This handbook has been prepared to orient new students and provide information and assistance to all students in the Department of Mathematics. Please refer to this handbook throughout your time in the mathematics department of graduate studies, as revisions or additions may be made occasionally.
Registration Procedures
You should have received your student ID and instructions on how to set up your NetID and password. Rice’s technology services are accessed by Single Sign On (SSO), which allows you to log in using your NetID and password with Duo two-factor authentication. ESTHER is Rice’s self-service web application for students to enroll and register for classes if you haven’t yet received instructions on how to set up your NetID, email graduate@rice.edu for assistance or visit https://registrar.rice.edu/students/esther-login-duo.
If you have received your credentials, log in to http://esther.rice.edu
For information on courses, go to the Registrar’s website: https://registrar.rice.edu/students-and-alumni. Make sure you meet with your advisor to discuss course registration.
Accident and Health Insurance
Every degree-seeking student must have health insurance coverage and comply with the Affordable Care Act while enrolled at Rice University. Therefore, all students must act during the open enrollment period to elect to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan administered by Aetna Student Health OR request a student insurance waiver by demonstrating comparable insurance coverage. Current information on open enrollment dates and forms can be found here: http://studenthealthinsurance.rice.edu/
Be aware that an Insurance Hold will be placed on your student account until you satisfy the enrollment or waiver requirements. This hold does not affect your ability to register for courses or restrict any other online activity. The University now offers partial subsidies to doctoral students for Rice health insurance. ALL on-site students are required to pay a Health Center fee, regardless of whether they purchase Rice University medical insurance or are covered by some other agency. This fee entitles students to see doctors at the Student Health Services. Visit https://health.rice.edu for more information.
Stipends
Mathematics graduate students’ base stipend is disbursed as 65% Fellow and 35% TA. The Fellow portion & TA portion are paid on a bi-weekly cycle according to the payroll calendar found here: https://controller.rice.edu/payroll-calendar
The first academic-year Fellow check & TA check will be issued this year on August 30th. Please note that Instructor of Record assignments are 100% TA (no Fellow) and will be paid during the bi-weekly payroll cycle.
All mathematics graduate students with active TA / RA/ Instructor assignments must have the form I-9 on file with Human Resources to be paid.
Rice University has adopted iO, a centralized administrative platform for Human Resources, Payroll, and Finance. It is strongly suggested that all students confirm their current address on file and that direct deposit is set up.
Direct deposit can be set up in iO (TA Payroll) and with Procure to Pay (Fellow pay). Please note that Payroll automatically enrolls payees in the Rice payroll card program (prepaid debit card) if direct deposit is not set up. Procure to Paychecks and Payroll cards are mailed out to the address on file in your iO and student account if direct deposit is not set up. Students' contact information is updated through iO.
Summer Research and Vacation Time
Rice fellowships are awarded and paid on a 9-month academic year and a 3-month summer basis.
This may be pro-rated for students not participating in the program for the full academic year or summer. Summer stipends are for studies or research work and require an eight-week campus residency; exceptions to this requirement are given by special permission of the graduate committee. The Department Academic Coordinator, must be notified by April 15th if you will be away on personal business for more than four weeks. Each student must discuss his/her/their plans with his/her/their advisor.
Procedure for Submitting Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Forms
The following forms must be neatly and legibly filled, preferably online, before printing; once all required signatures and supporting documents are gathered, turn them in to the Department Academic Coordinator for submittal to GPS.
All forms that must be submitted electronically include:
- C-2 Candidacy Petition (Doctoral degree) [link to form]
- C-3 Request for Committee Revision Request for Committee Revision
- E-1 Extend Time Boundary for Approval of Candidacy [link to form]
- E-2 Extend Time Boundary for Defense [link to form]
- G-2 Certification of Non-Thesis Master's Degree [link to form]
- L-1 Leave of Absence [link to form]
- L-2 Parental Leave or Short-Term Medical Release [link to form]
- L-3 Withdrawal [link to form]
Candidacy, Oral Defense, and Thesis Submission Procedures
Students must submit a Petition for Approval of Candidacy before the beginning of their 9th semester. Bring the signed form and supporting documents to the Department Academic Coordinator for electronic submittal to GPS.
The students are responsible for scheduling the final oral examination in defense of a thesis at a date, time, and venue agreeable to all committee members. For the doctoral degree, the examination must be publicly announced, and the students must submit the announcement at least two weeks before the scheduled defense. Failure to submit the announcement on time will prevent the student from defending.
Defense announcements can be submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by filling out the following form: https://events.rice.edu/rgs/. GPS will issue an original Approval of Candidacy form, and the student must confirm that the form is current and that the committee members listed are correct. Candidates must be enrolled in the semester they defend or through Friday of the 1st week of the class of the following semester.
Complete information on Oral Defense requirements can be found here: https://graduate.rice.edu/oraldefense.
Within one week (7 calendar days) of passing the oral examination, the student must create an account on https://thesis.rice.edu/ and upload the defended version of the thesis and the approval of the candidacy form signed and dated by the thesis committee.
