Dear New CCT Student,
Congratulations on admission (or transfer) to the CCT M.A. (or Graduate Certificate) program!
Please refer to the following items to get a handle on next steps (including some items that you should review before you commit to joining the program).
If you have any questions, for the time being I will serve as your general advisor.
Welcome,
Jeremy Szteiter, CCT Assistant Director
Before you commit to matriculating:
1. Important: review this note on course formats (hybrid/other course formats, attendance).
2. Review trade-offs that core faculty see that you might take into account as you move into the Program. If you are at all unsure of your choice of Program, read these before you pay the admissions deposit.
Initial steps – once you confirm your matriculation and pay the admissions deposit:
3. For students attending courses on campus, see the UMass Boston official information for any updated status of policies related to COVID-19.
4. Sign up to receive the CCT Monthly Newsletter: ongoing program news, course information, and other general announcements, sent about once per month to a broad list of both university and interested community members: http://eepurl.com/w1Ayn. Students are welcome to submit items of interest to the general CCT community such as personal achievements, upcoming events, opportunities or job postings that you want to share with others.
5. Course planner – use the following link to look ahead at anticipated upcoming courses as you think about how you wish to move through your studies; these can be discussed further during your entrance interview with the CCT program director before you take your first courses. Most courses can be taken in any sequence (including foundation courses, which do not need to be taken first), but note that some courses are only offered every few years and dependent upon instructor availability: https://blogs.umb.edu/cct/home/courses/. Also, save the main link to the CCT community site and refer to it often for the most up-to-date information on courses and events: https://blogs.umb.edu/cct/
6. Get set up with your UMass Boston email address: Used for registration, online course login, student email, and other university systems. You should receive information from admissions about getting started once you are matriculated into the program. Students who have already taken a UMB course may have already used your email/UMB account. All students are required to check your umb.edu email address regularly, or set it up to forward messages to a personal address that you do use often — some instructors may also contact you this way with early announcements before the start of a course term. Please also keep your alternate personal email address up to date in your WISER profile as a way to contact you in case your UMB email/password becomes disabled for any reason (for example, this can sometimes happen after an administrative hold is placed on your student account).
7. Review the program requirement related to the Reflective Practice and Metacognitive Portfolios: https://blogs.umb.edu/cct/home/overview/reflective-practice-portfolio/
8. Entrance interview:
First, please email a copy of your admissions personal statement and your resume/C.V. to cct@umb.edu (the online application system used by admissions does not allow us to view your statement easily once you are admitted, so this helps to remind us of your interests for advising purposes).
Next, as a student admitted and matriculating in the upcoming semester, we’d like to schedule an entrance interview as soon as possible. To schedule this interview, choose an upcoming appointment time using this form, which will set a time for you to speak with assistant program director Jeremy Szteiter.
The interview will give you a chance to discuss course planning (see item 3 above first) and address any other questions that you have at this time. Possible topics: which semester/year do you hope to complete your studies?; local students: will you attend class on campus or online?; which electives interest you right now?; what else would you like the program to know about you to help you be successful? This interview will also give the Program a chance to introduce you to a set of steps to prepare CCT students to complete a synthesis during their final semester.
9. General university requirements:
All graduate students, regardless of residency or enrollment status, are now required to complete the university’s one-time Sexual Assault Prevention online training. Look in your umb.edu email account for notices about how to complete this. Also, all students attending any courses on campus will be required to show proof of meeting Massachusetts state requirements for immunization. You may see messages from University Health Services reminding you to submit documentation (delays may cause a hold to be placed on your account and prevent you from registering for future courses). Finally, by entering into the program, you acknowledge your awareness of the Academic and Administrative Policies for graduate students, including the Student Code of Conduct.
Additional information – review when you have time before you start your coursework:
10. Student handbook (see the link on the home page of this site) — detailed information and reference, and the essential first stop if ever you have a question as you move through the Program, In particular, read through the section called “Program Requirements”.
11. Graduate Studies official policies. Please refer to this comprehensive online catalog for all formal policies, procedures, and requirements affecting graduate students at UMass Boston.
12. Become familiar with WISER: http://wiser.umb.edu (once your umb.edu account is active)
After reaching the main WISER page, choose the “Student Log-in” link. WISER is used for course registration, viewing your unofficial transcript, and reviewing your student billing account. Critical and Creative Thinking courses are coded CRCRTH when you search the catalog in WISER. The catalog contains official course descriptions. It is also useful to view the information here, which may include additional information on semester-specific themes and course formats not represented in the official catalog: https://blogs.umb.edu/cct/home/courses/
13. Systems for online communication (relevant to both online and face-to-face students)
Online courses use Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate as the synchronous video conference system for class meetings. Please contact the program for additional help getting started with these. At a minimum, you’ll need a computer with a microphone and camera. Also, see the UMB website pages that summarize IT services and resources for students and Zoom information, which will help you to have the best experience with online participation.
14. CCT Community events
It is recommended that students attend (at least occasionally) the series of CCT Community Open House events held each spring and fall semester. The events are open to both CCTers and to the general public and serve to “supplement students’ education through the involvement of alums and alums’ education by their involvement in the education of students and each other.”
