Faculty

The target enrollment for each GradFIRST seminar section is fifteen (15).

Faculty with grad program faculty status may teach GradFIRST seminars.

Compensation – Faculty can propose a seminar to teach for $3500 extra compensation or scholarly support. Teaching a GradFIRST seminar is in addition to regular teaching responsibilities.

Out of Class Activity Fund – Instructors may make a request up to $300 to reimburse costs associated with a class meal or other “social” experience for students in your seminar. Submit your request form to gradfirst@uga.edu.

Content Development – Approximately half of the content of the GradFIRST seminars will be standardized across seminars. This standardized content (example syllabi and PPTs prepared by subject matter experts) is available in the GradFIRST eLC space. Faculty instructors are added to the eLC space once approved to teach the GradFIRST seminar. You will have flexibility to design your course around these required items and include specialized topics of your choosing.

Scholarly support funds are transferred to your department to be used for travel, technology, etc. It works like state money and must be spent in the current fiscal year. The funds can be used for any purpose that is approved for state funds (most commonly, that rules out food and other special purchases).

In addition to the standardized seminar content expected for the GradFIRST seminars, faculty are encouraged to develop seminar content that reflects topics related to their expertise, disciplinary focus, or academic interests. Example topics (e.g., science communication, academic writing, data visualization) are presented in the overview; additional topics are welcomed and will be considered during the review process.

Faculty will submit proposals for GradFIRST sections to the Graduate School via the Graduate School’s GradFIRST portal and will be notified of approvals in order to schedule section meeting times and classroom locations.

When creating your description, remember that GradFIRST is geared towards the professional development and success of the Graduate Student. Indicate what type of audience your course is best suited for; include the topics that will be discussed; include details on what will be required in the course.

Students will be advised to enroll in GradFIRST seminars during orientation, and program advisors will have access to topical overviews to guide students to seminars of interest. Students can also review the available seminar sections on the Graduate School’s GradFIRST website and in Athena.

The GradFIRST resources can be found on the eLC page:
Homepage – GradFIRST module content
All GradFIRST instructors will have access to an eLC course titled “GradFIRST Content Modules.” This eLC section includes teaching materials for the seven required topics for all GradFIRST sections.

Students funded by the Graduate School (e.g., Presidential Fellows, Doctoral Fellows) will no longer be required to take GRSC 8550, with the expectation that they will complete GRSC 7001 (GradFIRST) in their first year of graduate studies.

GradFIRST seminars are offered by interested faculty and are not required to be offered in every graduate program, as students may enroll in seminar sections taught across campus. However, GradFIRST instructors may work with their respective graduate programs to reserve a specified number of seats for their own graduate students in GradFIRST seminars.

Yes. GradFIRST seminars are offered university-wide and need not be program specific. Where appropriate, we encourage students to enroll in GradFIRST seminars in other departments/programs to broaden their exposure to other academic disciplines and faculty. Graduate advisors will have access to the full list of seminars on the GradFIRST website to facilitate placing students in appropriate sections.

GRSC 7001 (GradFIRST) may be listed on students’ programs of study in order to comport with updated financial aid regulations from the Department of Education. In order to allow students to access federal financial aid, all required courses should be listed on a program of study. Thus, graduate programs should update their programs of study to include GRSC 7001 (GradFIRST) when required, without changing other curriculum guidelines (i.e., add one credit hour).