Academic Year:
Advance Registration
All matriculated students should register in advance for spring and fall semesters and winter and summer sessions. Registration periods are scheduled for returning full-and part-time graduate students in late April for fall semester and in late November for spring semester. Advance registration periods also precede the summer and winter session. Newly admitted or returning graduate students should register during the appropriate time. Contact the Registrar's Office or the Office of Graduate and Professional Education for information on advance registration. For newly admitted students unable to advance register for fall semester, special permission may be sought from the Office of Graduate and Professional Education to waive the late registration fee.
Continuous Registration
Graduate students are required to maintain continuous registration each fall and spring semester to be eligible to continue in a degree program. Failure to comply with the requirement of maintaining continuous registration in the fall and spring semesters either in courses, in sustaining credit, or with approved leave of absence will be taken as evidence that the student has terminated his/her graduate program, and the admitted status to the graduate program will be terminated. The date of termination will be recorded on the student's transcript.
Policy Regarding Incompletes
A student who has incompletes in three or more courses may not register in the next regular semester (i.e., fall or spring) for additional courses without the approval of the Assistant Provost for Graduate Studies.
Full-Time And Part-Time Status
Students enrolled in at least 9 credit hours or in sustaining credit are considered full-time students. Those enrolled for fewer than 9 credit hours are considered part-time students, although students holding assistantships are considered full-time with six credits. Generally, a maximum load is 12 graduate credit hours; however, additional credit hours may be taken with the approval of the student's adviser and the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. A maximum course load in either summer or winter session is 7 credit hours. Permission must be obtained from the Office of Graduate and Professional Education to carry an overload in any session.
Students who are permitted by special arrangement to conduct a portion of the research for their thesis in governmental or other laboratories off campus must register for this work so that it may count toward degree requirements. This work must be under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty of the University. The amount of credit earned is determined and approved by the student's advisory committee.
Course Load Requirements For Full-Time Students Holding An Assistantship or Fellowship
A student must be classified as full-time to be eligible to hold an assistantship or fellowship. Students holding a teaching assistantship, a research assistantship, a graduate assistantship, or a tuition scholarship must register for at least 6 credit hours of graduate-level courses each fall and spring semester to meet full-time status. (Note: Some programs may require students to be registered in more than six credits.) Students holding a fellowship must register for at least 9 credit hours of graduate-level courses each fall and spring semester to meet full-time status. These graduate-level courses must be taken for credit and must be maintained throughout the semester. Listener or undergraduate-level courses may be taken in addition to the minimum of 6 or 9 hours of graduate-level courses in each semester that the student is on contract. Students on contract in fall or spring semester who are completing a thesis or a dissertation and who have not submitted it to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education may register in sustaining credit to meet full-time status.
Summer Registration
Students who are supported by the University as research assistants during the summer months are required to be registered in at least three credits during the 7 1/2 week summer session under the following guidelines: the work must be related to the student's degree program, and the funding amount must meet the minimum requirement per month in June and July. Students may register in 868-800 (research), 869 (thesis), 964 (pre-candidacy study), 969 (dissertation), 864 (internship), sustaining, or a regular graduate course needed for the degree and offered in the 7 1/2 week summer session. Except for 864, 869, or regular courses, all courses are graded pass/fail.
Sustaining Credit For Candidates Completing Thesis/Dissertation/Executive Position Paper
Once a graduate student who is completing a thesis, dissertation, or executive position paper has completed all required course credits needed for the degree (including six credits of Master's thesis [869] or nine to twelve credits of dissertation [969]) and all other degree requirements except the submission of the thesis, dissertation, or executive position paper, the student must maintain matriculation in the degree program during the fall and spring semesters by registering for either Master's Sustaining: Thesis (UNIV 899) or Doctoral Sustaining (UNIV 999). All students, including sustaining students, must be registered in the semester in which the degree is officially awarded. Sustaining registration is required for summer and winter session only if the degree is awarded at the conclusion of the summer or winter session. Students in sustaining status are considered full-time.
Sustaining Credit For Master's Candidates Pursuing Non-Thesis Degree Option
Once a master's student pursuing a non-thesis option has registered for all required course credits needed for the degree, but has not completed other non-thesis degree option requirements such as a portfolio, research option paper, comprehensive examination, art show or exhibit, or incomplete grades, the student is required to maintain his/her eligibility for the degree program during the fall and spring semesters by registering for Master's Sustaining: Non-thesis (UNIV 895). All students, including sustaining students, must be registered in the semester in which the degree is officially awarded. Sustaining registration is required for summer and winter session only if the degree is awarded at the conclusion of the summer or winter session. Students in sustaining status are considered full-time.
Changes In Registration
Authorization for changes in registration after the University's published deadlines must be requested in writing from the student's adviser and must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. Forms for registration changes are provided by the Registrar's Office, or students may use UDPHONE or UDSIS Personal Access.
Registration cancellation. Students who decide not to attend any of the registered courses before the end of the first two weeks of classes must complete withdrawal procedures using UDPHONE, online change of registration, or a paper drop-add form. The approval of the Office of Graduate and Professional Education is not needed, but the student is required to give notice in writing to the department and the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. If the notification is received before the end of the first two weeks of classes, the registration is cancelled.
Drop-Add procedures. Students who advance register and wish to change their registration by either dropping courses or adding others may do so within the free drop-add period during the first two weeks of classes using UDPHONE, online change of registration, or a paper drop-add form. After that period and until the end of the first six weeks of classes, a fee of $20 is charged for each drop-add form processed. Approval of the Office of Graduate and Professional Education must be sought for all changes after the free drop-add period.
Withdrawal after the free drop-add period. If the notification of the intention to withdraw from all registered courses is made after the free drop-add deadline, the student must request in writing permission to be withdrawn by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. A tuition rebate is made only for course withdrawals made before the end of late registration in the fall and spring semesters and before the end of the first week of classes in either summer session. If a student withdraws unofficially, registration is continued until the end of the term and the student receives failing (Z) grades in all courses. Rights to any rebates to which the student might have otherwise been entitled are also forfeited.
Although every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information in the Catalog,
students and others who use the Catalog should note that the policies, rules, regulations,
requirements for graduation, course offerings, and other materials reproduced in the Catalog change
from time-to-time and that these changes may alter the information contained in this Catalog.
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