To graduate, the final thesis must be submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies before noon on the deadline listed in the academic calendar (or six months after the oral defense, whichever occurs first).
Detailed instructions for the submittal of the thesis can be found here: http://graduate.rice.edu/submitthesis
Students must apply for a degree at the Registrar’s office according to the semester's deadlines they want the degree conferred. The Application for a Degree can be found in your ESTHER account.
Computers and Printers
The Rice NetID is a unique login credential for each Rice student, faculty, or staff member. Your NetID is your default account name for your Rice email account. Upon receiving your Rice ID number, you can activate your NetID using the Online Account Management System. Remember your password; Rice uses a Central Authentication system for almost all its online services. If you forget your password, you must contact IT at: helpdesk@help.rice.edu to reset it.
The departmental server (math.rice.edu) has many math packages you can access, including Matlab, Mathematica, and Magma. It also hosts the department and personal web pages. Contact the Help Desk to verify that an account has been created for you helpdesk@help.rice.edu.
The department maintains several laser printers for educational and research purposes. HBH room 40 in the basement has an HP LaserJet 600, and the Commons Room (HBH 438) on the fourth floor has an HP LaserJet M806. The LaserJet M806 can print 2-sided copies; to save paper, please ensure that the duplex option is set up in your printer preferences. For printer setup guides, please email Lisa Geda at lg31@rice.edu.
For any IT-related problems or questions, including webpages, printers, and computer problems, send an email to Lisa Geda at lg31@rice.edu or use the web form at https://oit.rice.edu/request-help
Copying
Departmental
Students may use the department’s copying machine located in HBH 215 for their studies and research work. The copier also has high-volume printer and scanner capabilities. Please see Lisa Geda in the front office; she will issue you the ID number and password required to use the machine.
University
It supplies and supports B/W printer networks that can be found in the RMC (Rice Memorial Center), classrooms and labs, Mudd Lab, and Fondren Library. Mudd Lab also has color and thesis paper printers and poster printers called plotters. Students can print to these lab printers from their personal computers, college lab computers, and academic classroom/lab computers. Printing charges are nominal and can be tracked on the IT Self-Service website. Student printing charges are sent to the Rice Cashier's Office in the middle of each month and will appear on the next bill.
Office Keys
Each student will be issued a door key to his/her office. Office keys and after-hours building card access are issued by RUPD at the request of the mathematics department office. Students must go to the RUPD office on campus's west side to pick up and return keys. A photo ID is necessary to pick up the keys. Offices are routinely reassigned each academic year as students arrive and/or graduate, and keys are exchanged at the RUPD office. A replacement cost of $25 is payable to RUPD for lost or stolen keys. Keys may not be duplicated under any circumstances. All keys must be returned to RUPD when a student permanently leaves Rice. For questions about office keys and after-hours building access, see Lisa Geda.
Mailboxes
Each student will be issued a personal mailbox. Mailboxes are located in the workroom adjacent to HBH 220. Mailboxes are routinely assigned each academic year as students arrive and/or graduate. Each student should check email (and her/his/their mailbox) at least once a week for mail or messages.
Student Parking
Parking is available for graduate students who purchase a permit. For further details, check http://parking.rice.edu.
Supplies
Supplies that are needed for research and university work are available in the mailroom off the Math main office, HBH 220. If there is something you need and can’t find, please see Lisa Geda.
Books
Desk copies are provided for the use of instructors, TAs, and graders; the books are the department's property and must be returned at the end of the semester. All books, desk copies, and references must be checked out and returned to the Math office. All books are checked out semester-by-semester; if you want to retain the book for more than one semester, please notify Lisa Geda. There are also books in the Math Library in HBH room 327; these books are to be checked out and should not leave the building.
Society Memberships and Journal Subscriptions
The department pays for graduate student membership to the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and Associated Women in Mathematics (AWM). Student membership rates to other professional societies and journal publications are substantially less than normal and can be found online.
Travel
Limited travel funds within the department are available for student travel to further their educational and research goals. Student travel supported by the department must be authorized well before the planned travel date to be eligible for reimbursement. Please follow the guidelines below when seeking travel support: Travel authorization should be requested first via email from the graduate student’s advisor. After receiving the approval from his/her/their advisor, the graduate student should send an email to the Department Chair at mathchair@rice.edu providing the information about the travel request. Please copy the Math Financial Specialist on any email requests. If you are traveling to a conference, you must try to first obtain funding from the conference before requesting travel reimbursement from the department.
Please include the following information in your email:
- Name, date, and link for the conference, seminar, workshop, etc.
- Dates of travel
- Estimated expense for the trip
- The acceptance letter stating the financial support provided by the organization/conference.
Please coordinate with the Math Financial Specialist to turn in the conference funding check. You will be reimbursed for your travel expenses and held accountable for submitting the conference funding promptly. Ideally, we would like the conference funding issued directly to the department. Please use the following information to complete your conference funding request:
Make check payable to: Rice University.
