General Information
Summary of Department Forms
Most forms you need to complete are Graduate School forms. They are posted on the Graduate School website. In addition to those, the Department maintains the following forms on our graduate advising website:
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Travel Expectations
Travel should be viewed as a privilege, not an expectation. Student conduct while on University trips should always be ethical and professional. All travel for and paid by the university is required by Oregon state law to be done efficiently and cost effectively. Please take this charge seriously. Remember that you are representing the Department and PSU when traveling. When traveling on university business funded by a travel award or other PSU funds, it is important to be review and follow PSU’s travel policies on the Financial Services website.
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Badge Access Requests
Students may obtain a PSU student ID card from the ID services window in Fariborz Maseeh Hall. The first card is free; a replacement card is $21. After-hours access to the Engineering Building and EB 325 computer lab access may be requested from the Office of Student Services, Engineering Building 100.
Students who will be working regularly in laboratory spaces should ask their supervising faculty member if they should request badge access. Badge access may be requested from the CEE Department Services Coordinator at the front desk in EB 200. The Department Services Coordinator will submit a badge access request after verifying with the supervising faculty member. Access requests may take 1-3 days to process.
Badge access to classrooms, labs, and other spaces in the Engineering Building is given only to the individual student who has applied for and is given permission; sharing badges, leaving rooms unlocked or doors ajar, or otherwise allowing additional persons into the space is unacceptable and will result in a loss of privileges.
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Computer Accounts
Engineering students at PSU have two computer accounts: a “pdx” account and a “cecs” account.
PDX Account
A “pdx” or “ODIN” account is provided to all PSU students by the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Students receive information about setting up this account upon admission to the university.
The university uses the pdx email address to send important communications to students, and it is the student’s responsibility to check this email regularly. The ODIN account is also used to access a variety of resources, including Wi-Fi, myPSU, Desire2Learn, the library, and Google Apps. More information about ODIN accounts can be found on the OIT website.
CECS Account
The CECS account is an account specifically for engineering students. Students may activate this account after activating their ODIN account and registering for at least one engineering class by visiting the Computer Action Team (CAT) website. The CECS account is used to log in to computers in the Engineering Building computer labs, such as EB 325. It is also used to generate the department email list. No mailbox is provided to receive and store email sent to the cecs email address, so the email address must be forwarded to another email account. Be sure to forward your cecs email to an email address you check regularly so that you will receive notifications sent to the CEE graduate student email list. More information about cecs accounts can be found at the CAT quick reference website. The CAT office is located in FAB 82-01 (in the Fourth Avenue Building directly under the Engineering Building’s first level).
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Copy Machine Policy
The copy machine in the CEE workroom (EB 202U) is available for use by Graduate Teaching Assistants, Graduate Research Assistants, and graders. The copy machine may be used only to conduct official University business related to the classes a GTA or grader is assisting in or the research a GRA is conducting for a faculty member. Personal use is prohibited (this includes using the machine for a student’s own homework assignments).
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Leaves of Absence
A student admitted to a graduate program may petition for a leave of absence for up to one calendar year without needing to reapply to the program. Students must contact the CEE Academic Program Administrator to request a leave of absence by the beginning of the leave term. A leave of absence must be approved by the student’s adviser. If approved, the department will submit a memo to the Graduate School confirming that the student is on an approved leave of absence. A leave of absence is granted only to graduate students in good standing and does not constitute a waiver of the time limit for completion of the graduate degree at PSU (see time limits for master's students and PhD students in the Handbook).
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Petitions
Graduate students are expected to be knowledgeable about and adhere to University and departmental policies. Occasionally, there may be cases where an exception to policy is warranted due to extenuating circumstances. In these cases, a request for an exception to policy can be requested with a petition.
The most common graduate petitions are listed below. When submitting any petition, it is important to describe any extenuating circumstances and demonstrate why these circumstances warrant an exception to policy. In general, it is a good idea to carefully read the relevant policy so that you can be as specific as possible about the exception you are requesting.
Deadline Appeals Petition
The Deadline Appeals Board Petition is used to request exceptions to registration deadlines for the current term. After the relevant term is over, registration deadline exceptions may be requested through the Graduate School using a Graduate Petition (see below).
Graduate Petition
The Graduate Petition may be used to request a waiver of a University graduate academic regulation or degree requirement.
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Registration
Detailed information about registering for classes online may be found on the PSU Registration & Records website. Please note that after the initial term of enrollment, graduate students are allowed to register earlier than other students on campus. Registering as early as possible can help ensure that you are able to register for your first choice classes. A list of registration dates can be found on the academic calendar.
Waitlists
PSU runs online waitlists for full classes. The Registrar's website details the waitlist process. If you are not able to register via the waitlist before classes start, you should still attend the first day of class to see if any space opens up. If there is space available in the class, the instructor will contact the CEE Department to assist you with registration.
By Arrangement Requests
Students register for CE 501/601, 503/603, 504/604, 505/605, and 506/606 credits using the “e-By Arrangement Request” form. These forms are available online. Students should meet with the instructor of the course to agree on the content and requirements for the course and to fill out the form. By Arrangement forms typically take 2-5 days to process.
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Scholarships
Incoming and current students may apply for University and College scholarships through PSU’s Online Scholarship application. The deadline to apply for the next academic year is February 1. In addition, the Graduate School maintains a list of internal and external scholarships and awards on their website.
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Travel Expectations
Travel should be viewed as a privilege, not an expectation. Student conduct while on University trips should always be ethical and professional. All travel for and paid by the university is required by Oregon state law to be done efficiently and cost effectively. Please take this charge seriously. Remember that you are representing the Department and PSU when traveling. When traveling on university business funded by a travel award or other PSU funds, it is important to be review and follow PSU’s travel policies on the Financial Services website.
Travel Awards and Grants
Students may apply for travel awards to help fund travel to conferences or other scholarly events through the following PSU program: Marie Brown Travel Award
Travel Reimbursements
When traveling on university business funded by a travel award or other PSU funds, it is important to review and follow PSU’s travel policies. Remember to submit a Travel Authorization form before your travel, and to submit your Travel Reimbursement Request no later than 60 days after you return. These forms are electronic can be found on PSU’s Financial Services website.
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