POSITION TITLE: Graduate Thesis, Dissertation, and Graduate Faculty Specialist
COMPENSATION RANGE: 58,000.00 - 63,000.00 USD per year
EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION: Professional Administrative
DEPARTMENT: Graduate School Office
TARGET HIRE DATE: 10/15/2026
BENEFITS: UNC’s Career Hub
Candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of application; UNC cannot provide H-1B sponsorship at this time.
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 10/03/2026.
This work unit exists to ensure the quality of graduate education at UNC through administering and coordinating the graduate admissions, student records, and graduation processes; by setting and monitoring standards for graduate level admissions, student performance, graduation requirements, curricula, degree programs and membership in the graduate faculty in conjunction with the Graduate Council; and by promoting and supporting scholarship among graduate faculty and students.
The purpose of this position is to serve graduate students and graduate faculty. Specifically, the position provides administrative support to the graduate faculty and doctoral research endorsement processes for graduate faculty, maintaining records of graduate faculty status, processing doctoral committee appointments and changings, scheduling doctoral exams, informing students about how to format their thesis and dissertations, and providing a thorough formatting review of students’ theses, dissertations, or doctoral scholarly projects before they are loaded into online access platforms. This position also has a major role in problem solving situations in regard to graduate students, their programs and interaction with graduate faculty during the course of student programs.
Advise students proactively on the formatting of their thesis, scholarly project, and dissertation documents, providing workshops on formatting; teach students how to use available technology to record and cite their sources, apply formats, or build templates; and change to a pre-defense review process instead of an end-of-the-semester timeline. Keep updated on the application of newer technologies to the dissertation and thesis process. Provide pre-reviews. Review, critique, and approve editorial quality of graduate student theses and dissertation projects. Recommend to Dean for final approval. Establish and maintain relationship with library staff for dissertation/thesis tracking and placement in library. (50%)
Monitor doctoral committee appointments for graduate students. Record dissertation proposal submissions and report to Graduate Degree Compliance and the Registrar’s Office. (15%)
Approve and process requests to schedule doctoral exams; ensuring compliance with Graduate School policies for the committee and exam timing. Work with other staff to announce the exam. (10%)
Process applications for various types of status (GL, GF, GF/DRE, GFE, EGF, and EGF/DRE) for faculty teaching graduate courses or serving on doctoral committees. Send appointment or refusal letters according to decision of Graduate Dean or Graduate Faculty Council. Support Graduate School process for mentoring training. (20%)
Other duties as assigned. (5%)
Bachelor’s degree; graduate degree preferred.
Two years of work in an educational environment in administration or technical support, or in teaching. Student worker or GA experience is acceptable. Experience writing a dissertation, thesis, journal article, or other published work is preferred.
Benefits available include health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance, as well as a selection of several defined contribution retirement plans for all full-time positions. Employees at UNC receive sick leave, and other leave options may be available based on position. Full-time employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits, as well as dependents and spouses of UNC Employees who are employed at 0.5 FTE or above are eligible for undergraduate dependent tuition grants of up to 50%. These tuition grants will cover in-state tuition charges. Further requirements may exist. Other benefits may be available based on position.
The University of Northern Colorado is a public doctoral/research institution located in Greeley, Colorado. UNC’s commitment to education began in 1889 and continues to be a transformational force for our students. Recognized as a top university for social mobility, UNC is proud to be a Hispanic Serving Institution and to serve more than 44% of our undergraduates who are the first in their family to attend college. UNC is also committed to providing our faculty and staff with the support they need to succeed as professionals, educators, and in life. Please visit UNC’s Career Hub, to learn more about UNC’s strategic plan, school programs, and employee benefits. Go Bears!
The University of Northern Colorado offers an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the UNC community. In accordance with federal and state law, UNC prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, and/or veteran status. UNC also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, and gender expression. Retaliation against persons who oppose a discriminatory practice, file a charge of discrimination, or testify for, assist in, or participate in an investigative proceeding relating to discrimination is prohibited. Constitutionally protected expression will not be considered discrimination or harassment under this policy. It is the responsibility of all departments, employees, and students to ensure UNC’s compliance with this policy.
The University of Northern Colorado is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to 970-351-2718 or human.resources@unco.edu.
Satisfactory completion of a background check, educational check, and authorization to work in the United States is required after a conditional offer of employment has been made. The successful candidate must submit original transcripts within one (1) month of hire.
This position is contingent on funding from the Colorado State Legislature, approval by the Board of Trustees, and subject to the policies and regulations of the University of Northern Colorado.
In compliance with the Clery Act, the most recent University of Northern Colorado Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online. A paper copy can be requested at the UNC Police Department. This report contains crime statistics and policy statements related to safety, conduct processes and Title IX investigations.
