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[F]requently [A]sked [Q]uestions for Current Students
GSSP:
- What is the GSSP?
The GSSP (Graduate Student Support Plan) is a highly competitive support package used to attract top graduate
students to NC State. Under this plan, students supported on a teaching, research, or extension assistantship or
a fellowship with an annualized rate of at least $8,000 who meet the minimum registration requirements, receive
(at no cost to the student) health insurance and (for a limited number of semesters) fall and spring semester
tuition.
Requirements/Benefits at a Glance
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- How do I enroll with the GSSP?
You will automatically be enrolled in the health insurance plan if you meet the minimum requirements shown
on the Requirements/Benefits at a Glance chart above. Upon automatic enrollment, the insurance company will
mail the student a membership card and information on benefits, filing claims and enrolling dependents. The
student must pay the cost of dependent coverage. Some students may decline enrollment in the insurance offered
under the GSSP by sending a letter to the Student Financial Support Services Manager in the Graduate School.
The letter must state that the student has comparable coverage from another source (i.e. under a spouse's policy)
and therefore wish to decline coverage. The graduate student must sign this letter (Note: International students
may not decline enrollment in this plan).
Online resources:
The GSSP Website
Insurance Company (Hill, Chesson and Woody) Website
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- What are the GSSP requirements and benefits in detail?
If you meet the following requirements, you are automatically enrolled in the GSSP
You must register by 5pm on census date each fall or spring semester for no fewer than the minimum credit hours
indicated by the "Requirements/Benefits at a Glance" chart. Census date is the 10th day of classes
each fall or spring semester. This date is publicized well in advance on the GSSP web site and Graduate School
web site calendar. It is also the last day to register for, add, or drop a course, or to change from credit to
audit with a tuition adjustment.
Notes Regarding Registration:
- Credit hours attributed to audited classes do not count toward minimum semester credit-hour requirements
for the GSSP. Tuition charges related to audited courses are not reimbursed by the GSSP.
- Credit hours attributed to distance education courses do count toward the minimum registration requirement
but GSSP will not pay for more than the on-campus rate for the total hours registered.
- Summer registration is not required for GSSP. However, unregistered students are required to pay a special
fee to use the Student Health Center. GSSP tuition benefits are available for the spring and fall semesters
only. Summer session tuition is NOT covered.
**Students eligible for tuition under GSSP will need to complete the online notice of sponsorship form,
indicating GSSP as their sponsor.**
Please note that the tuition benefits apply only to tuition charges and NOT student fees. Students must pay
required fees unless the source of your stipend provides funds specifically earmarked to pay this cost. Such
special arrangements will be handled outside the GSSP through the department.
Stipend Level Requirement: You must have an official graduate research, extension, and/or teaching
assistantship or primary fellowship that provides a minimum stipend of $8,000 annualized. The stipend must be paid
through the university payroll system.
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- What are the tuition support limits?
To receive tuition benefits, you must have been enrolled as a graduate student for no more than the maximum
allowed number of semesters from initial graduate enrollment to the current semester according to the "Requirements/Benefits
at a Glance" chart. Initial enrollment refers to initial enrollment in Graduate School at N.C. State and includes
those who go from a Master's degree to a Ph.D. Tuition support for those taking distance education courses is
limited to the on-campus rate for the total hours registered.
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- What do I do with my tuition bill if I am no longer supported by the GSSP?
If you have passed the tuition support limit, are not eligible for an exception or your exception request was denied,
you will need to have your PI fill out and submit a GA1 form.
The GA1 form can be found on the Cashier's Office website.
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- Where can I find the Notice of Sponsorship form and how should I fill it out?
The Notice of Sponsorship form can be
found on the Cashier's Office website. You should indicate GSSP as the third party. For the third party sponsor
contact information:
For "amount", you should enter the on-campus tuition rate for the total hours registered and indicate that your
sponsor will pay for tuition only.
