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Academic Services

Vanderbilt University provides a variety of services to help graduate students reach their academic goals. 

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) assists students in their program and serves as a liaison between the program and the Graduate School. If you have questions pertaining to your program, your DGS or education coordinator can help you.

Jean and Alexander Heard Library offers a variety of services and materials. Connect with a subject specialist to guide you through research; find a space to study on your own or with a group; locate books, articles, laptops, and iPads to support your academic experience and learn about author; and learn about your rights as an author and how to retain copyright when publishing with academic journals and presses.

The Writing Studio provides free and confidential writing assistance to undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty at Vanderbilt University.  Graduate students working on dissertations and longer projects may request extended appointments by emailing writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu. Post-docs and faculty who wish to meet with another faculty member or an advanced graduate student may schedule one appointment per week by emailing writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.

The Center for Teaching (CFT) offers a variety of programs and services to meet the needs of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows entering the teaching ranks, as well as for those looking ahead to future faculty teaching roles. Services include Teaching Assistant Orientation, teaching workshops, teaching observations, the Certificate in College Teaching, teaching fellowships and mentorship guides. 

English Language Center (ELC) provides English-language support for individuals who have a first language other than English. Services include courses in academic writing, academic speaking and pronunciation; writing and speaking consultations; writing and teaching workshops; and spouse/partner support. 

Graduate Student Honor Council  preserves and perpetuate a feeling of mutual trust between each student and the members of the faculty. Every student is honor bound not to present as his/her own, the work of another student. Faculty members, in turn, do not question the integrity of the students.