Registration
and Enrollment Requirements
Registration Required
A graduate student:
A continuing
student in good academic standing may register in one of three ways:
The Office of the Registrar informs the instructor
of the names of all students who are officially registered and have paid all
required tuition and fees in each class. It is recommended that the student
confirm with the instructor that his/her registration has been properly
recorded within the first week of classes. It is the student's responsibility
during his/her enrolled semester that he/she is attending the correct courses
for which he/she registered. A student may not attend classes in which he/she is
not registered in the above manner unless the student has been approved to
audit the course.
Continuous Enrollment Requirement
Unless on an approved leave of absence, a graduate
student in a degree program is expected to maintain continuous enrollment during
the fall and spring (long session) semesters of each academic year. A students who fails to
register in any given long session will be permitted to re-enroll through
his/her program office in any two subsequent semesters provided the student was
in good academic standing at the time of last enrollment. A thesis/dissertation
student must enroll in at least three thesis or dissertation hours some time
prior to graduating. Once a student has enrolled in thesis or dissertation,
that student must maintain continuous enrollment (not necessarily in thesis or
dissertation) of at least three semester hours during consecutive long
semesters unless granted a leave of absence. Some programs may require
additional semester hours.
A student who formally requests and is granted a leave of absence will
be exempt from the readmission requirements. A request for a leave of absence
must be made through the department or program to the Dean of Graduate Studies
and is recorded on the student's academic record by the Office of the
Registrar. The leave of absence does not alter the time limits placed on
graduate degrees.
A student in good academic standing who finds it necessary to suspend
his/her academic activities or transfer to another institution for the duration
of three long semesters (not including a summer session) must reapply to the
program of intended degree. In that circumstance, a new review will be made to
determine eligibility of enrollment under current standards for admission. An
official transcript mailed directly by each institution attended after leaving
The University of Texas at Dallas must be sent to the Office of Enrollment
Services, including any transcript of attendance at another university during a
summer session. If accepted, the readmitted student will be bound by the
catalog in force at the time of readmission.
In Absentia Registration for
Graduation
In absentia registration for graduation (i.e., registration for no
course work) may be arranged for candidates who have completed all degree
requirements except for the submission of final approved copies of thesis or
dissertation. A graduate student may not register in absentia with grades of
Incomplete on his/her transcript (see related, nonrefundable fee).
Dates of Early, Regular and Late
Registration
Registration dates and procedures are listed in the online Comet
Calendar and the Academic Calendar. This online resource contains important
dates and information that will be useful throughout the semester. Failure to consult
and be aware of these dates and procedures does not excuse a student from
information or regulations contained therein. The University reserves the right to make changes to both calendars at
any time.
Paying Fees as a Part of
Registration
A student is not registered or eligible to attend classes until all
tuition and fees have been paid in full or until the student has arranged
installment payments with the Bursar. If a student's registration has been
canceled for nonpayment, a reinstatement fee and a late fee will be charged
(see online course schedule for current fees). A student who does not pay in
full or arrange for installment payments by the payment deadline in the online
Comet Calendar or the Academic Calendar may have his/her registration canceled.
A student who has not completed the payment of all tuition and fees by the end
of the semester will be subject to one or more of the following actions at the
university's option:
Auditing allows a student to observe the instruction of a course without
earning credit. Computer Science and Engineering courses, Geoscience courses,
Physical Education courses, Foreign Language courses, online courses, and any
courses that charge a lab fee may not be audited. Participation and discussion
is at the discretion of the instructor. Auditing grants only the privilege of
hearing and observing and does not grant credit or access to online course
tools.
A student may
pick up an Audit Form in the Office of the Registrar beginning the first day of
classes through census day. Students may audit courses only by obtaining permission
of the instructor and by completing audit registration procedures. Please
consult http://www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/ for more detailed audit
procedures and associated fees.
All applicants for auditing graduate courses should have documentation
indicating the completion of a baccalaureate degree. Exceptions to this policy
may be granted only upon application to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Under no
circumstances will a student be allowed to audit Studio/Ensemble courses.
Orientation is designed to assist new students with an understanding of
university rules and regulations and to provide information about registration
procedures, academic programs, and student life. Attendance at Orientation is
required for all F and J status international students and is strongly
recommended for all new students as a means of efficient matriculation into the
University. International students with F or J status will not be allowed to
register without an authorized International Student Orientation form. All newly
appointed TA's are required to attend TA Orientation held immediately prior to the
start of the fall and spring semesters.
