WCU Graduate School

Meet Ray Carroll! Ray is a graduate student in the online Business Administration MBA program and he works professionally full-time in disaster operations. He also attended WCU for his undergraduate program in Emergency and Disaster Management. Fun facts about Ray? His previous experience includes work with AmeriCorps and serving multiple years as a firefighter and 911 telecommunicator. Join him for a day in the life as a grad student at WCU that he documented earlier this semester!

The MBA program, and all of our online programs, will be featured in our next virtual info session on October 8. Join Ray and our other student ambassadors to hear about their experience with the graduate school and meet with program faculty.

Are you presenting at a professional conference? Just a few weeks left to complete your application for a GSA-sponsored travel award this semester! To be eligible for consideration, you must be enrolled at WCU as a graduate student in good academic standing at the time of the application and travel. Students are only eligible for one travel award per academic year (1 June - 31 May).

The October 20 deadline applies for any travel completed from June 1st through December 31st this year.

More details and your unique application link were sent to your Catamount email on September 21st.

https://www.wcu.edu/apply/graduate-school/students/GSA/graduate-student-research-travel-award.aspx

Photo: English MA student Katherine Nagy (previous Graduate Ambassador and previous recipient of the GSA travel award) presenting a portion of her thesis project.

The submission window for our Fall 2026 3MT competition is open! Graduate students can showcase any research related to a thesis, disquisition, project, creative endeavor, or business plan. The first place winner will receive a tuition award and cash award sponsored by the Graduate Student Association, and will represent WCU at the regional 3MT competition in Arlington, VA in February!

Timeline:
October 21: Deadline to Register and Submit Slide & Recorded Presentation
October 28: Finalists Notified
November 9: People's Choice Voting Opens
November 12: Competition Watch Party & Winner Announcements

Scroll back on our feed for posts related to last year's winner, Kristina Gray (Chemistry M.S.), and her trip to the finals of the regional 3MT! You can register and watch last year's WCU finalists for inspiration via: https://www.wcu.edu/apply/graduate-school/students/3-minute-thesis.aspx

Today we recognize and celebrate our Technical Support Analyst and CRM Developer, Don Strickland, who is retiring after over 14 years working at WCU and on the Graduate School team!

Don has supported all things technical in the department, provided leadership and expertise as we implemented Slate from Technolutions as our CRM during his tenure, worked with all of our programs and faculty diligently to create customized application experiences, and has always been a foundation of knowledge for the rest of the team. We will miss his kindness, project management skills, and his ever present color-coded checklist.

Don, Whee are all so grateful and are wishing you all the very best in your next chapter!

Looking for something a little spooky to welcome October? Join the English program at City Lights in Sylva on Thursday, October 1 as they host author Andrew Clark. The conversation will be hosted by the English MA graduate program director, Dr. Emily Naser-Hall, and will also highlight select readings from undergraduate and graduate English students.

https://www.thesylvaherald.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_a1c0cfa1-5684-4945-99a2-a146a84581aa.html

Appalachian horror tale at City Lights Andrew Clark will visit City Lights at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 to share his new novel, Hollow Folk, in conversation with Emily Naser-Hall.

Our next virtual information session for our online (distance) programs is Thursday, October 8 at 5 p.m. Join us to hear more about the graduate school and engage with faculty in program-specific breakout rooms. Our graduate ambassadors (current students) will also be available for a Q&A segment. We hope to see you there!

Programs represented include:

Certificate: Applied Business Fundamentals, Culturally Based Native Health; Entrepreneurship, Innovation Leadership; Interprofessional Autism; Literacy Education; Nurse Educator (post-master's certificate); Project Management; Psychiatric Mental Health (post-master's certificate); Public School Leadership; School Social Work (Licensure); Special Education; STEM Education; TESOL

Master’s: Accountancy - M.Acc.; Business Administration - M.B.A.; Comprehensive Education - M.A.Ed.; Comprehensive Education - M.A.T.; Construction Management - M.C.M.; Entrepreneurship - M.E.; Health Sciences - M.H.S.; Human Resources - M.S.; Nurse Educator - M.S.(N.); Nurse Leadership - M.S.(N.); Nutrition - M.H.S.; Project Management - M.P.M.; School Administration - M.S.A.; Sport Management - M.S.

Doctorate: Nursing Practice - D.N.P.; Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - D.N.P.

Join the Graduate Student Association (GSA) on Friday for the first open forum of the semester! Meet with other graduate students via Microsoft Teams to discuss topics that will shape your campus experience. Forum is open to all current WCU graduate students - residential and online - and the access link is in Engage or via your Catamount email.

Officially welcoming Fall to campus! Can't believe we're already in week six of the semester though - the season finally caught up!

All this week WCU is celebrating the annual Mountain Heritage Days! Events are scheduled every day and include the opening of a new Mountain Heritage Center exhibit (Monday), live craft demonstrations at the Catafount (Wednesday), the Rooted in the Mountains conference (Thursday-Friday), Pickin' in the Park concert (Friday), and a full festival day on campus featuring a 5K, numerous talented musicians and performers, craft and food vendors, and much more (Saturday)!

View the full details and schedule here: https://www.wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-days/index.aspx

Finalizing your application for the Physical Therapy DPT program or looking ahead to next year's cycle? Join the DPT program for a virtual info session on Zoom to hear from faculty and current students, tour their lab spaces in Cullowhee and Asheville, and have the chance to ask your program and PTCAS application questions. The last session before their upcoming October 1 deadline will be Wednesday, September 23 at 5:15 p.m. They also have a session scheduled for October 28. If interested, email their info session coordinator Dante via [email protected]