• Tuesday, March 31, 2026 was the deadline for graduate students—aiming to graduate in Spring 2026 and who are in a program that requires a thesis or dissertation (T/D) or chose that option—and their committee chairs to submit the graduate students’ T/D and accessibility report(s) as part of the Preliminary Approval Kuali form process.

• Students who missed the deadline should discuss their revised degree completion timeline with their supervisory committee chair. Please see the webpages Theses and Dissertations and Submitting your Thesis or Dissertation for Review for more information, including deadlines, the T-D Format Guide, and formatting guidance workshop material slides and recordings.

• Upcoming T/D Deadlines for Graduate Students and Their Committees:

1. Deadline for completing T/D defenses: Friday, May 01, 2026
2. Deadline submit final T/D for final format review with committee submitted T/D forms to SGS: Monday, May 11, 2026
   1. Preference is committees and students submit final forms with T/D within 2-3 weeks after the defense. The May 11^th deadline must be met.

The Art and Science of Effective Seminar Presentations

Are you about to present your research at your first seminar or conference?

Have you been asked to give a presentation as part of a job interview?

Have you presented your work previously but would like to learn strategies for making your presentation more engaging and memorable?

Join Curator’s Distinguished Professor Simon Friedman from the UMKC School of Pharmacy on April 14 at 5:00 p.m. in Student Union 402 for this timely SGS-sponsored session on the art and science of giving effective presentations. 

Please RSVP at umkcsgs@umkc.edu. 

The School of Graduate Studies offers travel grants to help defray travel costs for the purpose of presenting original research papers or equivalent work in the creative arts at professional meetings, workshops, festivals or exhibits. Such presentations may be volunteered or invited and may be podium or poster presentations.

Amount of award

• In order to assist as many graduate students as possible, the maximum SGS travel grant is $400.
• Grants are for in-person conferences only.
• Matching funds from the student’s academic unit or program are encouraged but not required. 

How to apply

• Only one request per student will be considered per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).
• Proof of acceptance of your presentation is required.

All materials must be received at umkcsgs@umkc.edu by the specified due date.

Applications were due by March 9th for events happening in April, May, and June.

Students who received late notification (after March 9th) of acceptance for presentations in April, May, and June may now submit an application for review, for retroactive funding consideration - these applications are due by May 1st.

NOTE: There are typically many more applications than funds available, so funding is not guaranteed for every qualified applicant.

Applications will open in early May for events happening in July, August, and September - this application deadline will be June 1st.

The GWI will be hosting two additional T/D Format and Accessibility Support opportunities leading up to the SGS final review submission deadline May 11. 

Open House hours in the Writing Studio (MNL 446); light refreshments provided.

Drop into our Open House hours with a laptop to work on document format and accessibility in Word or Adobe Pro with a member of the GWI team. Help the GWI team prepare by selecting the day(s) you plan to come to Open House hours.

• • Mon, April 20, 10am-2pm
  • Tues, April 21, 12pm-4pm
  • Tues April 28, 12pm-4pm
  • Mon, May 4, 12pm-4pm
  • Tues, May 5, 10am-2pm

Hands-On Workshops April 27 and May 1 at 11am-1pm in MNL 421; refreshments provided.

This hands-on workshop will include a real-time demonstration of how to check your format compliance and apply required accessibility features when using the TD Template for your thesis or dissertation in Word.

View the GWI TD Format and Accessibility Support form for more details and help the GWI prepare the right amount of refreshments and the right kind of assistance.

Thesis and dissertation writers may schedule individual appointments with GWI GTAs, Angel W and Sarah F, for format and accessibility support or any other writing goals on RooLearning+ at umkc.tedu.app/student.

All thesis and dissertation writers are strongly encouraged to access Dr. Sarah Beach's excellent workshop videos, official formatting guidance, and accessibility resources, available any time on the SGS Theses and Dissertations webpage. 

We've (re)launched the GWI's weekly virtual writing groups! 

• The Monday accountability group meets weekly from 6-7 pm, hosted by GWI GTA Angel Williams via RooLearning+. Meet with other graduate students to set goals together, discuss the process of writing, and hold each other accountable for meeting goals. Join when you are able (consistent attendance not required).

• The Wednesday working group meets weekly from 6-8 pm, hosted by GWI GTA Sarah Feldmann via RooLearning+. Meet with other graduate students to write together for two hours. This is a way to carve out writing time along with your fellow graduate writers. Join when you are able (consistent attendance not required).

Accessing GWI Writing Group sessions

How to Sign up for a GWI Writing Group session in advance:

• Log into RooLearning+ with your SSO credentials.
• Double check that “Writing Studio” is selected in the Support Centers list in the bottom left corner of the calendar display.
• Click on the tile for the GWI Writing Group session that you would like to attend to open the session information panel.
• Click the “Subscribe” button in the session information panel that appears on the right side of the calendar display. 

How to Join a GWI Writing Group session anytime throughout the duration of the session:

• Log into RooLearning+ with your SSO credentials on the scheduled day and time of the session.
• Click on the tile for the GWI Writing Group session to open the session information panel on the right side of the calendar display.
• Click the “Join the session” button in the session information panel.
• Confirm your device’s microphone and video permissions for the virtual session and click “Join.”

 GWI for the Academic and Academic-Aligned Job Market: New Module! 

The academic and academic-aligned job market season is in full swing, as is graduate and post-doc application season. To support your academic and professional goals at and beyond UMKC, the GWI has added a new Academic and Academic-Aligned Job MarketCanvas module.

We will continue adding resources to this and other GWI modules for application documents, Writing Teaching Philosophies and Writing Personal Statements. Send your suggestions for the application documents you would like to see resources for and/or share resources you found helpful via email to Annie at Annie.Lowe@umkc.edu!

As always, you can book an individual consultation for your application documents with a GWI team member (Annie, Angel, and Sarah) on RooLearning+!

UMKC Central can help students tackle financial and enrollment barriers!  As the one stop service center on campus, the team at UMKC Central can help with questions and concerns related to financial aid, scholarships, billing, enrollment, and records.

The office is located on the 1^st floor of the Administrative Center, room 120, and does accept walk-ins.  Students can schedule an in-person or virtual appointment through the UMKC Central Service Page in UMKC Connect.

Students are also welcome to call 816-235-6000 or email umkccentral@umkc.edu.

Office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm, except Wednesday, 9:00am – 4:30pm.

Looking for assistance with your resume or job search? Career Services is here to help! Visit umkc.joinhandshake.com to schedule your appointment.

You have access to many campus resources, such as the CARE team, Campus Recreation, Financial Aid, Career Services, University Libraries, and more. More information is available online.