Graduate School Newsletter

March 2023

Important Announcements

Did You Know? Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) Formatting Requirements

ETD Formatting Presentation: Tuesday, March 21st from 12:30PM-1:30PM in Gaines Hall 143

The MSU Graduate School requires all students who are writing a thesis or dissertation conform to standard formatting guidelines before they graduate and their work can be published by ScholarWorks. For students graduating in Spring 2023, the deadline to have your ETD approved (not just submitted) is Friday, May 5, 2023.

If you will be writing a thesis or dissertation during your time at Montana State, we highly encourage you to attend the March 21st 12:30-1:30PM ETD Formatting presentation to go over these formatting requirements. Staff from the Grad School, MSU Library, MSU Writing Center, and CPS will be available to answer questions. This will be the last presentation of the semester.

All formatting requirements and deadlines can also be found at https://www.montana.edu/etd/.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Free Tax Help

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides free tax help to people with household income under $54,000. Volunteers assist people with basic federal and state income tax returns. Free electronic filing will be available for most 1040 Forms. There is no charge for this service. Appointments are required. For more information, visit the VITA website.

VITA is unable to handle international returns at this time.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines

March 13-17 – Spring Break (no classes, offices open)
April 7 – University Day (no classes, offices open)
April 19 – Last day to drop classes with a "W" grade
April 28 – Last day for master's and doctoral comprehensive examination and/or thesis/dissertation defense if the student plans to graduate Spring 2023
May 5 – Last day for formatting approval of thesis or dissertation if student plans to graduate Spring 2023

Community Service Opportunity

Friends of MSU Library

Regardless of whether you’re pursuing a career in academia or in industry, community service will help build your CV. The Friends of MSU Library is looking for a graduate student to serve on its board of directors.

The Friends of MSU Library is dedicated to enriching MSU, the lives of students, and our community by strengthening the MSU Library. Friends is governed by a volunteer board of directors. While all board members are not MSU alumni, each has a passion for the library. Board member responsibilities include active participation in board meetings; service on committees as needed; promoting the library in the community; contributing time, skills, and expertise to the MSU Library and Friends; attending and volunteering at library events; and connecting the Friends of MSU Library with others. The board typically meets four times per semester and once during the summer.

Want to find out more? Contact board president, Deb Peters, dnd.peters@gmail.com.

Celebrating the Role of Research in the Land Grant Mission

Here is an opportunity for graduate students to nominate someone who has been instrumental in supporting your research. This can be an advisor who is creating an inclusive and supportive research group, a staff person who is always available to help solve technical problems, or a postdoc or senior graduate student who helps with mentoring. Nominate Your Everyday Research Hero and plan to attend Celebrating the Role of Research in the Land Grant Mission on May 2nd for the recognition ceremony.

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Funding & Fellowships

Identify Scholarships and Research Funding for Your Graduate Education!

The MSU Graduate School maintains a Funding & Fellowships webpage listing various ways you may find funding throughout your time at MSU.

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.

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Workshops & Events

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.

MSU Writing Center

The MSU Writing Center offers ongoing support to students working on graduate-level writing.