2021 Academic Fair

2021 Academic Fair Participants

Academic Units
Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations

Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations (AMC) works to understand the beginnings of humanity and how the modern world reflects the ancient world.

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Anthropology

Anthropology as a discipline stands at the crossroads of the humanities and social sciences. It is humanistic social science that mainly draws on qualitative methods to study social life.

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Architecture

In architecture, students and professionals are addressing global economic, social, political, technological, and environmental challenges by means of design-driven, architectural speculations that project forward to define better futures.

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Contact

  • Reto Geiser, Associate Professor & Director of Undergraduate Studies
  • reto.geiser@rice.edu
  • 713-348-7670
Art History

Students and professionals in the field of art history closely examine images, architecture, and works of art with open minds and attentive eyes in order to interrogate and explain the nature and function of spaces and pictures in the lives of individuals, cultures, and societies across temporal and geographical boundaries.

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Bioengineering

Students in Bioengineering learn to use engineering skills to address challenges in improving human health.

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BioSciences

BioSciences offers students the opportunity to explore life through all its complexity and beauty. Interested students can seek a Major in Biosciences, a Minor in Biochemistry & Cell Biology or Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, or an accelerated BA/MA/PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology.

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  • See the BioSciences 2021-2022 Advising Booklet for specific advisor contact information.
Business

With a robust foundation in leadership and business fundamentals – including accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, strategy, and communications – students who complete the business major will solve an array of problems affecting individuals, organizations, and society at large.

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Center for African & African American Studies

The African and African American Studies minor provides students with resources and opportunity to think about key issues and themes within African and African American Studies in ways that enrich their overall education. The minor also provides key competencies that will enhance students' subsequent professional and community life.

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  • Daniel Domingues, Associate Professor
  • dd41@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2198
Center for Environmental Studies

The scope and scale of environmental dilemmas addressed in our courses and our Environmental Studies minor require scientific, social and cultural approaches. We highlight the insights of all academic disciplines along with robust conversations across them, with particular emphasis on the arts, architecture, humanities and social sciences.

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Center for Languages & Intercultural Communication

Students in our programs seek to become culturally competent and interact successfully, appropriately, and respectfully with people from different countries and sociocultural backgrounds.

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  • Heather Lazare, Program Administrator
  • htl1@rice.edu
  • 713-348-6259
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Chemical Engineers design processes to take raw materials and convert them to usable final products.

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Chemistry

Chemistry encompasses scientists and engineers who investigate the composition, properties, structure, and reactivity of matter. Among us are organic, inorganic, physical, and biological chemists, both theorists and experimentalists. Bolstered by state-of-the-art instrumentation and close personal interactions, Rice is a terrific place to do chemical research. The Department boasts of two Nobel laureates and many members of the National Academy of Sciences; moreover, it hosts one of only six National Science Foundation funded centers for nanoscale science and engineering.

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Contact

  • Nancy Adler, Academic Program Administrator
  • nbn2@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2906
Cinema & Media Studies Minor

Students and professionals in this field study film and media around the globe in order to understand how moving images participate in broader historical events and trends.

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  • Lida Oukaderova, Associate Professor
  • lo2@rice.edu
  • 713-348-6727
Civil & Environmental Engineering

Rice civil and environmental engineering students seek to solve world health issues, help predict earthquakes and floods, create viable plans for urban development and more.

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  • Andrea Torres, Undergraduate & Graduate Coordinator
  • atorres@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2353
Classical Studies

Students, scholars, and other professionals in this field seek to understand the languages, literature, history, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, to appreciate the influence they had on Western culture, and to apply such understanding constructively to life in the modern world.

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Cognitive Sciences

Students and professionals in this field are interested in understanding how the human mind works, how we think, use language, perceive, learn, make decisions, using a tools borrowed from a variety of traditional scientific disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science and philosophy.

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Contact

  • Simon Fischer-Baum, Associate Professor
  • sjf2@rice.edu
  • 713-348-8060
Computational and Applied Mathematics & Operations Research

In the CAAM major, students learn to apply the advanced techniques needed to model and analyze complex physical systems. For those interested in the Operations Research Major, the latter is the scientific approach to decision making in complex environments.