An advanced undergraduate who is within
30 hours of completing the baccalaureate degree may petition his/her
Undergraduate Associate Dean to take graduate courses. Approvals will be subject to the conditions
outlined in the following sections.
Graduate
Courses Applied Toward an Undergraduate Degree
With the approval of the student's Undergraduate Associate
Dean, up to 12 semester hours of graduate work taken as an undergraduate may be
used only for completing any baccalaureate degree at UT Dallas. Pass/fail
grading will be permitted in this category but must be approved by the
instructor prior to the start of class. The student must declare at the time of
registration for the course, on a form provided by the Undergraduate Associate
Dean, how each approved course is to be applied and may not change option once
declared.
Graduate
Courses for Possible Future Use as Graduate Credit
Pass/fail grading options are not permitted in this
category. An undergraduate may take up to 12 semester hours of graduate courses
to reserve for possible application toward a graduate degree. To register, an
undergraduate student must obtain permission from the instructor, from the
graduate advisor of the program in which the course is offered and from the
Dean of Graduate Studies. Such courses with an earned grade of B or better will
be eligible for application to the student's graduate record when the student
is admitted to a graduate program. Courses so taken will not apply to the
student's undergraduate record and will not affect the student's undergraduate
GPA. The student must declare at the time of registration for the course, on a
form provided by the Undergraduate Associate Dean, how each approved course is
to be applied and may not change option once declared.
Graduate Courses Taken in Fast
Track Options
Pass/fail grading options are not permitted in this
category. A number of programs at UT Dallas offer an accelerated Fast Track
option that allows students to take graduate level classes while still
undergraduates. Specific admission requirements for Fast Track programs can be
found within descriptions of majors. Undergraduate students at UT Dallas who
have been admitted to Fast Track programs at UT Dallas leading to
baccalaureate/master's degrees may, with the permission of the student's
Undergraduate Associate Dean and graduate advisor, take a maximum of 15
specified semester hours of graduate work as an undergraduate. The graduate
hours may be used to complete the bachelor's degree and also to satisfy
requirements for the master's degree. When this option is chosen, credit for
the fast track hours used for an undergraduate degree will not be computed in
the graduate GPA. However, they reduce the total number of graduate hours
required to earn the respective degree. The student must declare at the time of
registration for the course, on a form provided by the Undergraduate Associate
Dean, how each approved course is to be applied and may not change option once
declared. Exceptions to the 15-hour maximum may be granted by petition to the
Deans of Graduate and Undergraduate Education submitted through the relevant
program's director of graduate studies.
Graduate programs at UT Dallas will accept admission to a
Fast Track program as satisfying Graduate Record Exam (GRE) criteria for
admission to the graduate program. The School of Management requires students
to meet its graduate admission requirements including completion of the
Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) prior to receiving the baccalaureate
degree.
All courses are identified by a four-digit number preceded by the name
(or abbreviation) of the program. Courses beginning with a number 5 or greater
are graduate courses. The second digit of the course number identifies the
credit hour value. Courses with a V in the second position are variable credit
hour courses.
The number of lecture hours per week and the number of laboratory hours
are given in brackets following the course description: (2-4) means two hours
of lecture and four hours of laboratory each week.
One of the following Frequency of
Course Offering codes is found at the end of each course description in this
catalog:
S = at least once each long semester
Y = at least once a year
T = at least once every two years
R = based on student interest and instructor availability
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or
other required activities, including examinations, for the travel to and
observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas
Code Annotated.
The student is
encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment.
The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete
the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal
to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who
notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that
exam or assignment.
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence
[i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is
similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time
to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the
instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee
must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student
and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or
designee.
The following grade scale is used in graduate
course work at the university:
Grade |
Description |
Grade Points per Semester Hour |
A |
|
4.00 |
A- |
|
3.67 |
B+ |
|
3.33 |
B |
|
3.00 |
B- |
|
2.67 |
C+ |
|
2.33 |
C |
|
2.00 |
F |
Failure |
0.00 |
I |
Incomplete |
* |
P |
|
* |
*The grades P and I do not produce
grade points.
