As a graduate student at the Clark School, you'll find an outstanding faculty, a friendly environment, close proximity to the cultural amenities of Washington, D.C., state-of-the-art laboratories and computing resources, and excellent assistance in and opportunities for employment.
The school offers both full-time master and doctoral programs and programs for working professionals.
10/25/23 - Alumnus Receives National Medal of Technology and Innovation
"President Joe Biden yesterday awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest award for technological achievement, to a University of Maryland alum, faculty member and benefactor.
Jeong H. Kim Ph.D. ’91, namesake of the A. James Clark School of Engineering's administration and interdisciplinary research and education building, was recognized for his advances in broadband optical systems, data communications and wireless technologies that have made communication faster and clearer, including improvements in battlefield communications that strengthen national security."
10/3/23 - ECE Alumna Rose Faghih wins NIH MIRA
"ECE Alumna Rose Faghih (’08) has been awarded the National Institutes of Health Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators. The award is accompanied by a five-year $1,825,840 grant for her project entitled “MESH: Multimodal Estimators for Sensing Health”.
Faghih is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Director of the Computational Medicine Laboratory. Her research interests include wearable technologies, medical cyber-physical systems and control, estimation and system identification of biomedical and neural systems."
9/1/23 - UMD Team Lands First Place in VFS Competition
"Graduate students from the University of Maryland’s Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center (AGRC) have won first place in the Vertical Flight Society’s (VFS) 40th Annual Student Design Competition.
Led by Nathan O’Brien, a UMD Clark Fellow, the team took the top spot in the graduate category with its design for a high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (HSVTOL) aircraft. The victory comes with a $2,500 stipend. O’Brien and fellow team members Xavier Delgado, Brendan Egan, Noam Kaplan, Ray Shimry Garatsa, and Nicholas Paternostro will be invited to present their design at the next VFS Annual Forum and Technology Display."
7/28/23 - Alum Sean Andersson named Mechanical Engineering Department chair at Boston University
"Alum Sean Andersson (ECE Ph.D. 2003) has been named chair of the Boston University Mechanical Engineering Department. He had been serving as interim chair of the department since July 2022, and has been on the university's faculty since 2006."
7/23/23 - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department Graduate Selected for Prestigious Department of Energy Award
"Nahin Ferdousi-Rokib, PhD ‘23, chemical engineering, was one of 87 graduate students recently selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program (SCGSR). Through world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources at DOE national laboratories, SCGSR prepares graduate students for positions of critical importance to its mission and to maintaining the nation’s position at the forefront of discovery and innovation."
7/3/23 - Alum's Book Explores 'Lost Relics' that Spurred the Nuclear Era
"It all began with a mysterious gift that landed on the desk of Tim Koeth, a nuclear physicist and Maryland Engineering researcher with a penchant for nuclear oddities: a cube of uranium metal wrapped in a cryptic note that read, “Taken from Germany from the nuclear reactor Hitler tried to build. Gift of Ninninger.”
What followed was a yearslong quest by Koeth, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering, and his student-turned-colleague Miriam “Mimi” Hiebert Ph.D. ’19 to discover the origin of the cube and its place in the high-stakes race between the United States and another would-be nuclear power: Nazi Germany."
Upcoming Events
Applying for Graduate School Fellowships
Tuesday, December 5 | 1:00PM-2:30PM | hybrid (join via Zoom or in 2124 Lee)
The Graduate School offers two popular fellowships for doctoral students: the Semester Dissertation Fellowship and the Summer Research Fellowship. Applications for both are due early in the spring semester. Join us for this workshop to learn more about the fellowships and how to write an effective application. Registration
Using ChatGPT to Explore Careers
Tuesday, December 5 | 4:00PM-5:00PM | Virtual
The follow-up session will focus on how to use ChatGPT to write effective prompts to explore career pathways. We will share effective prompts related to career development and give participants time to practice on their own. We will also brainstorm together on how to leverage ChatGPT at different stages of your career development and job search process. Registration
Make the Most of Your Winter Break
Tuesday, December 5 | 11:30AM - 12:30PM | Virtual
This workshop offers tips on job search strategies and how you can increase your employability. Use the winter break for your professional development. Zoom Link
Women in Engineering Lunch and Learn
Wednesday, December 6 | 12:00PM | EGR1131-B
Join Women in Engineering and Dr. Sarbari Gupta, UMD alumna, for our final Lunch and Learn of the semester!
