This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2024-2025 VCU Bulletin. We may add courses that expose our students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning. We may also add content to the general education program that focuses on racial literacy and a racial literacy graduation requirement, and may receive notification of additional program approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

GRAD 601. The Academic Profession. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Restricted to graduate or professional students. Designed to introduce graduate students to the roles and responsibilities of faculty members in institutions of higher education. Through readings, discussion and conversations with faculty members from a variety of settings, students will learn about the changing social expectations for higher education, the diverse settings in which faculty work and strategies for developing and presenting marketable academic skills. Graded as pass/fail.

GRAD 602. Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Restricted to graduate or professional students. This course focuses on the art and science of teaching and learning in higher education. Graded as pass/fail.

GRAD 604. Teaching, Learning, Technology and the Future of Higher Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to contemporary technologies and the implications for instructional practices that can serve as both a foundation and a process for continued growth and development in understanding teaching and learning. Throughout the course students will explore and critically examine how the World Wide Web and emerging digital technologies are changing the landscape of learning in higher education. Class sessions will consider key instructional contexts/issues and explore the ways in which digital technology might enhance learning. Specific attention will be given to the ways in which students explore, select, use and assess the use of technology in teaching.

GRAD 605. Professional Specialty Seminar. 1-3 Hours.

Short course; 1-3 seminar hours. 1-3 credits. Prerequisites: GRAD 601 and GRAD 602. Restricted to graduate or professional students. Registration by permission of PFF Program office. Seminars will provide students with the opportunity to focus on the full range of faculty responsibilities specific to their chosen disciplines/professions in such a way that builds on the more general knowledge and skills covered in prerequisite courses. Students will be enrolled in a professional cluster section related to their academic disciplines (such as fine arts, social sciences, physical and life sciences, health sciences, etc.). Graded as pass/fail.

GRAD 606. Internship/Externship in Professional Teaching. 1-3 Hours.

Intern course; 1-3 practicum hours. 1-3 credits. Prerequisites: GRAD 601, 602, 604 or 605; and OVPR 603. Restricted to graduate or professional students. Registration by permission of the PFF Program office after proposal submission and approval. The internship in professional teaching is the capstone experience of the Preparing Future Faculty Program in which students will gain experience and practice in clinical/field or studio instruction under the tutelage of a senior faculty mentor at an institution that most likely mirrors the institution of interest to the student. A proposal agreement must be signed by the faculty mentor who will direct the project and assign the final grade and must be submitted to the PFF Program office for approval before the student enrolls or begins the internship/externship. The proposal must define the project and the intended outcomes, must specify the learning goals and the agreed-upon methods for evaluation, and must identify the institution where the project will take place. At the end of the project, the student must submit to the faculty mentor a report describing the experience and the extent to which the stated goals were accomplished. The faculty mentor will submit the student report, along with an evaluation of the project and the grade to be awarded, to the director of the PFF Program. Each internship/externship course requires approximately 150 contact hours in the form of preparing for and carrying out the project. The student's role is to be one of "junior faculty member" and the faculty member's as guide and mentor. Students must complete all three hours of GRAD 606 for the PFF Certificate of Achievement and must have made final edits and uploads of all relevant materials to their PFF electronic portfolios. Refer to PFF Program website for proposal instructions and electronic portfolio requirements: http://www.graduate.vcu.edu/programs/pff/courses.html. Graded as pass/fail.

GRAD 610. Career and Professional Development Planning for Graduate Students. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours per week for seven weeks. 1 credit. Prerequisite: graduate standing. This course is designed to assist participants as they navigate the challenges faced when making career choices in a complex global economy. Includes opportunities for self- and career-skills assessment.

GRAD 611. Professional and Personal Development. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with permission of instructor. The course will involve self-assessment and development of the student’s personal mission statement and individual development plan in consultation with faculty and alumni mentors from the student's discipline.

GRAD 612. Oral Presentation Skill-building for Career Professionals. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour.1 credit. Graduate standing required. This course focuses exclusively on developing and delivering presentations. Students are expected to create professional presentations representative of their focused research area to be delivered to a "lay" audience. Class exercises focus on audience analysis and strategic choices, theme development, argument construction, and impromptu public speaking as a means to develop confidence in speaking to an audience. Graded as S/U/F.

GRAD 614. Introduction to Grant Writing. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Enrollment requires graduate standing. This course introduces the graduate student to the grant-writing process. Topics include basic components of a grant application, writing the proposal, identifying funding sources, understanding proposal guidelines and the grant proposal review process. Graded S/U/F.

GRAD 615. Biomedical Science Careers Seminar Series. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with permission of instructor. Trainees investigate the broad spectrum of potential careers available to biomedical scientists by participating in weekly discussions, each with a scientist who has been successful in a different career path. Graded P/F.

GRAD 616. Becoming an Entrepreneur. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Enrollment requires graduate standing. This course introduces the student to the core concepts and resources of entrepreneurship. Topics include recognizing the need for innovation, how to develop a business plan, building an effective team, intellectual property, patent and trademark strategy, marketing strategy and cultivating funding sources. Graded S/U/F.

GRAD 617. Biomedical Sciences Projects in the Community. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour and 1 service-learning/laboratory hour. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrollment requires graduate standing. The community service based experiential learning project is selected to provide an integrative learning experience that addresses the practice of citizenship and promotes an awareness of and participation in public affairs. Service projects will be selected to benefit a community organization, agency, public service provider, the VCU BEST program or another unit within the university. The goal of these projects is to provide students with an opportunity to gain firsthand exposure to specific target populations/organizations, observing the needs and current efforts, if any, to address those needs. Community partners will include nonprofit agencies, schools, worksites, hospitals and state and local health departments. Approved experiential learning placements and assignments will vary depending on the specific project topic and learning objectives. Reflection, project/activity presentation and website narratives will be required for the experiential learning project.

GRAD 691. Topics in Graduate Education. 1-15 Hours.

Variable lecture hours. Variable credit. Restricted to graduate or professional students. A seminar course for the examination of specialized issues, topics, readings, problems or areas of interest for all graduate students, such as the responsible conduct of research, globalization, mentoring, service-learning and areas of interest for graduate students interested in careers within and outside of academe. This course is open to all graduate, postgraduate and professional students unless specifically restricted. Graded as P/F.

GRAD 693. Graduate Internship. 1-9 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours (60 hours per credit). 1-9 credits. Students will spend 60 to 540 hours in a planned, supervised experience with an agency or business. A summary of work duties and how internship relates to degree program along with confirmation of hours worked must be submitted. Must consult with and have approval from current degree program director for course to count in degree program. Graded as S/U/F.

GRAD 697. Directed Research. 3,6 Hours.

Semester course; 3, 6 research hours. 3, 6 credits. Prerequisite: completion of all course work in M.I.S. program's individualized course of study concentration and approval of final research project proposal and degree candidacy. Restricted to graduate or professional students. Registration by permission of M.I.S. graduate program director. A final directed research study for the M.I.S. capstone project culminating in a synthesis of the academic focus areas of the student's M.I.S. curriculum plan. Students must receive a grade of A or B. A maximum of 6 credits applicable to the M.I.S. degree.