Course Registration
REG 02.15.4
Authority: Dean of the Graduate School
History: First Issued: June 1, 2002. Last Revised: February 13, 2008. Additional History Information.
Additional References:
Graduate Administrative Handbook 3.1
Graduate Administrative Handbook 3.16
Graduate Administrative Handbook 4.2 (D)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Contact Info: Dean of the Graduate School (919-515-7956)
1. Registering for graduate courses
Graduate students register for courses at the 500- through 800-level. The 500- and 600-level courses are also open to advanced undergraduate students unless otherwise specified. Students must have graduate standing to register for all 700- and 800-level courses. Depending on particular program requirements, a student may take 400-level courses for graduate credit provided that they are outside the student's major. However, no more than 10 credit hours at the 400 level apply toward the degree requirements.
2. Course Load Requirements
2.1. Fall and Spring Semesters
In order to have a full-time graduate course load, students must take between nine and 15 credits per semester (including audits). Graduate students holding assistantships, however, have additional course load restrictions.
2.2. Summer Sessions
Graduate students are not required to be registered in summer sessions. If they are full time in the previous spring semester and are continuing their graduate study in the following fall semester, they are considered to be full time in the summer. If a student needs to be registered, one credit hour is considered full time.
2.3. International Students
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires international students on F-1 and J-1 visas to carry a full-time course of study to remain in status. Full-time status may be achieved with a combination of course work and a research or teaching assistantship.
3. Rules for Credit-Only Courses
3.1. Courses at the 500- and 700-level are letter graded and cannot be taken for "credit only."
3.2. Graduate students who take 400-level courses that are letter graded do not have the option of taking the courses for "credit only" if they intend for the course to be part of their Plan of Graduate Work. It is appropriate for them to take selected 400-level letter-graded courses that are required by the program, but they will not be included in the Plan of Graduate Work for Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory (S-U) grade.
4. Requirements for Auditing Courses
4.1. Auditing
Graduate students wishing to audit a course must have the approval of their advisor and of the department offering the course. While auditors receive no course credit, they are required to attend class regularly. The degree to which an auditor must participate in class beyond regular attendance is optional with the instructor. Should an instructor conclude that an auditor has failed to fulfill the stipulated requirements, the instructor is justified in marking "NR" (no recognition given for an audit) on the final grade report.
With the single exception of foreign language audits, all audit registration must fall within the maximum permissible course loads.
4.2. Noted Exception
Students registered for the 695 and 895 research course in their particular field must carry hours of credit and cannot be audited.
5. Retaking a Course
It is possible for a student who has previously audited a course to retake the course for credit with their advisor's approval. Courses taken in this manner will be considered the same as any other course taken for credit in meeting degree requirements.