Lunch will be provided! RSVP
Counseling Center Wellness Series
The Counseling Center is hosting drop-in virtual skill sessions covering a wide range of topics (a total of 16!) to support your mental health and well-being. Visit the Wellness Series page for more information.
Session Schedule:
Coping Skills – Mondays at 4:00PM. Registration
Academic Success – Tuesdays at 4:00PM. Registration
Relationships and Communication – Wednesdays at 4:00PM. Registration
Resilience and Adaptability – Thursdays at 4:00PM. Registration
Fall 2023 Graduate Student Circle Sessions Registration
Leave of Absences, Thursday, December 7th at 12:30 PM
As the semester is slowly coming to a close, some students might be considering taking a leave of absence. This session is helpful if you are unsure of the leave of absence application process, the impact of taking a leave of absence and the length of time a student can request. If you are a student expanding your family via adoption/childbirth then this session helps to understand the difference between a leave of absence and parental accommodation.
Summer and Winter Graduate Celebration
Thursday, December 7 | 4:00PM-6:00PM | Kim Engineering Rotunda
All Summer and Winter Engineering Graduates are invited to participate in the Engineering School Summer/Winter 2023 Engineering Graduate Celebration. Last date to submit RSVP is November 30, 2023!
What We Learned About Job Searching in 2023
Wednesday, December 13 | 12:00PM-12:45PM | Virtual
Everything about today’s job market feels like it’s in flux -- layoffs, rebounds, AI, a near recession. So how have the events of 2023 impacted job options for PhDs? Join the Beyond the Prof staff as they reflect on job searching in 2023 and how PhDs should approach their job search going into 2024. Registration
Graduate Research Talks
Elevate your research profile with ease! We're kickstarting our Research Presentation Series—a low-stress, relaxed environment designed for you to practice and perfect your 10-minute research presentation. Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your work, receive valuable feedback from peers, and enhance your presentation skills. Secure your spot now by filling out the Google Form —because practice makes presentations perfect!
Are You Interested in Startups?
Calling for all graduate students who want to learn more about startups!
As a student-run startup incubator and co-working space at UMD, Startup Shells is looking for graduate students who have interest in entrepreneurship or want to get involved in building new ideas. The organization is a community open to all students and majors, and provides the student entrepreneurship community with the space, resources, and network to explore ideas, collaborate, and scale their ventures.
Join a culture of innovation that produces the next generation of venture-scale companies by connecting the most innovative builders, creators, and designers here at UMD. See upcoming events and follow Startup Shells on Instagram (on-campus space: IDEA Factory).
Commencement Ceremony
Are you about to complete your degree? Visit the Commencement Ceremony page for all the times, dates, procedures and guest information you need.
Student Societies
The Clark School supports more than 30 active student societies, such as the Engineering Student Council, departmental honor and professional societies and special interest organizations.
Opportunities current and future Clark School graduate students to compete, earn awards, or receive fellowships
Academic Policies
What are the Clark School's goals and ethics? Learn about our academic policies, to which all students are expected to adhere.
Advising
As graduate student, your main source for advising is your department or program:
Parental Accommodation for Graduate Students
It is the policy of the Graduate School that all graduate assistants have the right to a 6-week paid absence for the birth or adoption of a child:
“Graduate Assistants will be provided a guaranteed parental accommodation of six weeks, retaining their full stipends and benefits during the accommodation”
To request this accommodation, fill in the The Graduate School Parental Accommodation Form at least 8 weeks prior to taking the leave. Have the form signed by your advisor, your department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and the department Chair. You will need to attach a brief statement from your medical service provider or adoption agency. Then submit the form to the Graduate School; you should receive notification of the decision relatively quickly.
