The Faculty Adventure at Iowa State University

Connect. Discover. Grow:

Graduate faculty at Iowa State University are part of a community of adventurous minds, connecting through research, discovery, and intellectual growth. We know this the kind of education and excitement you are looking for, and Iowa State University is the perfect place for you!

    Time to Degree

    • 1.8 years

      for master's students

    • 5 years

      for doctoral students

    2022-2023 Impact Summary

    People are happier and programs are more efficient when sticking to a timeline. A national study suggests another reason why the "Time to degree" is important -- at least in social science disciplines: Those who finish earlier than others do are more likely to land jobs on the tenure track. The data are from "Does Time-to-Degree Matter?," a new analysis of the "Social Science Ph.D.'s -- Five + Years Out" project, which has been yielding a series of insights into the path students take in graduate school and beyond.  

    Given the high costs associate with graduate education, the current national climate, and the increased competition for all resources associated undergraduate and graduate programs. Knowing the time to degree is a crucial factor when considering the ability to complete degree requirements. Time to degree and completion rates depend on a complex set of characteristics related to demographics, financial, motivation and ability. 


    Graduate College Mentoring Program

    All entering Masters and Ph.D. underrepresented graduate students are invited to participate in the Mentoring Program for First-Year Underrepresented Students. Students are matched with a senior level peer mentor from their home department designated by the DOGE and a faculty or staff member who have volunteered to participate. The goals of the Mentoring Program are to:

    Admitted students begin receiving information about the Mentoring Program prior to the start of their first semester. Peer mentors are invited to attend a two-hour training session where they are informed of program expectations and other details. In addition, faculty and staff who are new to the mentoring program are also invited to a training session.

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    Prospective graduate students don’t always know about the collegial aspect of graduate work.

    • Research groups and how students collaborate on projects.
    • Multiple faculty who serve on each student’s advisory/program committee.

     

    Support for on campus graduate student centers/organizations and cultural celebrations:

    Recruiting Practices

    The Data Shows:

    Prospective students are primarily interested in the quality of their chosen graduate program and their likely experience if they come to ISU. It is best that you convey the groundbreaking, exciting, compelling, and internationally recognized research that your faculty are involved in.

    Attractive Ideas

    Stories of graduate students presenting at research at conferences including those winning presentation awards, Faculty winning awards, News releases about groundbreaking research, and National rankings.

      Recruiting Resources

      Specific Recruiting Strategies

      Faculty-to-faculty: Potential graduate students hear about graduate programs at ISU from a faculty member they work with as an undergraduate.

      • Ask faculty that you collaborate with at other universities if they have potential graduate students.
      • Develop relationships with faculty in your discipline in regional colleges/universities.
      • Keep in contact with faculty who have written recommendation letters for previous enrolled students.

      Faculty-to-student: Many of the strongest students start exploring graduate programs in sophomore or junior years

      • Follow-up with prospects who contact you as soon as possible, and follow-up again close to the application deadline.
      • Contact the Graduate College (grad_college@iastate.edu) to get a license for ISU’s CRM tool that makes this easier.
      • Travel to regional universities and colleges and meet students. Many of our underrepresented graduate students graduated from other Iowa and regional institutions.

      Website: Potential students will always explore your website looking for the following information.

      • Stories of graduate students presenting research at conferences, faculty winning awards, press-releases on research, national rankings, etc.
      • Prospective students don’t always know about the collegial aspect of graduate work. Your site could include information about peer mentoring for first year students, graduate student organizations, research groups and how students collaborate on projects, multiple faculty who serve student advisory/program committees.
      • Many students don’t know the financial side of graduate school. Your site could include the fraction of students who receive assistantships and what that means in practice, e.g. stipend, benefits, tuition scholarship, and the career outcomes of students.
      • Easy to find application requirements, assistantship information, and primary person of contact. Consider adding a link to the enquiry form, and prominently place the application page.
      • Add links to your research pages with prospective graduate student pages so that prospective students can always find application information.

      Admissions Protocols

      Communicating with potential graduate students after they have inquired about your department significantly impacts their application and subsequent enrollment decisions. Timely and continuous communication across multiple mediums is vital. A typical communication schedule can look like this:

      • First contact: A letter or email from a DOGE and/or professor should be sent following a student’s initial inquiry.
      • Follow-up: If no response was generated from the initial contact, another letter or email from the department should be sent. Current graduate students and/or alumni should also occur during this follow-up process.
      • Admission is offered: Following admission, students should receive communication from the DOGE, professors, students, and/or alumni to encourage them to enroll.

      Employ a holistic review of applicants, not just the quantitative factors.

      • Consider life experiences and resilience as positive indicators of success in graduate studies
      • Be aware of your own unconscious bias(es) when reviewing application and reading letters of recommendation

      Be proactive and regularly assess your department’s and your individual recruitment practices by gathering and tracking the following:

      • Number of inquiries made by prospective students
      • Source of the inquiry, i.e. website, email, interest cards
      • Number of applicants
      • Number of accepted students
      • Frequency and type of correspondence to accepted students
      • Enrollment yield

      The Graduate College also offers a number of resources that could enhance your program’s recruiting communications.