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  • Ivy Gonzalez, Communications and Academic Coordinator
  • ivyip@rice.edu
  • 713-348-6310
Computer Science

Computing is the engine of most innovations today, and computer science is about studying computing. A computer scientist is a problem solver that can work not only in the hi-tech industry and the computing field, but can also work in fields as diverse as biomedicine, energy, and social sciences, as all of them have been revolutionized by computing.

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Contact

  • Beth Rivera, Undergraduate & Graduate Program Administrator
  • aer2@rice.edu
  • 713-348-3820
Earth, Environmental, & Planetary Science

Professionals in this field examine problems facing the Earth, such as climate change (sea level rise, extreme weather events), natural hazards (volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, coastal erosion), and the future of energy. Majors study topics such as the evolution of Earth, planets, and the solar system; the shaping of the Earth’s surface; availability of natural resources and planetary exploration.

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Economics & Mathematical Economic Analysis

Economists examine (1) how markets and the public sector allocate scarce resources, (2) how entities make decisions that affect supply and demand in a market (microeconomics), (3) how these determine aggregate outcomes such as economic growth, unemployment, business cycles etc. (macroeconomics), and (4) the use of statistical and mathematical techniques to measure these (econometrics).

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Education & Teacher Certificate Program

Our teacher candidates in urban schools work to understand the lives, cultures, and communities of their students and to use those assets in their learning.

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Electrical & Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineers (ELECs) create, innovate and design technologies in machine learning, computing, communications, electronics and automation. ELECs use hardware and software to create better, faster, safer technologies for things like cars, computers, smartphones, and health devices.

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Engineering Design/OEDK

Students and professionals practicing Engineering Design work to design and create new products or processes to meet a defined need while taking into account constraints such as cost, practicality, and safety.

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  • Lea Aden Lueck, Engineering Design Coordinator
  • lal2@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2662
English

Our Creative & Critical curriculum integrates the creative aspects of the study of literature and the critical features of creative writing. Across research, reading, and writing, students and faculty encounter literature’s power to transform what we know and who we can be. Our courses examine how cultural forms and legacies shape our imagination and craft creative visions of the possible.

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Environmental Sciences

Environmental sciences seeks to answer the following questions: How does climate change affect species, species interactions, ecosystems; How do urban land use practices affect biodiversity; How do we restore degraded land for ecosystem services and biodiversity?

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European Studies

The major in European Studies is an interdisciplinary program in the School of Humanities. Its focus is a critical understanding of European cultures and societies in a global context that draws on the expertise and research that is unique to the humanities at Rice.

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First Year Writing Intensive Seminar (FWIS)

We aim to address necessary academic communication skills that students will need to be successful as undergraduates at Rice.

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French Studies

The approach of the French Studies Program is interdisciplinary and global. We mobilize literary and cultural studies, history, political economy, philosophy, the study of women and gender, and the visual arts. Our courses cover a broad range of subjects: from the medieval period to the nineteenth century, World War II, colonialism and the postcolonial period to contemporary cinema. In all our courses, French language acquisition is an integral component.

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German Studies

Students and professionals in this field are interested in the complexities of cultures different from their own through the acquisition language and analysis of textual and visual sources.

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Global Health Technologies Minor & Rice 360 Institute for Global Health

The Rice 360 Institute of Global Health Technologies offers innovative undergraduate & graduate programs that engage students to design and implement new technologies to solve real global health challenges. Through the minor and internships, these early stage technologies are designed, evaluated, refined, deployed and scaled across the world.

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Contact

  • Ashley Taylor, Director of Education & Lecturer
  • art6@rice.edu
  • 713-348-3043
History

Students of history acquire critical skills in communication, writing and research; they learn to use evidence to develop interpretive skills and a broad perspective.

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Jewish Studies

The Program in Jewish Studies at Rice University is committed to the academic study of Judaism in its many forms, expressions, and customs. As Jewish Studies scholars, we study these diverse forms of Jewish life as well as the ways in which Judaism has always been intertwined with the cultures, histories, arts, and literatures of many societies and civilizations.

