Training
As a new graduate student, there are some training requirements which you must complete. These are mandatory. All trainings are due by October 1 for fall matriculates and February 1 for spring matriculates. These trainings include:
Responsible Conduct of Research training is online. A $75 late fee will be assessed if the online training requirement is not met by the deadline.
Responsible Conduct of Research
Training and education in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is an essential aspect of Rice’s commitment to maintain the highest standards for research integrity, and as such, it is considered an integral aspect of graduate education.
As a member of the Rice University community, most graduate students (including all professional Master’s students) are required to complete training in the responsible conduct of research. (The exception to this is students who are obtaining degrees in architecture, art or music, an MBA, MAcc or PhD in Business, or a Masters in the Art of Teaching. Training can be completed in two different ways. Asynchronous, online training is available via Epigeum, our RECR course provider. If you choose this option, the online course must be passed by October 1st for students starting the fall semester or by February 1st for students starting in the spring semester. A minimum score of 80% is required to pass by Rice's standards. In-person, formal classroom training is also offered in the Fall via the course UNIV594, which your department may enroll you in. If you are enrolled in the course by the October 1st deadline and have passed the course by the February 1st deadline, you will be considered to have completed the required course of study.
The training modules required for all graduate students vary based on school and program. At a minimum, graduate students must receive training in ethical conduct of research; research misconduct; responsible authorship and publication; data acquisition and laboratory tools; conflicts of interest; the use of animal and human subjects in research; and safe laboratory practices. In addition, depending upon the academic school and type of research in which you plan to engage while at Rice, additional modules or individualized training may be required.
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) online training will take about 4 hours to complete. It does not have to be completed all in one session, but can be saved, closed, and restarted later. To access the Epigeum Responsible Conduct of Research Training :
Step 1: Epigeum Registration
1. Login into the Epigeum platform via SSO using your Rice University NetID and password.
2. Upon your initial login, you will be required to examine and agree to the sites Terms and Conditions using the registration process. Please make sure to use your Rice email address (external email addresses are not permitted).
Step 2: Course Completion
3. The Responsible Conduct of Research Training will be listed under My Courses.
4. Graduate Students are required to complete all modules in the Fundamental Course (Responsible Research Practice; Defining and Responding to Research Misconduct; Planning Your Research; Managing and Recording Your Research; Data Selection, Analysis and Organization; Scholarly Publication, Professional Roles and Responsibilities).
5. Each of the modules includes a quiz, and a score of 80% is required to pass each module.
6. Mentors must complete the Research Mentorship training in the Supplemental Modules section.
Have Questions?
If you are uncertain about the necessity of completing the RCR training, please reach out to your school or email the Office of Research Integrity by emailing researchethics@rice.edu
For technical assistance, please see the help page or contact the Epigeum customer support team directly via the webform.
If you have any issues with accessing the training, please contact the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research Compliance at researchethics@rice.edu
Lab Safety Training
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 students in the Schools of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the Department of Psychological Sciences admitted in the fall must attend the EHS Lab Safety Training on Thursday, August 20th unless other arrangements have been made for your cohort and communicated to you by your graduate administrator. You can view training requirements online here. Non-thesis master's students are NOT exempt from lab safety training. Only students in Computational Applied Mathematics & Operations Research, Engineering Management and Leadership, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Industrial-Organizational Psychology are exempt from the training.
The fall 2026 EHS Lab Safety training is Thursday, August 20th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Incoming students can sign up for lab training here.
All students (regardless of their program who conduct experiments in a laboratory where chemicals, biological agents, and/or physical hazards are present must take the appropriate training before beginning work in the lab. Students must attend make-up training if they miss the August session.
Failure to complete lab safety training by the deadline may result in your inability to access the lab and stipend checks being held.
Note: Anyone who will be working with human blood or tissue is required to take the Hepatitis B shots if they have not previously had it as part of their regular childhood immunizations.
Contact Environmental Health & Safety for more information.
Updated July 2026