An Incomplete grade of I may be assigned, at the discretion of the
instructor, for work unavoidably missed at the semester's end. The student must
obtain a Grade of Incomplete/Documentation Form in the office of the student's
degree program. The instructor assigning an incomplete grade must furnish a
description of work required to complete the course. An incomplete must be
completed eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester.
The completed form must be signed by both the student
and the instructor, and the appropriate Associate Dean, Graduate Advisor, or
Department/Program Head, and must be retained with the student's academic
record. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the grade of I
is not submitted by the specified deadline, the grade of I is changed
automatically to an F. Extension beyond the specified limit can be made only
with the permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. A student may not
re-enroll in a course in which an I has already been
assigned.
The instructor alone will be responsible for determining whether the requirements for completion are met and for assigning the grade in the course. If the instructor who assigned the incomplete is no longer associated with the University when the work is completed, the head of the department or program may assign a committee of appropriate faculty to evaluate the material and/or obtain any other information that may be required to assign the grade in the course. Upon completion of the evaluation of the required work, the symbol I must be converted into a letter grade (A through F or P) by the instructor, head of the department or program, or Graduate Advisor as indicated above.
Grade Changes
After a final grade has been recorded by the
Registrar, the grade can be changed only to correct a clerical error or replace
a grade of "incomplete". Changing a final grade requires the
written approval of the instructor, the department or program head, and the
Graduate Dean.
Pass/Fail Grading
The pass/fail option is intended to encourage a student to take courses
in topics outside his/her major area where the student would be competing with
a significant number of students who are majoring in these outside areas.
Subject to the constraints stated below, a student may elect to take certain
courses either by letter grade (A, B, C, F) or
pass/fail grade (P/F). The pass/fail option should be exercised at the time of
registration. In any courses in which letter grades are given to one or more
students, any student wishing to take the course on a pass/fail basis must
obtain the approval of the instructor and his/her graduate advisor on the
Pass/Fail form. This completed form must be submitted to the Office of the
Registrar no later than Census Day. No change of grade designation from grade
to pass/fail or pass/fail to grade can be made after the Census Day designated
in the online Comet Calendar and the Academic Calendar.
A student may
not elect to take the following types of courses on a pass/fail basis:
Only pass/fail grades are given for independent
study, research and reading courses, and for thesis and dissertation.
Final Examinations
If a final examination is given in a course, it must be given at the
time scheduled by the Registrar’s office during the final examination period. A
final examination must not last more than 2 hours and 45 minutes. Students for
whom more than three final examinations are scheduled in one day may petition
to take the additional final examinations on different days.
Academic
Good Standing
Registration in the graduate programs beyond the first semester (or
summer session) is contingent on the student's being in good academic standing
based on three main factors:
• Satisfactory progress in meeting admission conditions that were imposed at the time of
admission.
• Maintenance of a
3.0 cumulative grade point average in graduate courses in the degree program.
• Satisfactory
progress in meeting program degree requirements.
If, at the end of a semester, a student's cumulative grade point average
is below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation. The student
must earn sufficient grade points during the next two semesters of registration
to raise the cumulative grade point average to at least 3.0 exclusive of
incomplete (I) grades. Failure to achieve this 3.0 cumulative grade point
average will result in immediate dismissal from the University.
The minimum
course load for a graduate student to be considered full time is nine semester
credit hours of graduate coursework during each long term and six semester
hours in any summer session.
Students who
receive a research assistantship or a teaching assistantship must comply with
course load requirements determined by the graduate program offering the
assistantship.
Dates and time
limits for schedule changes can be found in the online Comet Calendar and the
Academic Calendar.
A new student seeking to drop or add courses to his/her schedule must
obtain permission from his/her graduate advisor in the degree program. Drop/Add
forms may be obtained from advising offices.
Drop/Adds may
not be processed after Census Day. Any drops prior to and including Census Day
will not show on the student's transcript. Withdrawals after Census Day will
show as a W (withdraw) on the transcript.
After the last day indicated in the online Comet Calendar and the
Academic Calendar for a graduate student to withdraw, the course withdrawal
will be approved only on a documented emergency basis for reasons extrinsic to
curricula matters. To secure such approval, the student must complete a
Drop/Add form and obtain the signature of the instructor certifying that the
student was passing at the time of the proposed withdrawal. The student should
then submit the Drop/Add form and a written petition detailing the nature of
the emergency with written documentation from employer or doctor, as
appropriate, to the graduate advisor and then to the Dean of Graduate Studies .