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Kinesiology

Students and professionals in the health promotion and public health field are interested in improving health and preventing disease in individuals, communities, and populations using interdisciplinary knowledge from behavioral sciences, health education, epidemiology, and other relevant fields.

Students and professionals in sports medicine and exercise physiology seek to identify and improve health-related physical fitness deficits and disparities throughout the lifespan and in special populations by applying evidence-based scientific principles to exercise medicine and rehabilitation.

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Contact

  • Jennifer Zinn-Winkler, Department Administrator
  • jz39@rice.edu
  • 713-348-5885
Latin American Studies

Latin American Studies at Rice offers a range of interdisciplinary courses designed to understand the cultures, histories, and politics of Latin America as viewed from regional and global perspectives.

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Linguistics

Linguists study the structure of language and how people use it. We address a great many problems relevant to the social sciences and beyond: identity, diversity, and inequities; neurology and cognitive sciences; speech perception and vocal physiology; history, evolution, and development; the endangerment and revitalization of indigenous languages; artificial intelligence; and much, much more.

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Contact

  • Robert Englebretson, Department Chair & Director of Undergraduate Studies
  • reng@rice.edu
  • 713-348-4776
Materials Science & Nanoengineering

Materials scientists make new materials and analyze their structure and properties for hardware like rockets, data centers, and surgical implants. Common themes in materials science include improving products' mechanical strength, energy capacity, optical and electronic efficiency, safety, environmental friendliness, and cost effectiveness.

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Mathematics

Mathematics lies at the foundation of many disciplines in the sciences, engineering fields, and the social sciences, and this influence is growing as these subjects become increasingly quantitative. Recognizing this important role in the wide variety of directions available to our degree recipients, the program in mathematics provides undergraduates with a spectrum of choices. These range from nontheoretical treatments of calculus and courses in combinatorics, elementary number theory, and projective geometry to a broad variety of sophisticated mathematics, including real and complex analysis, differential geometry, abstract algebra, algebraic and geometric topology, algebraic geometry, dynamics, and partial differential equations.

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Contact

  • Ligia Leismer, Academic Program Coordinator
  • ligia@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2544
Medical Humanities Minor

Students and professionals in this field are interested in addressing the human dimensions of health and illness that are central to human well-being but are often neglected by traditional biomedical approaches to health.

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Medieval & Early Modern Studies

The skills typically acquired by Medieval Studies students—knowledge of history, languages, religions, and literature, ability to analyze texts and images, and an understanding of other cultures—provide a solid preparation for advanced degrees, whether in the humanities, law, medicine, or other professional schools.

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Museums & Cultural Heritage

Students in the Museums and Cultural Heritage minor will learn about the preservation and use of tangible and intangible cultural heritage for study, archival purposes, and public display through the study of cultural heritage institutions, new digital analysis tools and media, and traditional methods of preservation and analysis.

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Music

Majors will work to demonstrate technical and musical competence in solo performance, composition, or music-historical research appropriate to the standards of a four-year undergraduate program.

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Contact

  • Phyllis Smith, Music Admissions
  • pws2@rice.edu
  • 713-348-3578
Neuroscience

The Neuroscience program, housed in the BioSciences Department, provides a strong interdisciplinary education covering the breath of fundamental disciplines on which neuroscience is based and includes multiple opportunities for experiential learning.

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Philosophy

Students and professional in this field contribute to historical and on-going debates in philosophical tradition, regarding e.g., questions in ethics, political theory, theory of knowledge, and metaphysics.

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Contact Information

  • Charles Siewert, Professor & Director of Undergraduate Studies
  • siewert@rice.edu
  • 713-348-4191
Physics & Astronomy

Physics and Astronomy are crucial to understanding the world around us and the world beyond us. It is the most basic and fundamental science.

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Political Science

Political Scientists seek to understand the political world using scientific methodologies.

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Politics, Law & Social Thought Minor

Students in this field are interested in deeper exploration of problems of political, social, and legal thought--from classical texts from over 2000 years ago to recent works; they are also interested in gaining more knowledge of law and the legal system, both in the classroom and through hands-on experience.

