COVID-19 Information for Our Students
Message from the GRS Office
The health, safety, and security of our graduate students are paramount. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is working to ensure that you have the support and information you need at this challenging time. Below please find important information regarding the impact of COVID-19 for our graduate students, including a guide to university policy and a list of resources.
As public health guidance continues to evolve rapidly, our office will continue to provide the latest information and support services here as quickly as possible. For the most comprehensive coverage please visit the BU COVID-19 site. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Please reach out to grs@bu.edu or by phone at 617-353-2696 for assistance, or contact individual staff by email or their direct phone extensions.
Our recovery planning is focused on the fall semester, and the resumption of our on-campus, in-person programs in late August. We are planning accordingly and will incorporate the best public health practices into those plans so that members of the BU community will feel comfortable and safe on campus upon their return for the fall semester. If for some reason public health authorities do not allow universities to re-open their residential campuses at that time, our planning will explore other alternatives, including the possibility of restarting later in the year.
Back2BU
As the University prepares to resume on campus instruction and research we hope to provide you with support during this transition.
The Back2BU Guide for Graduate and Professional Students is a comprehensive guide to returning to campus, including health and safety protocols, accessibility of on campus facilities, and updates on the city of Boston. We encourage all of our students to become familiar with this guide prior to returning to our campus in the fall.
Teaching
Serving as a Teaching Fellow in the Learn from Anywhere format will likely look different than teaching experiences you have had in the past. GRS, in partnership with colleagues across the University are working to provide you with information about these changes to ensure you have a smooth transition into the LfA format.
The Center for Teaching and Learning
To help faculty and TFs during the transition to remote teaching and the Learn from Anywhere framework being adopted for fall 2020, CTL has compiled a number of resources available on their website including guides for remote teaching in STEM, Teaching remotely for Accessibility, Equity, & Inclusion, and many more. A comprehensive list of these guides can be found here: http://www.bu.edu/ctl/continuity-of-teaching-resources/
Office of Digital Learning & Innovation
The Office of Digital Learning & Innovation has partnered with the Center for Teaching and Learning to offer regular Lightning Talks which bring together faculty and teaching fellows in discussions of how to best adapt to the LfA framework. These talks can be attended synchronously when scheduled, or you can view their past recordings.
Additionally, DL&I have created a robust set of Faculty Resources for LfA. While these are designed for faculty you will likely find valuable resources here including tours of mock classrooms, technology, and pedagogy resources.
Research
On Campus Research
The BU Campus has begun a phased return to on-campus research. The Research Recovery Toolkit will provide details about this phased approach.
University-Sponsored Travel
The Policy Regarding Fall 2020 University-Sponsored Travel prohibits University-sponsored domestic and international travel for graduate students for the fall semester unless exempted by your Dean. To apply for an exception to this policy, please complete the form below. Students whose international travel requests are approved by the Dean will need to participate in a petition process through the University’s Global Travel Risk Assessment Committee (GTRAC). Please find additional information about this process here.
Financial Matters
Information regarding your fellowship, cost of attendance, and additional options for funding can be found here.
Health & Wellness Resources
Graduation
President Brown recently notified the campus community that, given public safety concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, Boston University’s commencement events will be postponed until late August or early Fall. In line with this announcement, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences will also be postponing its PhD Hooding Ceremony. Updated information about this event and related items such as diplomas and regalia can be found on the PhD Hooding Ceremony 2020 site.
Following University policy, all dissertation defenses can continue to be held remotely. Please collaborate with your defense committee to find an appropriate solution.
All final approval pages for dissertations should be submitted electronically as a PDF to grsrec@bu.edu. Digital signatures are acceptable using tools such as Adobe Reader.
The Graduate School, Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Records, Student Services
Admissions inquiries
Financial aid inquiries
Records Office inquiries
Graduate Services inquires
Malika Jeffries-EL, Associate Dean of the Graduate School