New PhD Student Info

Several of these events do not yet have confirmed dates and/or times. Please bookmark this webpage and visit it frequently for updates. 

Pre-Arrival Teaching Assistant, Graduate Assistant, and Research Assistant Workshop |  Hosted by: The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)

When: Monday, August 5^th, 2024  9:00 – 10:00 AM

Where: Zoom

Meeting ID: 967 5331 0227 
Passcode: 133661 

Department of Engineering Education Orientation | Hosted by the Department of Engineering Education.  During the department orientation, you will meet our Director of Graduate Studies (Adrienne Decker), the Chair of the Department of Engineering Education (James Jensen), and the Graduate Program Coordinator (Éva McGovern) as well as some of our DEE faculty and all of our DEE graduate students. At this time, we will introduce you to the department and the various milestones on the way to completing your degree.

When: Tuesday, August 20^th, 11am-1:30 pm (Lunch will be provided)

Where: Capen Hall, Room 240 (second floor of Capen).

Fall 2024 SEAS Graduate Orientation | Hosted by: The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. This is an importation orientation and an opportunity to meet students in other engineering disciplines.

When: Wednesday, August 21^st, 2:30 pm. On-time arrival is requested. 

Where: University at Buffalo, Center for the Arts

See the itinerary here

One-Stop Shop | Hosted by: The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. This event will facilitate international student employment paperwork completion and processing. It is very important that you attend this session if you are an international student. Employment letters will be handed out and International Student Services will be also present to answer any questions.

When: August 22^nd 9 am-1 pm

Where: In-person at 230A Davis Hall and the Salvador Lounge on the second floor of Davis Hall. 

Teaching Assistant (TA) Orientation | Hosted by the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation (CATT) 

When: Thursday, August 22^nd, 9:30 am – 3 pm

Where: Zoom

Please register for the event after July 1^st  to receive a link

International students should plan on attending the International Student Services (ISS) Orientation and Fall 2024 Welcome Series.

Welcome Picnic | Hosted by the Department of Engineering Education

When: Sunday, August 25th. From 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, come and go as you need.

Where: Ellicott Creek Park, Shelter 3 - 1 Ellicott Creek Rd Tonawanda, NY 14150. 
Park Google map location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vne15QjNZDoGBk2V6
Shelter Location within the park: https://www3.erie.gov/parks/shelter/ellicott-creek-park-shelter-3. It is a 12-minute drive/ride from Capen Hall.

Who: Affiliates & friends of the Department of Engineering Education and their significant ones. 

What: Picnic including hamburgers & hotdogs with their fixings, corn, snacks, and drinks. Vegetarian and gluten free options will be available. Lawn games to enjoy together.

For planning purposes, Please RSVP at the link below by EOD Friday Aug 23. https://forms.gle/ezyD4MWnYq4Mmd6y6

The first day of classes is Monday, August 26, 2024.  

New international students will need approval to arrive after August 26th. If you are not able to arrive by the first day of classes or if you are experiencing visa delays, please inform Academic Coordinator, Éva McGovern (meva@buffalo.edu) as soon as possible.

You will be assigned a faculty advisor at or slightly before orientation. More information about advisors and advisor selection will be explained during the departmental orientation.

All students will have various holds placed on their account every semester. Please check your student HUB account to see what holds you may have. These holds will prevent you from registering for courses.

Immunization – (Incomplete MMR Requirement & Meningitis Waiver Incomplete) Please submit the appropriate forms to Student Health Services.

These forms take a few business days to review, so the sooner you submit the sooner your hold is removed. As it gets closer to August 28th, the processing time becomes longer.

Financial hold – Click on the link and review the information. This hold requires just a few minutes of your time.

Profile hold – Click on the link and review the information.  You may need to update or add emergency contact information. This requires just a few minutes of your time.

FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: New International Student Hold – Please review the information and submit the required documents.

Once all holds are cleared, you can start enrolling for Fall 2024 courses. If you are required to maintain full-time status, you will need to register for a total of 12 credit hours (4 courses). PhD students on assistantship will register for a total of 9 credit hours (3 courses). 

For Fall 2024, we are recommending the following courses to incoming students:

• DEE 500 – instructor: Bonnette
• DEE 501 – instructor: Swenson
• LAI 649 (the in-person section) – instructor: Devlin

You can modify your course schedule through the end of the first week of classes.  After the final add/drop deadline, no changes can be made. If you drop a course after the add/drop deadline, you will not receive a 100% refund for that course. During orientation, we will go over the required courses for each concentration and the limit of courses outside of the department.

Information regarding tuition and fees and billing due dates are listed on the Student Accounts webpage.

If you have not set up your UBITName and email, please do so. All emails communications will be sent to your @buffalo.edu email address, not your personal email. After you accepted the offer of admissions, you should have received information on how to set up your UBITName.

Your UB Card will require a stop at 1 Capen where they can take your photo and issue your card. This card can be used for identification as a UB student, swipe entrance into labs and buildings, for Campus Cash, Dining Points and Meal Plans.

You may have received an offer as a Teaching Assistant (TA), which includes tuition and stipend.

Unless other funding is secured, your TA appointment will run from August 15, 2024 – May 21, 2025 with a bi-weekly stipend rate of $1,150.00.

To start receiving your stipend, you must first be appointed to this position. This requires you to complete and submit all the required paperwork no later than August 23. This will ensure that your first paycheck is received by September 26, 2024. Paychecks are distributed biweekly on Wednesdays. Failure to complete and submit your paperwork will cause a delay in receiving your stipend. Please prepare to have at least 2 months of personal funds when you arrive as it takes some time to get you in the system.

The following sessions are required and will help to facilitate the correct completion of your paperwork:

International students will need the following documents:

• Passport and visa
• I-20 or DS-2019
• I-94

Domestic students will need the following documentation:

• Passport or U.S. driver’s license and SSN card, or US driver's license and birth certificate.

All students will also complete the I-9, IT-2104, W-4, State Oath of Office at this session. These forms should be completed using a local Buffalo address (international students). For domestic students, you can use a local Buffalo address or a permanent address (i.e., family home address).

Direct deposit is required. You need to include a bank authorization form (or a scanned VOID check) from your bank indicating your account number and routing number. This information should be uploaded directly to human resources (see option 2).

Also required for international students is the SPEAK test. Please register for the testing dates listed on the English Language Institute website as soon as possible.

The following videos are available on the Graduate School website to help you with onboarding:

The videos are available online at the following locations: