Course Load

Graduate Associates

The minimum number of credit hours per quarter for G.A.'s (50% or more) prior to candidacy is 9 hours of graduate course work during the academic year and 7 hours during the summer term. Note that the Graduate School requires doctoral students to be in residence for at least three out of four consecutive quarters and to be enrolled during that time in at least ten graduate credit hours per quarter.

Students will normally take more than the minimum.

Doctoral candidates

Doctoral students who have passed the candidacy examination must be enrolled for at least 12 hours in order to hold a G.A. appointment (50% or higher).

Fellows

Students that hold fellowships must be enrolled for at least 15 hours.

International students

International students are required to take a course load of at least 10 hours, regardless of whether they hold G.A. appointments (at least 15 hours if they hold fellowships).

Which courses can count towards the minimum?

The enrollment minimum is ordinarily satisfied by graduate-level classes (600-level or above); petitions for exceptions must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee. Individual studies courses (693's and 993's) ordinarily cannot be used in fulfillment of the minimum credit hours during the academic year; petitions for exceptions may be considered by the Graduate Studies Committee.

When should one take the minimum load?

We encourage students to take more than the minimum load in most quarters, since we will expect students to maintain a good rate of progress through the program. A minimum load would be most appropriate for, say, students who are writing theses or professional papers or those who have unusual work responsibilities (e.g., 75% appointments). All other things being equal, a student who regularly takes more than the minimum load is a better candidate for support than a student who regularly takes no more than the minimum load.

Enrolling for less than the minimum

Under special circumstances, one can petition the Dean of the Graduate School for permission to enroll in fewer than the mandated number of credit hours. Such petitions are ordinarily sent upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee Chair.