Mailing address:
Rice University, Department of Mathematics
6100 Main Street, MS 136, Houston, TX 77005
Attn: Math Financial Specialist
Once the travel request is approved and the student requires flight and/or hotel arrangements, please consult with the Math Financial Specialist before making any travel arrangements, especially if you need assistance in locating reasonable accommodations or airfare.
Hotel Reservations and Occupancy Tax Exemption Certificate:
If you reserve a hotel in any of the 13 states below, including Texas, you must request a tax-exempt status. Before traveling, you must inform the hotel, request a hotel occupancy tax exemption, and present the Texas Hotel Occupancy and Tax Exemption Certificate upon check-in and before making any payment.
Rice will no longer reimburse hotel occupancy taxes paid in these states. Rice University's Tax Exemption Number is #74-1109620. Please visit the Math Finance blog for the Texas hotel exempt form.
Participating States:
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Airfare:
Air transportation supported by an NSF grant must be booked per the Fly America Act and/or the Airlines Open Skies Agreement. This means travel must be performed by or under a code-sharing arrangement with a U.S.-flag air carrier if service provided by such a carrier is available. Please consult the Math Financial Specialist to ensure your airfare complies with those guidelines.
Expense Reimbursements:
To receive reimbursement for expenses, the following is required:
- A detailed travel expense statement filled in its entirety
- Supporting detailed receipts - must be itemized, and the form of payment must be listed clearly.
- For Mileage reimbursement, please provide a copy of a Google map showing the route and number of miles traveled.
- Acceptance letter and any funding information from the conference.
- Advisor approval or department approval email
- Meals – individual itemized receipts from the restaurants are required; detailed receipts must show the credit card number or the method of payment and detailed transactions, e.g., food or beverage ordered, etc.
- International travel receipts must include documentation of the foreign currency exchange rate for the day of purchase (or midway through the stay). Rates of exchange by date can be found here.
Allowable reimbursements may include the following:
- Reasonable airfare costs (economy class or equivalent) - Airline ticket receipts should clearly show the itemized cost of the ticket and proof of payment, including boarding passes if available.
- Lodging - Hotel receipts must detail all applicable charges and clearly stateroom rate and taxes or lack thereof.
- Local transportation costs.
- Auto rental receipts should detail daily rate and total cost. The cost of rental must not exceed and be compatible with reasonable local transportation costs. Optional rental agency car insurance will not be reimbursed; Rice is self-insured and will cover all Rice-authorized domestic travel.
- Registration fees.
- Meal reimbursements will be limited to a per diem rate of $37.50 for the first and last day of travel and $50 for the remaining days when funded by the Math department. If you are traveling someplace where the cost of food is extraordinarily high and/or breakfast is not provided by the hotel or conference, or in extenuating circumstances, students are encouraged to discuss a possible increase with the Graduate Committee Chair
Departmental Purchase Card (PCard):
The Mathematics Department has a university-issued credit card for graduate students to use strictly for department-approved purchases such as business-related travel and other mathematics department business or events and to assist with upfront travel costs. Please contact the Math Financial Specialist to coordinate the use of the PCard.
Graduate students may use the PCard with the understanding that the following rules apply:
- The student agrees to comply with the card user's responsibilities as outlined in the Controller’s Purchasing Card Program User's Manual.
- The student is responsible for the return of the card and all receipts for purchases made while in his/her/their possession.
- The student is liable and must pay back any and all unauthorized purchases made while the card is in his/her/their possession.
- If the card is lost or stolen, the student must immediately notify the Math Dept Financial Specialist.
The use of the card is a privilege that must be taken very seriously, as its purpose is to mitigate the financial burden of out-of-pocket expenses for students engaged in departmental-approved travel or event purchases. Failure to comply with any of the stated rules will result in immediate loss of card user privileges.
Exam Grading Meals Policy
Graduate students grading midterm and final exams in person may each charge up to $20 for a meal to the department. Meals – please ask for individual itemized receipts from the restaurants; detailed receipts must show the credit card number or the method of payment and detailed transactions, e.g., food ordered, etc. Students should coordinate with the Math Financial Specialist.
Tutoring Policy
Graduate students may tutor outside students independently for extra income if this work does not prevent satisfactory progress to their degree as determined by the graduate committee.
Title IX support
Rice encourages any student who has experienced an incident of sexual, relationship, or other interpersonal violence, harassment, or gender discrimination to seek support. There are many options available both on and off campus for all graduate students, regardless of whether the perpetrator was a fellow student, a staff or faculty member, or someone not affiliated with the university.
Students should be aware when seeking support on campus that Title IX requires most employees to disclose all incidents of non-consensual interpersonal behaviors to Title IX professionals on campus who can act to support that student and meet their needs. The therapists at the Rice Counseling Center and the doctors at Student Health Services are confidential, meaning that Rice will not be informed about the incident if a student discloses to one of these Rice staff members. Rice prioritizes student privacy and safety and only shares disclosed information on a need-to-know basis.
If you need assistance or would like to talk to someone, please call Rice Wellbeing and Counseling Center, including Title IX Support: x3311 / (713) 348-3311. Policies, including the Sexual Misconduct Policy and Student Code of Conduct, and more information regarding Title IX can be found at safe.rice.edu.
