Systems Overview

The MBA@Rice program is delivered via an online platform called Digital Campus, powered by 2U. After you have paid your enrollment deposit and spoken with the Student Success Team, you will receive an email containing your login credentials for Digital Campus. 

Students are required to complete the Launch Course in Digital Campus prior to the start of classes.
In general, access to registered courses in Digital Campus is granted 2 weeks before the first day of live classes for each term.

Your username is your rice.edu email address. Please reach out to your Student Success Advisor directly if you have any problems with this.

Your rice.edu email address is used for all official university communications, including correspondence from university officials, program officials, faculty and the Student Success Team. Please be sure to check your rice.edu email account regularly. We recommend you add your university email to your mobile device. 

See this link for additional information on how to access your Rice.edu email.

Web: https://outlook.office.com | Android | Apple directions

The ESTHER  system (Employee and Student Tools, Help, and Electronic Resources) allows students to register for classes, add or drop courses, access grade reports, check completion of degree requirements, make payments, or perform any number of self-serve functions.

Enrolled students have access to Rice Business Campus Groups. Campus Groups allows you to stay up to date with student organizations/clubs and register for campus events, like Partio, or the Rice Business Student Association-Online (RBSAO) Parliament Lunches. 

The MBA@Rice Teams Channel is a centralized hub for program information and an additional avenue to collaborate with your peers. When you are onboarded to the MBA@Rice program, you will receive invite-only access to the JGS-MBA@Rice Teams Channel. As Rice MBA students, you will already have access to Microsoft Teams via your Rice email address. 

How to find Microsoft Teams:

1. If you have used Teams before, you can search Teams in the search bar in the bottom left-hand corner of your computer. 

   1. If you cannot find Teams, please follow this link https://kb.rice.edu/109397 

2. Once you open Microsoft Teams, on the left-hand side, you will see a tab that says “Teams.”

3. After you click on “Teams,” look for the window labeled JGS-MBA@Rice.

4. Here you will find the various sub-channels that you will have access to.
   *Note featured is the cohort-specific channel you will have access to

Within the main JGS-MBA@Rice channel are specific sub-channels that you will automatically be added to:

• General - The General channel is a general chat for students to discuss any MBA@Rice/Rice Business-specific topics that do not pertain to any of the sub-channels. We hope this channel will serve as a valuable resource for networking and communication, benefiting all MBA@Rice students.

• Engagement Events and Opportunities - The Engagement Events and Opportunities channel is an open platform for announcements about Rice Business events, conferences, and information on joining clubs and organizations.

• Job Opportunities - The Job Opportunities channel is an open chat for students to discuss topics such as job postings, career questions, industry transitions, and more.

• Program Announcements - The Program Announcements channel will be a resource for you to stay up to date with upcoming important academic dates and deadlines from the Office of Academic Programs and Student Experience (APSE) and Student Success.

• Textbook Exchange - The Textbook Exchange channel is for students to use as a resource if they have already completed a course and would like to pass on their past textbooks.

• The Cohort Specific Channel - The Cohort Specific Channel is a private channel accessible only to your cohort. It serves as an open space for your cohort to communicate among yourselves as you progress through the MBA@Rice program.

FAQs:

How to turn notifications on/off?

1. Choose the channel you want to mute, or turn notifications on for. 

2. Click the 3 dots (More options) located on the right hand side. 

3. Once you click on the 3 dots, choose the first option, “Channel notifications.”

4. In the “Channel notifications settings,” once you choose your preferences, click “Save.”

How do I leave a sub-channel?

• Unfortunately, in Microsoft Teams, there is no official way to leave a sub-channel.

• However, if you wish to no longer hear and/or see a channel, you can first follow the steps above to turn off notifications. Second, under "Channel notifications" you can click "Hide."

How do I switch to a different cohort specific channel?

• If you were originally added to a cohort specific channel, but need to switch due your degree track aligning with a different cohort, please reach out to Corin Gleditsch (cg85@rice.edu) to request a switch.

• Please ensure you have specified which cohort you are switching from, and which cohort you would like to be added to.