Graduate School Newsletter

December 2025

Important Announcements

Message from the Dean

Hello all MSU graduate students,

We’ve made it to the end of another semester full of challenges and triumphs alike. You should be proud of the work you’ve accomplished. I want to wish you good luck on any finals or projects you are finishing up. Please stop by the office to visit our “GradCat Grab & Go" snack shelf and say hello sometime soon. Be sure to read below for community building and professional development opportunities. I wish you a happy and restful winter break and look forward to seeing you rested and recharged for spring term.

Deborah Haynes, Ph.D.
Dean
MSU Graduate School

Spring Graduate Professional Development Series

This series is offered by The Extreme Biofilms National Research Traineeship (NRT) Program and The Graduate School. Attend two NRT-hosted workshops and apply for up to a $1,500 Seed Grant. Use the funds to attend a conference,participate in a technical workshop, or pursue emerging research.

Jan 12, 2026, 1-2:30pm, Romney 315: Strategize Your Success: Build Your Individual Development Plan (IDP)

Jan 29, 12-1:30pm, SUB Ballroom B: Mastering Professionalism in Grad School (Hybrid/in-person and online option)

Feb 10, 2:30-4pm, Ballroom B: Pitch and Present Your Research/Project with Impact

Feb 23 - 27, Wellness Week in The Graduate School (multiple events)

March 10, 12-1:30pm, Ballroom B: Essential Tools for Effective Technical Writing.

March 26, 11:30am-1pm, SUB Alumni Legacy Lounge: Job Search 2.0. LinkedIn and ChatGPT Secrets Revealed with Jeremy Schifeling (Hybrid/in-person and online option)

April 3, 12-1:30pm, SUB 233: From Meetings to Mentors: Building Connections That Matter

April 14, 12-1:30pm, Ballroom B: Leadership Essentials for Emerging Scholars

Please see the GradCat 360 Calendar for further information and scheduling updates.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines

Full List of Grad School Dates & Deadlines

December 1: Last day for master's and doctoral comprehensive examination or thesis/dissertation defense.
December 5: Last day for formatting approval of Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) by the formatting advisor. 5PM deadline.

Dec. 11: Last day of classes. Fall Semester ends. Last day to withdraw Graduation Application and file for One-credit Extension.

January 8: Last day for master's and doctoral comprehensive examination or thesis/dissertation defense for Spring One-credit Extension.

January 13: First day of Spring Semester.

January 15: Last day for formatting approval of Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) by the formatting advisor for Spring One-credit Extension. 5PM deadline.

Funding & Fellowships

Identify Scholarships and Research Funding for Your Graduate Education!

The University of Illinois has an excellent Fellowship Finder featuring awards that are open to grad students from any university. It features several filters to aid your search.

The National Research Council postdoctoral program is used by federal agencies across the country to support postdoc searches. This is a great place to look when you are close to finishing your PhD and the salaries are quite good. Quarterly application deadlines.

For more funding opportunities, visit MSU’s Research Funding Opportunities and the MSU Graduate School's Funding and Fellowships webpage.

Workshops & Events

Graduate First Year Communities Program - Spring Applications Open

The Graduate School is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. The First Year Communities are meant to connect first-year graduate students and senior departmental peers in a stress-free, informal, and mutually supportive environment. First Year Community mentors participate in meetings throughout the semester with fellow mentors and the program coordinator. Online students are welcome to participate. Mentors receive a fellowship stipend in the amount of $500 for the academic year to be distributed in two $250 installments at the end of fall and spring semester. For more information, please visit the Graduate First Year Communities Program website.

Graduate Wellness Champions - Spring Applications Open

The Graduate School is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. To support the well-being of graduate students, department-level initiatives are key – both in running local well-being events, but also to help change culture and practices. A $500 fellowship ($250 per semester) is available for graduate student wellness champions who will advocate and organize well-being events in their departments. This fellowship is to support the student for organizational work during the academic year. For more information, please visit the GradCat Wellness Champion Program website.

Norm Asbjornson Hall Art Contest

All students are invited to submit proposals for the Norm Asbjornson Hall Art Wall. The commissioned student artwork project comprises one large wall display area on the first floor, situated in the heart of the building. The student(s) submitting the winning entry will receive funding for the materials and installation in an amount dependent upon the proposal and the available funds (est. $5,000). The winning artist(s) will also receive a special honorarium consisting of an MSU scholarship in the amount of $2,500.

Proposal submissions are open from December 1^st 2025 to January 23^rd 2026. For information, please visit thecontest web page.

MSU Writing Center

The MSU Writing Center provides ongoing support for students working on graduate-level writing. Our team of graduate tutors come from diverse disciplines and offer several types of support to meet students’ varied needs:

• Looking for individualized writing support? We offer one-on-one sessions with a graduate tutor, online or face-to-face. Our tutors can help with everything from planning and organizing to citing sources, restructuring sentences, and proofreading. Writers are welcome to set up recurring appointments.

• Looking for accountability, camaraderie, and feedback? We offer facilitated interdisciplinary writing groups for writers looking for consistent, ongoing support and community.

• Looking to get some writing done? We offer “Focus Friday” every Friday 9 a.m.-noon in our Wilson Hall Writing Center (Wilson 1-114) as well as weekend writing retreats for writers seeking dedicated writing time.

For more information about the Writing Center’s graduate programming, visit https://www.montana.edu/writingcenter/graduate-students/index.html

Professional Development: GradCat 360

GradCat 360 is a comprehensive professional development program for graduate students at Montana State University. It is a series of programs and events designed by the Graduate School and departments across campus that center around nine focus areas. These areas are tailored to help students cultivate a unified set of skills and knowledge for educational success and professional preparation.

Check out our GradCat 360 Event Calendar, specifically curated for Graduate Students. We are constantly updating the GradCat 360 calendar with workshops and events that are uniquely useful for Graduate Students.