FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Please check your FSU email for updates on your orientation requirements and reach out to your specific program/department. Different programs and departments have different requirements for graduate student orientations. Some programs have multiple orientations students must attend while others do not require certain orientations. Please make sure you have contacted your specific program/department to determine what your requirements are.

You have access to all of your vital student information--including Canvas--via your myFSU Student Central page. If you are employed at the university full time, part time, or through a graduate assistantship, you can also access your employee information through this system. Log in with your FSU ID and password.

Consult the Office of Student Business Services website.

For most correspondence with the university--aside from those involving sensitive student information--you will use your FSU Email account. Please keep in mind that, due to new security measures, you are able to send no more than 5,000 emails from your FSU email per day. Consult the ITS website for more information about creating and managing your FSU student and/or employee email account.

This varies by program and department. Please contact the department for your specific application interest to determine the exact due date and verify if any extensions have been put into place. Please keep in mind that it is best practice to assume that all due dates for paperwork have remained the same until you receive verification that they have been altered or extended.

All face-to-face events consisting of 10 or more people have been cancelled or postponed at FSU until August 2, 2020. Cancellation and postponement may continue beyond this date depending on the current health and safety circumstances. Some organizations may hold virtual alternatives for their events so consult organizational websites for more information.

Check your program/departmental website for information about your specific enrollment semester. Dates may differ across programs/departments. For more information about general Summer 2020 dates, consult the website of the Office of the University Registrar.

All university-sponsored domestic and international travel is canceled until further notice. Any domestic travel previously approved by FSU Travel Services must be reevaluated by your respective university vice president. Only travel deemed essential by a vice president will be re-approved. The university strongly recommends that all students, staff, and faculty refrain from personal domestic and international travel except for emergency purposes.

Visit the FSUCard Center's website for information for obtaining your card from a distance.

FSU utilizes the Canvas Learning Management System to deliver online courses. As a new graduate student, you should expect to interact with this system. Class delivery style may be different depending on the class. Some styles you might see over the summer include:

• Asynchronous courses allow students to complete coursework at their own schedule within the parameters of the instructor's syllabus. In most cases, this means that course activities and assignments can be completed at any time during a given week of the course, rather than at a specific class meeting time. Most FSU online courses are asynchronous.
• Synchronous courses require students to participate in real-time discussions or lectures that require logging in at a certain time and day.
• Mixed courses require some face-to-face presence (No in-class interaction during Summer 2020 and possibly Fall 2020 depending on current health and safety circumstances).

You may find a variety of resources for teaching and learning on the PIE website. Additionally, you may self-enroll in our PIE TA Community Support Canvas site for a variety of resources for online class management/transformation and Zoom Office Hours

To participate in an FSU online course, you'll need a computer and operating system that are as up-to-date as possible (less than 3 years old). Make sure you have a stable, high-speed internet connection and virus protection software. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the recommended browsers for FSU's online courses. To optimize your learning experience, we also recommend you have headphones, a microphone, and a webcam. Always consult your course syllabus and pay attention to communication from your instructor for any additional technical requirements. Students experiencing financial hardship related to acquiring the appropriate technology should contact FSU's Case Management Services at casemanagement@fsu.edu. To access additional special software remote access resources, visit the myFSUVLab website.

Student assessment may be handled online in Canvas or via proctored exams at an external site or online provider. Proctored exams are at the discretion of the instructor. If your class requires proctored testing, your instructor will provide information in the course syllabus.

There are three types of proctored testing: on-campus testing, off-campus testing at an approved facility, and off-campus testing via an online service provider. Testing at FSU's main campus Testing Center is free for all FSU students. Students residing at a distance will need to use off-campus options. These usually involve a fee that is set by the facility providing the service. For more information about proctored testing, see the Office of Distance Learning website.

If you're interested in an online program that may lead to professional licensure and you reside outside Florida, please check licensing requirements in your home state prior to applying. You'll want to make sure the program meets licensing criteria in your home state (or state where you intend to work). For more information on professional licensure, see the State Authorization and Licensure page.

Regardless of your location, you can access library resources remotely. You'll find databases, tutorials, workshops, and other helpful resources in the FSU Libraries for Students Canvas org site (all students are enrolled automatically). For recommended research resources and ways to connect with your librarians, look for "Library Tools" in your Canvas course navigation.

Need online learning accommodations, like assistive technology or accommodated testing? Contact the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS), formerly the Student Disability Resource Center, and don't forget to work with your instructors to make sure they're aware of your registered accommodations.

Consult the Division of Student Affairs Virtual FSU page for a variety of online resources, from tutoring to health management.

LinkedIn Learning is an online repository of various tutorials pertaining to business, software, and creativity. With your FSU credentials, you are able to access a LinkedIn Learning account free of charge.