If you have more than one sponsor, you will need to complete a form for each sponsor. For example, if your tuition
will be covered by the GSSP and your fees will be covered by the department, you should fill out two forms.
All students must send payment of their fees and any previous outstanding balance by the deadline indicated.
Failure to do this could result in the student's schedule being canceled.
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Other Financials:
- What should I do when my student account is showing a balance which I thought the GSSP
was supposed to cover?
The GSSP payments can take several weeks to process. Students should contact the Cashier's Office: Student
Accounts/Billing for details on why the payment has not been made.
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- I received notification that my insurance coverage has been dropped or is about to be
dropped - what do I need to do to be covered again?
Students need to be supported by RA, TA or Fellowship and be registered for the respective semester in order to
receive health coverage. If you meet both of these criteria and have received the notice that your insurance is
being dropped, contact the DGP Office and speak with the DGP Assistant.
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Plans of Work:
- What is my plan of work?
[A] Plans of Work for Master's Students:
Master's students are required to complete a conditional Plan of Work (POW) in consultation with their advisor/advisory
committee by the time they have completed half of the credits required for the degree.
The final POW submitted to the Graduate School must be approved by two parties: 1) members of the advisory committee for
programs with a required thesis, or the major professor for Option B students 2) the Director of the Graduate Program (DGP).
The approved POW must be submitted electronically by the DGP to the Graduate School.
The latest that the final POW may be submitted to the Graduate School is when a student submits the Request for a Permit to
Schedule the Master's Oral Examination or Request for Option B Graduation Checkout. Under certain circumstances, the Graduate
School may request a POW earlier. If there is anything unusual about the POW that makes its timely approval doubtful, the DGP
is strongly advised to submit it as early as possible.
The Master's POW should include a minimum of 30 hours and an advisory committee with at least one faculty member. If the
student has not yet joined a research group, they should list the DGP as their committee. The coursework can be made up of
relevant courses that have already been taken or that will be taken in the future, this includes MS research hours (i.e. PY
695) and MS seminar (PY 601).
Click here for the Master's degree plan of work form[PDF]
[B] Plans of Work for Doctoral Students
Doctoral students are required to complete a Plan of Work (POW) in consultation with their advisory committee by the time
they complete 18 hours of coursework. The final POW must be submitted to the Graduate School as early as reasonably possible,
but at the latest when the student submits the Request to Schedule Oral Preliminary Examination. The final POW must be
approved by members of the advisory committee and the Director of the Graduate Program (DGP).
The latest that the final POW may be submitted to the Graduate School is when a student submits the Request to Schedule Oral
Prelim/Final. Under certain circumstances, the Graduate School may request a POW earlier. If there is anything unusual about
the POW that makes its timely approval doubtful, the DGP is strongly advised to submit it as early as possible.
The Doctoral POW should include a minimum of 72 hours and an advisory committee with at least four faculty members. The coursework
can be made up of relevant courses that have already been taken or that will be taken in the future, this includes PhD research
hours (i.e. PY 893, 895, etc.) and PhD seminar (PY 801). The graduate school requires that there be one advisory committee member
that is outside of the department. It is not required that the student assign this member; if the student does not appoint an
advisory committee member from outside the department, the graduate school will appoint one for him or her.
Examples:
If you list all FOUR advisory committee members from the Physics Department, then the graduate school will appoint a fifth
committee member from another department.
If you list THREE advisory committee members from the Physics Department and one from Nuclear Engineering as your Minor Rep,
the graduate school will NOT need to appoint another committee member.
When the DGP electronically submits a POW to the Graduate School, the Graduate School Records Unit will evaluate it and inform
the program whether or not the POW meets all Graduate School degree requirements. The Graduate School will withhold approval of
any doctoral student's POW or Request to Schedule Oral Examination until all documents necessary to complete that student's
permanent file are received. If any materials are missing, the POW will be denied with the reason for the denial communicated to
the DGP. Typical missing items include transcripts for post-secondary work still undertaken at the time the applicant was admitted
to the graduate program.