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Poverty, Justice, & Human Capabilities

The Program in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities (PJHC) provides students with a multifaceted understanding of human well-being both within the US and internationally. This interdisciplinary minor emphasizes a “capabilities approach,” which considers what people are able to do and be – for example, live to old age and engage in economic and political activities – rather than strictly what material goods they possess.

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Psychological Sciences

Psychological Sciences goes beyond disciplinary boundaries and represents the scientific study of the mind and behavior from multiple levels of analysis.

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Contact Information

  • Philip Kortum, Associate Professor & Undergraduate Committee Chair
  • pkortum@rice.edu
  • 713-348-4813
Religion

Students and researchers in the academic study of religion address the cultural, historical, economic, and existential conditions for analyzing phenomena deemed "religious" and how they shape today's politics, ethics, social formations, and academic discourses.

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Contact Information

  • Niki Clements, Watt & Lilly Jackson Assistant Professor of Religion
  • nc28@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2947
School of Humanities

Students who pursue humanistic inquiry at Rice explore some of the biggest questions of our time — on ethics and morality in the face of disaster; on the place of law and politics in the future of democracy; on the digital arts that connect the arts and engineering; and more.

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School of Natural Sciences

Students and faculty in the School of Natural Sciences aim to advance our fundamental understanding of the natural world. From hunting the smallest subatomic particles to investigating the unfathomable distances of our universe — and scientific inquiries at every scale in between — the goal at the heart of the School of Natural Sciences is discovery.

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Social Policy Analysis

Social policy analysis involves the examination and confrontation of social issues, such as homelessness, education inequalities, lack of affordable housing, workplace safety and many more.

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Sociology

Sociology examines the problems that are currently affecting the economic and social wellbeing of our country and the inequities that have resulted from current events.

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Spanish & Portuguese

Students will achieve an advanced knowledge of the social, historical, political, and cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world and apply this knowledge to reading and analyzing authentic cultural products, including literature, art, and film. They will also understand how these cultural products reflect or construct facets of the Spanish-speaking world’s history, culture, and identity.

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Contact

  • Esther Fernández, Associate Professor
  • ef14@rice.edu
  • 713-348-5403
Sport Management

Sport Management is an interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on the business attributes of sports such as: management, analytics, law, marketing, finance, communication, and events. A sport management degree prepares students for careers with amateur, collegiate, and professional sports organizations.

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  • Kerri Barber, Department Administrator
  • klb8@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2831
Statistics

The field of statistics connects real-world observations with mathematical theory. Students and professionals in this field are interested in learning from data, and they use their skills to contribute to areas such as business, finance, biology, medicine, economics, engineering, sociology, defense, data science, and environmental science.

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Transnational Asian Studies

Students and professionals in Asian Studies encompass broad areas, both by discipline (history and anthropology, for example) and geography (East Asia and South Asia, for example).

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Study of Women, Gender, & Sexuality

Students and professionals in the study of women, gender, and sexuality recognize that social inequalities are both intersectional and structural. We study these differences in power, how to name and document them, and how to advocate for change.

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Visual & Dramatic Arts

Students may focus their education in one of three concentrations: studio, theater, or film and photography. Courses draw on the resources of Rice’s active and accomplished faculty, extensive on-campus facilities, and Houston’s vibrant artistic community. The department boasts a state-of-the-art cinema, as well as a 500-seat proscenium-style theater. Distinguished speakers, visiting artists, film series, field trips, student exhibitions and performance opportunities all contribute to an immersive arts education that extends well beyond the classroom.

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Contact

  • Maria Martinez, Program & Events Coordinator
  • mdm14@rice.edu
  • 713-348-4882

Research Centers & Student Service Offices
Center for Academic & Professional Communication

The Center for Academic and Professional Communication serves as the communication support hub of the university. Our mission is to assist all members of the Rice community in effectively communicating their ideas to a wide range of audiences, using various written, oral, and visual modes of communication.