There is also a policy on academic accommodation that permits new parents to postpone completion of academic requirements (course assignments, exams) while remaining enrolled as full-time students. This is not a leave of absence. Students will develop with their instructor a written plan for completing the course.
For further information, refer to the Graduate School’s web pages.
Parental Accommodation for Graduate Students
Other UMD Graduate School policies can be found here at the Graduate School's website.
Graduate School Writing Center
The Graduate School Writing Center offers support for graduate students at every stage of their development as academic and professional communicators who can, in turn, fulfill the university’s mission of sharing research, educational, cultural, and technological strengths with the broader community.
The Center offers:
- Writing and oral communication consultations
- A variety of workshop and weekly write-ins
- Writing Groups
- English editing for international graduate students
- Information on how to use sources in your writing
- Resources for writing in your, or another, discipline
- Resources for writing in a specific linguistic or cultural context
University Counseling Center
The University Counseling Center provides comprehensive support services that promote the personal, social, and academic success of UMD students.
Resources:
-
The Counseling Center is offering a number of counseling groups specifically geared toward graduate students. These groups are a great way to connect with others, learn about yourself, improve your mental health, and receive support. This semester groups will take place virtually. An intake appointment is required to participate in the groups. The groups are free to registered graduate students. If graduate studen ts are interested in any groups, please contact the counseling center at 301-314-7651 to schedule an intake appointment. The services are free to graduate students. The schedule of the upcoming group sessions can be accessed at go.umd.edu/CounselingCenterGroups.
-
The Counseling Center is hosting drop-in virtual workshops on a wide range of topics (Coping Skills, Academic Success, Relationships and Communication, Resilience and Adaptability) to support your health and wellbeing. More information can be found here.
The Health Center has daily online meditation groups which vary in topic. Students can go to health.umd.edu/meditation to register for the groups and learn more about the meditation sessions.
Graduate School Academic Counseling
UMD National Scholarships Office
The UMD National Scholarships Office and the Graduate School have experienced staff and hold information sessions to help students explore various fellowship opportunities. Many students found the application process a valuable experience, and if awarded, the external fellowships not only help augment the resources and provide flexibilities to the graduate research of the fellows, but also provide additional peer and mentoring networks with potentially lasting impact on the fellows' career development.
Prospective and early-career doctoral students:
-
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) - 3 years of full support for PhD studies, with an annual stipend of $34,000, in science, math, engineering, and social/behavioral science fields.
-
DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship
-
Hertz Graduate Fellowship
-
Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship (info)
Mid-career graduate students:
UMD External Fellowships Database
University of Illinois Fellowship Finder
Proposal Development Services for Graduate Students and Postdocs
If you are planning to submit an external fellowship application to support your research, please reach out to discuss how we can support you at proposals@umd.edu, or submit your PDM support request here! The Research Development Office is excited to partner with the Graduate School to provide free Proposal Development and Management (PDM) services to Graduate Students and Postdocs seeking external fellowships of $10,000 or more to support their research. Our team works with students and postdocs year-round on an individual basis to Strategize, Develop, Review, and Elevate proposals.
Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities
Johns Hopkins University Vice President for Research Denis Wirtz has compiled a list of funding opportunities for researchers. As of Fall 2022, there are over 380 items search through. The list can be found by clicking here.
Graduate School Professional and Career Development Office
The Graduate School has launched a Professional and Career Development office for current doctoral students. Get started looking into their services and events here. Other quick links:
Clark School Career Services for Engineering Students
Find more here about:
- Finding an Internship or Job
- Meeting Employers
- Increasing Your Employability
- Getting Career Advice
- You're Hired, Now What?
