Finally, the office of the dean of the Graduate School conducts exit surveys with students to identify areas of the graduate program that students believe can be improved. At NCSU, research is integrated into instruction in many ways. The most pervasive of these is the mentoring relationship between the faculty and student. This mentoring relationship is an ongoing process throughout the graduate program. In addition, all departments offering degrees that require a thesis or dissertation have a course numbered 699, which is the formal course through which students gain academic credit for the research requirement.
Many departments also have research-methods courses for students in thesis or dissertation programs.
Students at the thesis or dissertation stage are required to enroll in these courses for a minimum number of credits. In addition, many departments and programs use special project, special topic, or independent-study courses as research methods courses. Professional Development NCSU provides extensive, high-quality opportunities for professional development and research for graduate students. NCSU is a member of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a consortium of seventy-six colleges and universities.