Workshops & Events
Workshops hosted by the Graduate Center are open to the entire CSULB campus community, including undergraduate and graduate students, as well as the general public. So, if you are interested in a workshop, please register below.
Spring 2024
January
When: Wednesday, January 31, 1:30pm-2:45pm
Where: University Library 201 and Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: This workshop focuses on the nuts and bolts of drafting your statement of purpose. Topics include “dos and don’ts,” avoiding “kisses of death,” statements of confidence, effective essay structure, and useful sentence stems.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
February
When: Monday, February 5, 2:00pm -3:30pm
Where: Library 201 & Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: This workshop covers the important steps of preparing for and applying to graduate school. This session is ideal for students wanting to learn about how to apply to master's degree, credential, and doctoral programs and is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and non-CSULB students.
Presenter: Brandi Pierre, Academic Skills Coach with TRiO Student Support Services
When: Wednesday, February 7, 4:00pm -5:00pm
Where: Library 201 & Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: Graduate and professional school interviews can take various forms: one-on-one meetings, group interviews, campus/faculty visits, panel interviews and/or phone interviews. Not every program requires interviews, but if your program of interest does, join us and learn how to prepare for the interview and practice key questions.
Presenter: Graduate Center Staff
When: Monday, February 12, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: Library 201 and Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: Are you completing a thesis or research project that involves human participants/subjects? If so, you will need to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before you start your research. The IRB ensures that you are doing everything in your power to protect the rights of research participants and reduce risks to your participants’ safety and well-being. They confirm that your research will be conducted ethically and responsibly. This workshop will guide you through the IRB application and submission processes and provide strategies to safeguard your participants.
Presenter: Dr. Dina Perrone, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (Email: Dina.Perrone@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, February 15, 11:00am-12:00pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: This workshop will cover the procedure for submitting your thesis to the Thesis Office and how to format your thesis for ProQuest publication and graduation clearance.
Presenter: Cecilia Paredes (Cecilia.Paredes@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, February 22, 12:00pm-1:15pm
Where: University Library 201 & Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: This workshop covers the basics of funding for graduate studies, including topics such as graduate assistantships, campus vs. external funding, and loans.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Wednesday, February 28, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Where: Library 201 & Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: This workshop focuses on how to write clearly about specialized topics and how to make academic discussions both understandable and engaging for readers.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Email: Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
March
When: Wednesday, March 6, 4:00pm-5:00pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: This workshop will cover the procedures of formatting theses and dissertations for both publishing your thesis and obtaining library clearance to graduate.
Presenter: Cecilia Paredes (Cecilia.Paredes@csulb.edu)
When: Wednesday, March 13, 5:30pm-6:45pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: Whether required for longer papers—like theses or dissertations—or as a stand-alone class assignment, writing the literature review can present a challenge for many grad students. This workshop presents strategies for tackling the literature review and provides insights from multiple disciplines on how to craft the best literature review for your project.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Wednesday, March 20, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Where: Library 201 & Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: This workshop will cover ways to take care of your social emotional health and well being while in graduate school, as well as talking about the transition to graduate school and how to foster a sense of balance in your life.
Presenter: Hannah Sjogren (Hannah.Sjogren-SA@csulb.edu), MSW intern with
CARES and the Graduate Center
When: Tuesday, March 26, 5:30pm-6:45pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: This workshop demystifies the dreaded “writer’s block” and provides actionable advice on how to stop worrying and start writing (and hopefully even enjoy it!). Topics discussed will include real and imagined barriers to writing; “crappy first drafts”; habits v. willpower; neutralizing negative thought patterns; beating perfectionism; and other tips, techniques, and secrets of highly-successful, prolific writers.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
April
When: Tuesday, April 2, 10:00am – 7:00pm
Where: Library 2nd Floor
Description: The Graduate Writing Retreat is a full-day writing "get-away" for graduate or post-bac students to make progress on a major writing task over Spring Break. Writing tasks can include a thesis, seminar paper, dissertation, comps, independent study, class project, or any writing work that requires sustained focus. The Retreat will take place in the “Graduate Student Collaborative Space” (University Library 202), which will be closed to non-attendees, creating a quiet, distraction-free setting. The Graduate Center will also be serving refreshments, including lunch and dinner (the registration form below gives the option to indicate dietary restrictions). Furthermore, Graduate Center staff, including the Graduate Writing Specialist, will be on hand all day to answer questions or help you overcome writing “roadblocks.” The event is free and open to all currently-enrolled graduate/post-bac students, but registration is required.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, March 26th, to ensure a proper food and beverage order.
When: Wednesday, April 17, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: Library 201 and Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: Are you completing a thesis or research project that involves human participants/subjects? If so, you will need to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before you start your research. The IRB ensures that you are doing everything in your power to protect the rights of research participants and reduce risks to your participants’ safety and well-being. They confirm that your research will be conducted ethically and responsibly. This workshop will guide you through the IRB application and submission processes and provide strategies to safeguard your participants.
Presenter: Dr. Dina Perrone, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (Email: Dina.Perrone@csulb.edu)
When: Thursday, April 25, 3:00pm-4:30pm
Where: Library 201 and Zoom (Hybrid)
Description: This workshop covers essential skills for acing your end-of-semester projects, papers, and exams, including: (1) using metacognition to improve your learning, (2) overcoming writing/academic anxiety, and (3) targeting your written assignments to the right audience. Each topic will be briefly discussed, examples will be provided, and resources for further reading/learning will be shared.
Presenter: Omar Hussein (Omar.Hussein@csulb.edu)
When: Tuesday, April 30, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Description: Self-care and being kind to your mind are especially important during finals and other times of high stress. Come talk about prioritizing positive self-talk, setting boundaries, and giving yourself grace.
Presenter: Hannah Sjogren (Hannah.Sjogren-SA@csulb.edu), MSW intern with
CARES and the Graduate Center
PAST WORKSHOPS
A selection of our past workshops is listed below:
- Acing Your Academic Presentation
- APA Formatting & Citations
- Applying to Grad School 101
- Applying to Doctoral Programs - What You Need to Know
- Applying to Grad School for Undocumented/DACAmented Students
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Creating a CV/Résumé for Grad School
- CSULB Thesis & Dissertation Formatting
- Funding for PhD Programs
- Funding Your Graduate Studies
- GMAT Preparation
- Graduate School - Student Life
- Graduate Writing Institute (GWI)
- Grammar for Grad Students - Verb Tense and Voice
- Grammar for Grad Students - Punctuation
- Grammar for Grad Students - Parts of Speech and Agreement
- Grammar for Grad Students - Complete Sentences
- Grammar for Grad Students - Parallelism & Modifiers
- GRE Preparation
- Managing Time & Stress in Graduate School
- Navigating Graduate School as an Underrepresented Student
- Overcoming Writing Anxiety & Developing a Writing Habit
- Publishing Your Research in Graduate School
- Qualitative Inquiry 101
- Teaching in Community College
- Writing a Statement of Purpose for Graduate School
- Writing Literature Reviews