Click here for the Ph.D's degree plan of work form[PDF]
[C] Contents of Plans of Graduate Work
Whether optional or as part of the degree requirement, the POW must:
- Include both a list of the course work to be undertaken (in all programs) and the thesis or dissertation topic
(except in non-thesis Master's programs);
- Be developed by the student and his/her advisory committee; information on advisory committees can be found
through the following link (http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/handbook/sections/3.2-advisory-committees.html);
- Be approved by the committee and the DGP or Department Head prior to submission to the Graduate School for final
approval; and
- Be submitted (optional) prior to completion of one-half the total Master's program, or (mandatory) upon completion
of 12 hours of a doctoral program.
[D] Creating and Revising a Plan of Work
The POW must contain accurate information about any transfer credits to be used for the degree. Any request to include transfer
credit should be submitted to the Graduate School prior to the start of the student's graduate program or no later than before
the end of the first semester. In addition, should there be any anticipated exceptions to registration policies that could affect
the POW, the student must inform the DGP and Graduate School of these prior to the start of the graduate program, or no later than
before the end of the first semester.
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Option B Check-out:
- How do I complete an Option B Graduation Checkout?
First, contact the DGP Office to set-up a meeting with the DGP for approval. Once your Option B Checkout is "OK-ed" by the
DGP, you will need to fill out the following forms:
A hard copy of the completed forms are to be handed in to the DGP Office for signature before they are forwarded to the graduate
school for final approval by the Dean.
At this time, you should log into MyPack Portal and apply online for graduation in the respective semester. If you wish to
receive your MS-B during the summer, remember to apply for SECOND Summer Session - there is NOT a graduation for first summer
session.
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- What are the components of an Option B Graduation Checkout?
- A comprehensive oral exam is not required
- A thesis is not required
- Departmental research credit hours will not be included as part of the course work
- No more than six hours of independent study credits can be included in the 30-hour minimum
- Individual departments define other requirements for their Option B program, such as additional course work or final projects
- Option B Master's degree programs may not carry an officially designated minor
- Students have a single assigned advisor rather than an advisory committee
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Scheduling Exams:
- What is the process to schedule an oral preliminary examination?
To schedule a preliminary exam, you should first check with ALL of your committee members and decide on a date and
time that they all can meet for the exam. If all committee members are not available for the chosen date, a substitute
or replacement member needs to be appointed, in which case you will need to fill out the
the Graduate school's Committee modification form
Once a time and date is decided upon, please officially reserve a room through the appropriate building liaison.
Fill out a schedule request form and hand in
to DGP office for signature. After this form has been approved by the DGP, it is sent to the graduate school for final approval.
Please keep in mind that the form is to be in the graduate school for approval at least TWO WEEKS prior to schedule
request date.
Upon completion of the defense, either the student or one of the committee members needs to deliver the signed papers to the graduate
secretary. A diploma order request card (http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/faculty-and-staff/docs/forms/DOR.pdf) should be filled out by the
student and handed in with the other papers as well.
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Advising/Registration:
- How often do I meet with the DGP?
Students who have not yet taken their prelim are required to meet with the DGP each semester during the allotted time for advising.
An advising hold is placed by the university on every student; this hold will be released once the student has met with DGP for advising.
Once a student successfully completes their oral prelim, they may drop back to only meeting with the DGP for advising once per year.
Students may also drop their registration down to 3 hours/semester once the prelim is completed successfully. The advising hold can
now be released by any member of the student's advisory committee.
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- I have already met with the DGP for advising and there is still a hold on my account, how do I get the
hold lifted?
You should first check online or with the Cashier's Office that there are not any outstanding balances with the university
(tuition/fees not paid yet, etc.). If there is a balance, take care of that and then contact the DGP Office. If there is no
balance to begin with, contact the DGP Office.
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- Are there any other online resources?
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Physics Department Graduate Programs Office
py-grad-program@ncsu.edu
204 Riddick Hall
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
Phone 919-515-8706, fax: 919-515-3099
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