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Center for Career Development

The Center for Career Development (CCD) is located in Huff House and exists to help you find and make your place in the world by: Educating you on knowledge of self, career options and resources; connecting you with opportunities through the global Rice network; and empowering you with skills, tools, and confidence.

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Contact

  • Camille Elmore, Recruiting Coordinator
  • ccd@rice.edu
  • 713-348-4055
Center for Civic Leadership

Students and professionals in this field are interested in addressing social inequities through the use of quantitative and qualitative data to inform structural change.

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Contact

  • Lisa Geda, Department Coordinator
  • ccl@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2223
Center for Transforming Data to Knowledge (D2K Lab)

The Rice D2K Lab is a hub for innovative and interdisciplinary data science education.

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Doerr Institute for New Leaders

The Doerr Institute for New Leaders empowers students to positively impact society according to their values.

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Fondren Library

As a campus crossroads, Fondren Library brings together the Rice community with welcoming spaces, excellent collections, and strong services in support of teaching, research and creative expression. Our eBooks, online journals, databases, and other streaming/electronic materials are available via our website.

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  • Amanda Focke, Chair of Fondren C-MACS Committee
  • afocke@rice.edu
  • 713-348-2124
George R. Brown Forensics Society

We are in the school of humanities and facilitate big questions discussions through competitive argumentation and speaking.

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Kinder Institute for Urban Research - Community Bridges Program

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research builds better cities and improves people's lives by bringing together data, research, engagement and action. More specifically, the Kinder Institute's Community Bridges program pairs academic study with active fieldwork to address urban inequality and poverty issues in Houston.

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Lillie Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Our mission is to equip Rice students with both entrepreneurial skills and the entrepreneurial mindset to prepare them to be entrepreneurs and innovators in whatever industry they choose, be it a technology startup, government, civic group, non-profit, small business, or large corporation.

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Office of Academic Advising (including Pre-Health & Pre-Law)

The Office of Academic Advising at Rice University strives for an unparalleled environment for undergraduates to explore opportunities, identify goals, and implement plans to reach those goals.

Pre-Health Resources

Pre-Law Resources

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Office of Information Technology

OIT is a computing service organization to help Rice students with tech issues, such as setting up accounts, connecting to the network, and working on campus systems.

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Office of the Registrar

Our office manages student records, registration, transfer credit, transcripts, and verifications for students. We also review and certify all degree requirements for graduation.

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Office of Study Abroad

Explore, Discover, Learn! Rice’s study abroad programs offer some of the most exciting and academically enriching opportunities available to you as an undergraduate. Through studying abroad, we hope to give you a totally new perspective, one which will greatly enhance your life and shape who you will become. Visit abroad.rice.edu to start your journey!

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Office of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry

Our office provides resources that help students identify their research interests and seek opportunities, share their work and celebrate their accomplishments, such as through the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium. We also work with faculty to develop courses that help students develop research skills that can be applied in independent research experiences.

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Rice Center for Engineering Leadership

The Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL) programing enhances a traditional engineering education by providing skills not typically covered in the Rice engineering curriculum. Through a series of curricular and co-curricular learning experiences, RCEL students learn to create and communicate a vision, build a high-performing team, form and execute collaborative plans, and create innovations that endure.

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Social Sciences Gateway

Students, professionals, and scholars in the social sciences are committed to connecting teaching and research with policy for the betterment of society. Through the Gateway Program, Social Sciences students have the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life.

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Student Success Initiatives

SSI provides proactive advising and other high engagement strategies to facilitate studentsʼ successful transition, retention, and graduation from the university.

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Wellbeing & Counseling Center

The Wellbeing and Counseling Center supports student development and success by providing a good first point of contact for students who want to talk to someone about solutions to their wellbeing and mental health concerns.

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Contact Information

Office of Academic Advising

HOURS

Monday - Friday

8:30 am - 12:00 pm

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm 

 

Phone | 713.348.4060

Email | aadv@rice.edu

ADDRESS

Office of Academic Advising MS-529

Rice University, Ley Student Center, Suite 132

6100 Main Street

Houston, TX 77005