Welcome!
Congratulations on taking the next step in your academic and professional life! The Graduate School wants you to have a successful graduate experience and will help you with advising and enrollment, professional development, and, when the time comes, graduation. If you have not already, please review our guide for new students and get in touch with your graduate program director.
New graduate students need to complete Community of Care prevention and participate in First Semester Graduate Experience. See details below.
First Semester Graduate Experience
First Semester Graduate Experience gives you the tools to make the most of your graduate education, including essential information about community responsibilities, research and writing, funding, and support services. This offering is entirely online and a blend of asynchronous and synchronous programming. Incoming graduate students are required to participate.*
Required participants will be able to access the course through blackboard without prior registration. Email gradpd@utep.edu to report problems or request access.
*Students should contact their advisor about program-specific requirements.
Student Life
The UTEP Division of Student Affairs not only helps our students excel in the classroom, but also prepares students for a lifetime of success and accomplishment. In addition to overseeing The Center for Accommodations and Support Services, International Programs, and Residence Life, Student Affairs offers a variety of other services and opportunities to get involved in campus life. To learn more about these services, you may visit http://sa.utep.edu/.
The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) advocates for graduate students and organizes community building activities. Follow GSA on Facebook, and make plans to attend their welcome event.
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GSA Back to School Welcome |
El Paso, Texas
LOCATION
The University of Texas at El Paso is located on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, a city of about 650,000 people. Ciudad Juárez, El Paso's sister city across the Rio Grande in Mexico, has a population of over 1,500,000. El Paso is located at the westernmost tip of Texas, at the southern end of the Rocky Mountains, and is as close to San Diego, California as it is to Houston, Texas. Like Denver and Albuquerque, El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone.
CLIMATE
El Paso's high desert location (approximately 4,000 ft. above sea level) provides an excellent climate, with abundant sunshine year round. Mountain ranges reaching to more than 9,000 ft., with beautiful pine and spruce forests, are only two hours away by car. Many people have described the weather in El Paso as perfect. The average rain fall for El Paso is 8.81 inches a year. The temperature in El Paso ranges from a low of 58 in December to a high of 96 in June, with an average for the year of 64.6° F (www.usclimatedata.com).
RECREATION
The El Paso region provides a wide range of recreational opportunities. White Sands National Monument, the Gila Wilderness, Hueco Tanks, the Guadalupe Mountains, and Carlsbad Caverns are all an easy day-trip distance from El Paso. The nearby mountains offer winter sports including cross-country and downhill skiing. El Paso has movie theaters, three shopping malls, an amusement park, a zoo, and over 20 museums and galleries. There is also an award-winning minor league baseball team, the El Paso Chihuahuas, and our sister city hosts a professional soccer team, the FC Juarez Bravos.
There is also a racetrack and casino in nearby Sunland Park, New Mexico, and a water park in Anthony, Texas, all just a few minutes from El Paso. Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, also has numerous tourist attractions and shopping centers, which include a motor speedway and a water park.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
El Paso has four school districts. The school district that oversees the area near UTEP is the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) This district has 57 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, and 13 high schools. Other schools districts in the El Paso region include Ysleta Independent School District ( YISD ), Clint Independent School District ( CISD ), and Socorro Independent School District ( SISD ).
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
Community of Care
As a new graduate student, you need to complete a variety of compliance trainings. Once you have configured your UTEP credentials, visit communityofcare.utep.edu to get started.
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Available now – complete prior to course registration Part 1 takes approximately 20 minutes and contains seven short videos with quizzes. You must complete all quizzes with a grade of 100%. |
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Available soon Part 2 takes approximately 45 minutes and addresses Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Prevention. |
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Available 24 hours after completion of Part 2 Part 3 takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. |
Important note: Depending on your program and role, you may also need to complete other required trainings. These may include IRB, IACUC, lab safety, and/or institutional compliance. Your graduate program may also have other onboarding or continuing education requirements. Check your email regularly and talk with your mentor(s).
Click here to access this information as a .pdf
Click here to access the Community of Care portal
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The Graduate School reminds you to take care of yourself, get help when you need it, and be intentional about your professional development. |
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