders Court
General Graduate Student Orientation
August 17, 2022 for Fall admits, January 4, 2023 for Spring admits
The online portion of Graduate Student Orientation for incoming students is available via canvas.rice.edu and should be completed no later than Wednesday, August 17, 2022 for Fall 2022 incoming graduate students* and no later than Wednesday, January 4, 2023 for Spring 2023 incoming graduate students*.
Access General Graduate Student Orientation (login with netID)
If you have not received your netID or you have questions, please email your graduate administrator. Many graduate departments also hold their own orientations, please check with your graduate administrator for additional information. Orientation modules are listed below and are subject to change.
Welcome from the Dean
Dr. Seiichi Matsuda, Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Academic Life at Rice – Ethics in Research
Dr. Yousif Shamoo, Vice Provost for Research
Student Judicial Programs and Graduate Honor Council – Know the Policies
Director, Student Judicial Programs
Graduate Honor Council Representative
Rice Police Department – Take Care of Your Safety
Clemente Rodriguez, Chief of Rice University Police Department
Student Wellbeing – Take Care of Your Physical and Mental Health
Saralyn McMorris, Associate Director, Wellbeing Programs and Education
GSA Wellbeing Director
Sexual Violence Prevention – Create a Sexual Assault Free Environment
Student Life at Rice – Meet the Graduate Student Association
Josh Moore, President of Graduate Student Association
GSA New Student Picnic
On Thursday, August 18 from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. the GSA will welcome new graduate students to Rice! Join the GSA at the Graduate Commons (picnic tables outside Valhalla between buildings 8 and 45 on the campus map) for free food, drinks, and t-shirts! Current students are welcome to volunteer! To sign up RSVP through OwlNest.
Training
https://graduate.rice.edu/admissions/after-admission/training
Responsible Conduct of Research Training and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training are all available online. Information on training, including links to access, can be found here. RCR and Sexual Harrassment Prevention Trainings are due Oct. 1 (for Fall admits) and Feb 15 (for Spring admits).
Lab Safety Training** will be held at 9 a.m. on Aug. 18 in Keck 100. More information here. Lab safety training is for the safety of the students in the Schools of Engineering and Natural Science and all others who work in labs.
*New Master of Business Administration, Master of Accounting, Master of Liberal Studies, and online Master of Computer Science students are not required to attend the General Graduate Student Orientation; all thesis and non-thesis master's not listed, and non-MBA professional master's students are required to attend, but please check with your program coordinator for additional information. All Ph.D. and DMA students are required to attend orientation.
**With the exception only of students in the Departments of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science all students in Natural Science and Engineering and any other student who works in a laboratory is required to attend lab safety training. Professional Masters students and those in computational or theoretical fields are NOT exempt from lab safety training, with the exception only of students that do not work in a laboratory in the Departments of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, and the Schools of Music, Architecture, Social Sciences, Continuing Studies, and Humanities.