If your instructor has added LinkedIn Learning content to your Canvas course, you'll be able to find the LinkedIn Learning content within your Canvas course site. It's most likely in a Module in your Canvas course. If you have trouble finding the content, please contact your instructor to clarify where the LinkedIn Learning content is located.

If your instructor has not added any LinkedIn Learning content to your Canvas course, don’t worry – you can still access LinkedIn Learning resources. Simply go to FSU’s LinkedIn Learning page, click the “sign in” button, and log in with your FSU credentials.

Note: This information has been adapted from the Office of Distance Learning website.

Yes, although much of the professional development programming of the OPDA has been either postponed or moved online, the OPDA staff are working remotely and are available to assist you with typical postdoctoral training, mentoring, or hiring needs.

The VP for Research approves research activities that are allowable during the emergency shut down of the campus for the safety of preventing Covid-19 infection. Allowable emergency maintenance of research activities include upkeep of sensitive equipment, husbandry of vertebrate animals or organisms, preservation of critical data or samples, for example. Postdocs should coordinate with their advisors to submit requests for campus and research access to the chairperson of their department, who will forward screened requests to the VP for Research Office. Currently no external users of the magnet laboratory are permitted.

Yes, postdoctoral scholars will receive regular stipends or fellowship while they work remotely. This includes such activities as writing (grants, manuscripts, books), data analysis, planning experimental designs, completing editorial reviews, reading literature, or online instruction. Scholars should seek advice from their mentors and are encouraged to communicate at least weekly with their research groups to get insight and monitor progress.

No, postdoctoral scholars may be eligible for Emergency Paid Sick Leave as part of the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

In coordination with your mentor, reach out to your funding agency and request if there is the possibility of an extension on the completion deadline or special bridge funding available during the Covid-19.

Work with your postdoctoral mentor who can help you navigate the current changes to hiring paperwork through your home department. The OPDA has moved New Postdoctoral Welcome sessions (required orientation) online and you can register for a session so that you can initiate your selected benefits/insurance within the first 60 days of employment. Please contact the OPDA if you would like to be paired with a Postdoctoral Buddy, who is a current FSU postdoctoral scholar, and who could help you navigate relocation or settling in to your research discipline once you arrive.

It is understandable that all of us will have stress during the closure to campus for situations our of our control. The OPDA encourages weekly contact with your research group, healthy eating, and daily time for walking, stretching, meditating, or exercising. The FSU Counseling Center is now offering telepsychology appointments via the secure, confidential Zoom HIPAA. If you would like to schedule a telepsychology appointment with Drs. Painter, Porter, or Taylor, please email psychappt@med.fsu.edu.

The Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards (OGFA) assists current FSU graduate students with articulating their interests and ambitions in support of identifying and applying for external fellowships, scholarships, grants, and awards. We offer individual tailored guidance with careful review of application materials for the submission of external fellowship and award applications. We also regularly offer departmental presentations, meetings, and classes. Our workshops are designed to cover both the basics of applying for external funding as well as in-depth advice for pursuing specific funding opportunities.

• Fellowship Advising
  • Advice on the application process including:
    • How to identify awards that are a good fit,
    • How to conduct a funding search, and
    • How to get started with the fellowships application cycle.
  • Assistance with applications, including draft revisions
  • Guidance on relevant campus policies and procedures related to fellowships and awards

Yes, to schedule an appointment, visit the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards (OGFA) website and click the "LET’s MEET" tab.

Every semester OGFA offers professional development workshops that focus on engaging students in pursuing external fellowship and awards that are a good fit for their area of study, research, and work. All workshops are intended to assist students with the submission of external fellowship and award applications. The workshops that will be offered Summer 2020 will focus on preparing applications for various funding opportunities and writing and communication skills. Workshops for the Summer Semester can be found here once posted. Every two weeks, starting May 12, 2020, OGFA will offer an Information Session to assist students in jumpstarting the process of identifying and applying for awards.

At the beginning of every month, an Upcoming Fellowships and Awards Deadline booklet with be sent to your email via Canvas along with other Funding Alerts and information related to upcoming workshops.

Yes, students are eligible to apply for fellowships and awards throughout their graduate program. The award mechanism will define the eligibility requirements.

The links to various funding databases can be found on the OGFA website within the Funding Databases section. The first database listed, Pivot, can only be accessed by students with an active FSU email address. In addition to Pivot, you may find the other databases listed below helpful; these databases are open to public search.

• University of Illinois Fellowship Finder
• Cornell University Fellowship Database
• UCLA GRAPES Funding Database
• Rutgers GradFund

Yes. We work with all current FSU graduate students. You may also want to check out our resource booklet, Fellowships and Awards for International Students.