If the petition is approved, the grade assigned by the instructor on the
Drop/Add form will determine the grade which will appear on the student's
transcript: a passing grade will appear as a W on the transcript; a failing
grade will appear as an F. Students who cease to attend classes without
securing approval in the manner prescribed above will receive the grade of F
for that course. Courses may not be dropped after the last day of classes in
the semester.
A student who habitually withdraws from a significant fraction of
his/her schedules may lose the right to withdraw or may be dismissed from the university for failure to make adequate academic progress.
Any student on a Teaching/Research Assistantship wishing to drop a
course at any time during the semester must secure the signature of the Dean of
Graduate Studies.
The Office of the Registrar, upon recommendation of the instructor and
with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, may require a student to
drop a course for which the student has not satisfied the prerequisite.
UTD operates multiple sessions with different academic calendar and
Census dates. If a student registers in a shorter session, it is the student's
responsibility to review the online Comet Calendar and deadlines that affect
the drop/add/withdrawal procedures. The same holds true for the summer session.
Military
Service Activation Interruption of Education
Under certain circumstances, a student who is required to participate in
active military services is excused from scheduled classes or other required
activities and will be allowed to complete an assignment or exam within a
reasonable time after the absence. The excused absence is permitted only if the
student will miss not more than 25% of the total number of class meetings or
the contact hour equivalent (not including the final examination period) for the
specific course or courses in which the student is enrolled at the beginning of
the period of active military service.
A student who withdraws from The University of Texas at Dallas because
the student has been called to active military service has three options for
the treatment of his/her transcript and tuition and fees. U.S. At the student's
request:
1.
the Bursar’s office shall refund the tuition and
fees paid by the student for the semester in which the student withdraws and
records "withdrawn-military" (WM) on the student’s transcript; or
2.
the Registrar’s office may grant the student who is
eligible under The University of Texas at Dallas’ guidelines (see "Incomplete
Grades" section of the catalog for eligibility) an incomplete grade in all
courses by designating "incomplete-military" (XM) on the student's
transcript. (Please note: resolution of the XM grade(s) must occur within one
year from "release from active duty" date on military orders); or
3.
the
student may petition the instructor to assign an appropriate final grade or
credit for a course if the student has, in the instructor’s judgment,
successfully completed a substantial amount of course work and demonstrated
sufficient mastery of the course material.
Readmission
If otherwise eligible to register for classes at the University, a
student called to active duty in the United States Armed Forces or the Texas
National Guard (not including routine Texas National Guard training) shall be
readmitted without reapplication or payment of additional application fees
within one year of the "release from active duty" date on the student’s
military orders. An eligible student will retain prior academic standing, course
credits awarded and financial eligibility if the student meets current
eligibility requirements other than continuous enrollment or other timing
requirements.
A student who wishes to withdraw entirely from the University must
complete the proper withdrawal form and procedures in the Office of the
Registrar. The grade assigned by the instructor on the withdrawal form will
determine the grade which will appear on the student's transcript:
• a passing grade will appear as a W on the transcript
• a failing grade
will appear as an F.
Withdrawal after the final drop date
requires the same procedures as listed in the previous paragraphs on Schedule
Changes.
Repeated Course Work
A student who
wishes to repeat a course must submit a Repeated Course Adjustment form to the Graduate
Dean.
Up to three graduate courses may be repeated. However, no graduate
course may be repeated more than once. When a course is repeated, both grades
will remain in the student's record and will be included in any transcript. The
higher grade will be used in computing the grade point average or credit hours
for purposes of graduation. This policy
does not apply to coursework specified in the catalog that can be repeated for
credit. Students are advised to
check with the Financial Aid office to determine how and if grades earned in
repeated coursework impact their financial aid eligibility status.
For a name change, a student must fill out the name change form in the
Office of the Registrar. A student must also bring a copy of his/her driver's
license or marriage certificate for proof of name. Change of address and email
may be completed online.
Electronic communication is the preferred means of communicating
important academic information. A student is encouraged to set up a UT Dallas
email account upon registration in his/her first term, and ensure the UT
Dallas email account is kept current.
Most university administrative offices send all electronic
correspondence only to a student's UTD email address and require that all
official electronic correspondence be transmitted from the student's UTD email
account. This requirement allows university personnel to maintain a high degree
of confidence in the identity of the individual corresponding with a university
official and in the security of the transmitted information.