Highlights For:
Policies and Procedures: Registration
Registration| Status Changes | Grading
Registration Policies
Drop/Request | Deadlines | Course Load | Full-time/Part-time | Master's/Dissertation | Auditing | Interschool
Course Registration
Students register for courses on-line with Penn In Touch. New students register for courses at the beginning of their first term. Current students register in advance during the Advance Registration Period noted on the academic calendar for each semester. To register, you should:
- Review the course roster and the registration instructions available in the Student Records Office, or on the registrar website http://www.upenn.edu/registrar ;
- Meet with your advisor, or consult your planned program of study to determine which courses you will take;
- Obtain from the appropriate division a Permit for those courses designated with a "P" on the course roster;
- Go to http://www.upenn.edu. Click on Current Students. Using your PennKey ID and password sign in to Penn Portal. Click on Penn In Touch. Then click Registration and follow the directions on the screen to register for courses.
Once the registration process is completed, you are officially registered and are responsible for payment of tuition and fees upon receipt of a bill from the University.
Drop/Request
There is a designated Drop/Request period each term during which time you may make changes to your course schedule without penalty. The Drop/Request period is published on the GSE academic calendar. Within the dates posted on the GSE academic calendar, you may drop or register for courses through Penn InTouch. Course registration changes made after the published deadline will be subject to the following refund schedule: 75% refund during the third week; 50% refund during the fourth week; no refund after the fourth week. If there is a problem with your registration/drop, contact the Student Records Office immediately. If you need to drop or register for a course after the drop period has ended, you must bring written permission of the instructor to the Student Records Office, where you will be manually registered or dropped and your bill will be adjusted. Once an instructor's written permission to drop/add a course has been obtained, withdrawal from a course after the Drop/Request period will be permitted; however, a tuition refund is subject to the schedule noted above. Students may not drop a course retroactively, that is, after the last week of the semester in which the course has been taught.
Registration Deadlines
Deadlines for registering for comprehensive exams, submitting doctoral dissertations and applying for graduation are listed on the GSE academic calendar.
Course Load
The maximum course load per term is five course units for master's degree students and four course units per term for doctoral students. There is a maximum course load of four course units in the Summer term, with a maximum of three course units permitted in either six-week session.
Full-time/Part-time Status
- Coursework: Registration for three or more course units in a semester is considered full-time student status. Registration for .5 to 2.5 course units is considered half-time status. An exception to this policy is made in the case of internships. Degree candidates or certification students who are on full-time, program-required internships are considered to be full-time enrolled students. For an internship to be considered "program-required" and "full-time," it must be approved by the division and must involve work of at least 15 weeks per semester at 40 hours per week. The registration must be approved by the division. The current facilities fee rate will be charged for tuition
- Internships: Degree candidates or certification students who are on half-time, program-required internships are considered to be full-time students if, in addition to the half-time internship, they take a minimum of three course units over the academic year. For an internship to be considered, "program-required" and "half-time" it must be approved by the division and must involve work of at least 15 weeks per semester at 20 hours per week. The current facilities fee rate will be charged for tuition. For further information, contact your division office
- Dissertation Status: Dissertation status signifies that you have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except for the dissertation-that is, all coursework and examination requirements. Dissertation status begins with the first term in which you register for dissertation supervision (EDUC 995) after having completed all coursework and examination requirements for graduation. All students who have completed the proposal hearing for the dissertation are considered to be on dissertation status. Dissertation students are ineligible to take a leave of absence except for th reasons described below under Leave of Absence. In keeping with the school's continuous registration requirements, dissertation students who fail to register each semester will be charged tuition for past semesters, if they seek to re-register, to a maximum of six terms. Refer to the policy on Half-time Status for Dissertation Students.
Master's Registration
Master's degree candidates who have completed all coursework register for Master's Registration (EDUC 990). This registration designates you as an active master's degree student and allows you to meet with your advisor, sit for the master's comprehensive exam, use University facilities, complete outstanding coursework and/or graduate. EDUC 990 carries no course units. All master's degree candidates must be registered each term for coursework or Master's Registration until they graduate unless a leave of absence has been granted. You must be registered for course-work or Master's Registration in the term when you take the comprehensive exam and in the term when you graduate. Any master's student who fails to register each semester for coursework or Master's Registration will be considered to have withdrawn from candidacy for the degree. The tuition and fees table in the appendix ofthis Handbook lists the current tuition for Master's Registration.
Dissertation Supervision Registration
Doctoral students who have completed all coursework register for Dissertation Supervision (EDUC 995). This registration designates you as an active doctoral student and allows you to meet with your advisor, sit for exams, use University facilities and work on your dissertation. When you register for Dissertation Supervision you are considered a full-time student for financial aid purposes. Full-time status converts to part-time status after ten semesters. (Refer to Half-Time Policy on page 12.) You must register for a section number of EDUC 995. Each faculty member has an assigned section number. You register for the section number used by your faculty advisor or dissertation advisor. The section number of your advisor may be obtained in the Student Records Office. Once you have registered for Dissertation Supervision, the University automatically re-registers you each fall and spring semester in the same section. If you change advisors, notify the Student Records Office so they can change the section number for you. Registering for Dissertation Supervision does not necessarily mean that you are on Dissertation Status. Dissertation Status is attained once you complete all coursework and the Preliminary Examination. See the section on Dissertation Status for more information.
Auditing
Students who wish to attend the class sessions for a course without completing the assignments or taking examinations may audit the course. Auditing a course requires permission of the instructor. Auditors are subject to the normal course tuition and fees. To audit a course, you register in the usual way, but indicate audit as the grade type. You will not receive credit for the course, but it will appear on your transcript with "aud" in the grade column.
Interschool Courtesy
Students of the Graduate School of Education are encouraged to take courses in other divisions of the University, and students registered as candidates for degrees in other divisions of the University are encouraged to take courses in the Graduate School of Education. To qualify for interschool courtesy, you must have the consent of your academic advisor and the instructor of the course in which you wish to enroll.
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