Congratulations again on your admission to graduate school! We’re excited that you’ll be starting your graduate studies at Memorial University. The School of Graduate Studies (SGS), your academic unit, and all of Memorial’s service units are here to support you at every stage of your journey. Please ensure you review and follow the steps for new graduate students (including information on registration, fees payment, IT services for graduate students, etc.) before you commence your program. Also, please review the resources for graduate students page for specific information about the Fall 2021 semester.

To help you prepare and start your graduate program on the right foot, we’ve pulled together a number of online meetings, information sessions, and resources that will be accessible to you over the next few months. These include the welcome sessions for new graduate students scheduled for September 7, 2021, as well as our online orientation (called MUN 501), open meetings for new graduate students, and other resources and workshops available to you now.

Welcome session for new graduate students

As part of graduate orientation, SGS will host a special welcome session in September for all new graduate students for the Winter, Spring, and Fall 2021 semesters. The session will include presentations from Memorial’s senior administrators, faculty advisors, and student leaders. You will be invited by email to the upcoming welcome sessions. 

Additional resources and workshops for new graduate students

• Graduate registration: Registration for all graduate students at Memorial for Fall 2021 opens on August 2, 2021, and closes on September 22, 2021. The deadline for fees payment for Fall 2021 is September 8, 2021. The last date to request a deferral of an admission offer for Fall 2021 is September 30, 2021. Once registration opens, please remember to register as a graduate student through Self-Service. You’ll find detailed information on our website about registration for graduate students. If you have questions about course selection, please don’t hesitate to contact your supervisor (for research programs) or graduate officer.
  
  
• Graduate Commons (an online community for graduate students): Once you have registered, you’ll be able to access in Brightspace the Graduate Commons, our online community for graduate students at Memorial. The Graduate Commons is a virtual place for graduate students to meet and share ideas. Graduate officers and staff are also available to participate in discussions and answer any general questions.
  
  
• MUN 501 (graduate orientation): We offer a virtual orientation experience for new graduate students, entitled MUN 501, through the Graduate Commons. MUN 501 consists of a welcome video from the Dean followed by 6 modules for you to review and to complete at your own pace. Each module consists of a PowerPoint presentation with audio, and you can enable captioning if you choose. Transcripts of each module will also be provided. Each module includes links to relevant on and off-campus resources. The modules are intended to help set you up for success in your graduate program and include: planning for your graduate program; roles and responsibilities as a graduate student; personal and community connections; finance and financial literacy; wellness and self-care; and equity, diversity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage you to take the time to go through each module. You will have access to the Graduate Commons shortly after you register for the Fall semester, and you can find the MUN 501 modules under the “Toolboxes” tab within the Graduate Commons.
  
  
• Welcome session for new graduate students: As part of graduate orientation, SGS will host a special welcome session in September for all new graduate students for the Winter, Spring and Fall 2021 semesters. The session will include presentations from Memorial’s senior administrators, faculty advisors, and student leaders. You will be invited by email to the upcoming welcome sessions.
  
  
• EDGE workshops: There are many other opportunities for you to get engaged and connected now as a graduate student. Please consider the free online resources and workshops on academic and professional skills development available to you now through our EDGE website. EDGE also includes a number of resources to prepare you with your transition to graduate school.
  
  
• Departmental/program orientation sessions: Your  faculty/school/department/program will likely hold separate orientation or welcome events, which are a great way to become familiar with academic requirements and expectations and meet other students in your program. Please contact your supervisor (for research programs) or your graduate officer for more information on scheduled sessions.
  
  
• Immigration advising sessions (hosted by the Internationalization Office): Memorial’s Internationalization Office (IO) offers information sessions for new international students on general immigration updates, general Q&A, study permit applications, and the post-graduation work permit. All new international students are encouraged to attend. For more information and to register, please visit the IO website.
  
  
• Upcoming and previously recorded information sessions: Below is a list of upcoming and previously recorded information sessions.

Previously recorded sessions:

Your graduate diploma/degree is an important milestone. We are so happy that you have chosen to pursue your graduate education at Memorial, and we want to assure you that Memorial will continue to maintain the very high quality of graduate teaching, supervision, and student experience that we are known for. Please remember that the faculty and staff at Memorial are here to help you. If you ever have a question, please don’t hesitate to contact your supervisor (for research programs) or graduate officer or email us at sgs@mun.ca. We’ll get back to you right away.