Academic Resources

CAS Graduate Student and Faculty Mentoring Compact

The College of Agricultural Sciences is committed to the success and well-being of students in our graduate programs.  Effective mentoring, open communication, and ethical professional conduct are essential to this goal. The mentoring guidelines below articulate shared expectations and responsibilities among graduate students, faculty mentors, and academic programs. We encourage the use of these guidelines for all graduate students and faculty within the College of Agricultural Sciences. 

CAS College-level Compact

Dates and Deadlines

• Academic Calendars
• Graduate School Important Deadlines
• Thesis, Dissertation, Performance and Oral Presentation Calendar
• Graduate School Commencement

Policies

• Academic Integrity: Students are responsible for understanding academic integrity (Faculty Senate Policy 49-20), how to avoid academic misconduct, and academic dishonesty whether related to coursework or program requirements such as the qualifying or comprehensive exam, thesis/dissertation or publications and conference presentations. There are procedures for reporting and reviewing cases of reported violations. Graduate students are expected to meet Penn state Professional Ethics standards (Policy AC47).
• College-level policies and guidelines:
  • USDA NIFA Pre-doctoral Eligibility guidelines
  • Summer Tuition Assistance Program (STAP) Funding guidelines
  • Graduate Student Advisory Committee guidelines
• The Graduate School Academic and Administrative Policies that are enacted by the Graduate Council.
• Other university policies that most directly pertain the graduate students at Penn State.

Funding Opportunities

College-level Opportunities

• Graduate Student Awards: Seven competitive awards established to recognize graduate students advised by College of Agricultural Sciences faculty.
• Graduate Student Competitive Grant Program: Provides graduate students the opportunity to prepare a grant proposal along with a budget to support their masters or doctoral research.
• Travel Awards
• Recruiting Fellowships and Scholarships
• Tag Along Fund Program:Support college faculty who are working on international activities and are willing to bring other college faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, staff and extension personnel with them to research sites or teaching or extension locations overseas.
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation

University-wide Opportunities

• The Graduate School Student Recognition Awards
• Penn State Global Awards
• Penn State Global Graduate Student Travel Grants