      Graduate Program Review

      The purpose of academic program review evaluates the status, effectiveness, and progress of academic programs and helps identify the future direction, needs, and priorities of those programs. The areas in which program quality are evaluated include, but are not limited to:

      • Quality of educational programs, including an assessment of student outcomes.
      • Quality of research, creative activity, or scholarly work.
      • Contribution or service to the University, the profession, and the community.
      • Potential and future expectations for the program.

      The goal of the program review should be the articulation of agreed-upon action plans for further development of the academic program. External academic review teams are invited to consider issues and challenges, and to consult with faculty and administration on future directions. The program review process should focus on improvements that can be made using resources that currently are available to the program. Consideration may also be given, however, to proposed program improvements and expansions that would require additional resources; in such cases, the need and priority for additional resources should be clearly specified.

      Please visit the Graduate Program pages for degree and career outcomes as well as other information.

      For more information on program reviews visit the Provost page.

      Why Student Choose ISU:

      Prospective students become aware of and choose to attend ISU for a variety of reasons. Results from a survey administered to ISU graduate students found that 50 percent used the internet as their first source of information. Thirty two percent cited the faculty at their previous institution, 30 percent cited ISU faculty, and 29 percent relied on their friends to learn about ISU.

      Once admitted, students rated the following factors as "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" for selecting ISU for their graduate studies:

      Admitted students rating for selecting ISU for their graduate studies:
      All Students STEM Students
      Assistantship 80% 91%
      Program offerings/reputation 94% 94%
      Faculty reputation 94% 95%
      Faculty research interests 84% 94%
      Fellowships and scholarships 76% 89%

      Another survey was administered to students who applied, were admitted, but ultimately did not choose attend ISU. The most cited factors in selecting a university to pursue graduate studies included:

      • Academic quality of program of interest
      • Availability of program of interest
      • University reputation

      The least cited factors included:

      • Geographic location
      • Weather
      • Faculty diversity

      Students were asked why they felt ISU was at a disadvantage when they made their graduate school decision. The most cited reasons were

      • Amount of financial support offered
      • Reputation of ISU

      Professional Development

      Our Partner's for Skill Improvement, Scholarly Growth, and Professional Success.

      The Graduate College has identified six essential skills, Career, Communication, Leadership & Management, Research, Teaching, and Wellness, to assist postdoctoral scholars and graduate students become successful with personal and professional goals. Use the Individual Development Plan resources from the following units and programs to guide your journey.

      Succeed Now with 80:10:10

      The New Work Week Expectation - A new framework supported by the Graduate College:

      • 80% Maximize Output – Do the best work possible
      • 10% Professional Engagement – Focus on Professional and Intellectual Development
      • 10% Communicate and Connect – Network with Colleagues and Experts
        80:10:10 graphic

      Graduate College Emerging Leaders Academy

      Our graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are developing extremely strong expertise in their disciplines. Yet the challenges our society is facing require more than just expertise, these challenges require a new generation of leaders who can build collaborations, work across disciplines, and forge stronger solutions from diverse perspectives. ISU is committed to developing these skills in our strongest and most promising graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Hence in Fall we will gather a cohort of approximately 20 young leaders in the Graduate College Emerging Leadership Academy (GC-ELA). We will be seeking leaders with broad career aspirations, industry, government, NGO, entrepreneurship, and academia.

      • 24-25 Deadline

        May 15, 2024

      • Cost

        $600 (paid by home department or program)

      • PD@ISU

        Register here

      Here are some testimonials from our earlier participants:
      "In GC-ELA, I have engaged in a different type of learning than any experienced as an academic thus far. In GC-ELA, I've learned about how I lead and interact with people. The meetings prompted self-reflection and thought-provoking discussions and activities regarding leadership styles. I already feel like a more well-rounded individual, both professionally and personally."
      "I started this program thinking I have at least a basic idea about what leadership means. During the short period of time I was involved in GC-ELA proved how little I actually knew about being a true leader, and what leadership really means. I have learned more about myself, my type personality, my leadership style, what strengths I bring in to a team environment, what are my weakness, how to overcome them. This program changed the way I view things in general. I learned about team building, communication, and the importance of being a culturally competent leader in a society which is vastly diverse. It was a delight to hear from the experts from different fields how they tackle problems, what makes them more successful, and what qualities we need to cultivate as future leaders. I would never have given the considerations as to which members should be included in a team to cover all the bases, had I not learnt the importance of what type personalities should be included in a team for it to be a successful team."

      We invite faculty, department chairs, and Directors of Graduate Education (DOGE) to encourage graduate students or postdoctoral scholars to complete the application form. Upon acceptance into the GC-ELA, the student’s/postdoctoral scholar’s home department or graduate program will need to pay $600 to cover the costs of the program.

      NEW! We’re pleased to announce that ISU’s Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH), in partnership with the Graduate College, will cover the total cost of participation in the GC-ELA for up to 5 graduate students enrolled in programs in the arts, design, or the humanities at ISU. Please contact Dr. Matthew Sivils (sivils@iastate.edu) for information about the worktag required for application.

      Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars can apply here: https://profdev.grad-college.iastate.edu/emerging-leaders-academy

      The academy will be for one year with approximately 5 full-day sessions each semester. The program sessions will focus on:

      • Leadership research, theory and practice
      • Ethics
      • Collaboration and teamwork
      • The effects of gender and diversity issues on work teams
      • Communication
      • The program culminates in a semester-long mentoring experience for each participant with a current Iowa State leader