The Office of Academic and Career Advising is here to help graduate students navigate academic and administrative procedures related to registration, degree requirements, degree certification, and everything else.
Below are opportunities for support and funding as well as helpful resources. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.
Support and Funding Opportunities
VPA considers graduate student research an integral part of the student experience. Grants are awarded to encourage students to pursue creative opportunities, whether they are exhibitions, conferences, performances, or other professional events.
VPA Graduate Student Memorial Scholarships and Fellowships
The College of Visual and Performing Arts offers small financial awards to outstanding and deserving graduate students in music, art, transmedia, design, and communication and rhetorical studies who may need financial assistance to engage in programs, activities, and residencies that can move them forward in their disciplines. Graduate students applying for the financial award must submit a letter of support from their program coordinators. Additionally, if they are requesting travel funds to present their work at a conference, they will have to demonstrate that they have applied for funds with the Graduate Student Organization at Syracuse University. All applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee within 30 days after submission. Apply for a VPA Graduate Student Memorial Scholarship and Fellowship.
Graduate Student Organization Travel Grant
Syracuse University’s Graduate Student Organization (GSO) provides a travel grant for students traveling for academic and professional conferences. Grant funds are intended to defray the cost of travel for students presenting original work at conferences, exhibitions, performances, and other opportunities. There are multiple deadlines throughout the year; visit the GSO website for more details.
Scholarships and Financial Awards
If you are looking for teaching assistantships, hourly assistantships, or employment opportunities, please contact your advisor and/or program coordinator. Many of those awards are distributed by departments and programs, so you should always begin those conversations there.
Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Week
Each year, approximately eight graduate students in VPA’s M.F.A. programs are selected to participate in the Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Week, also known as Art in LA. Held during spring break, the program provides students with the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for little to no cost. In order to apply for consideration, students must complete a statement of interest. They must also have a faculty member submit a nomination form. Deadline to submit is November 13. Art in LA Application [PDF 3264KB]
Turner Semester
An outgrowth of the Ginsburg-Klaus Art in Los Angeles Week, the Turner Semester is a residency program for a small cohort of M.F.A. degree students in VPA. The program allows the students to experience the arts of the West Coast and to live and work in San Pedro (the Los Angeles Harbor area). Call 315.443.2517 or email for more information.
Resources
In addition to the resources below, the faculty and staff in your program have answers to many of your program-specific questions. Your faculty advisors will also be indispensable resources for you.
Handbooks
Some graduate programs have department-specific handbooks as well, including the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies and the Setnor School of Music.
Academic Forms
Program of Study Form — this form must be filled out during your final semester in order for you to graduate.
Internal Admission Form — this form is used to apply to another graduate program at Syracuse University, to be completed concurrently or consecutively. Instructions and a link to the form can be found on our Internal Applicants page.
Petition to Faculty Form — this form is used to transfer credits, petition a course to count toward your degree, or to withdraw from a course.
Independent Study Form — this form is used to propose an independent study course. The form will be filled out in conjunction with the faculty member you will work with throughout the semester.