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Registration Requirements

The policies below complement those stated in the University Student Manual

For all degree programs: Students are not permitted to take more than four courses per quarter. 

Master’s Programs

In addition to the course requirements for each master’s program, the M.A. and M.Div. programs each require a specific number of quarters of registration. M.A. students must register for the equivalent of  six quarters, not including the summer quarter (i.e. five full-time quarters and two half-time).  M.Div. students register for the equivalent of nine quarters, not including the summer quarter. A.M.R.S. students enroll in a minimum of one course per quarter and must complete nine courses for the degree. 

Students are generally expected to register in consecutive quarters of the academic year, Autumn-Winter-Spring. Students in master’s programs may interrupt their program of study through taking a Leave of Absence for a maximum of one year (four consecutive quarters, including summer quarter). Students who have not registered for four consecutive quarters will be withdrawn from the program, and must petition to resume studies, subject to approval of the director of the program and the Dean of Students. 

Students in a master’s program who have not graduated at the end of their final quarter of course registration will enter Extended Status for up to four consecutive quarters (including Summer). Extended Status confers no privileges such as registering for courses, borrowing money, loan deferment, access to health insurance or the Student Care Center, and carries no tuition charges. Students in Extended Status are eligible to access the libraries on campus and borrowing privileges may be purchased for a quarterly fee. Access to university e-mail accounts is maintained in Extended Status.

Students who have not graduated at the end of four quarters of Extended Status will be withdrawn from the program. They must petition to complete their degree requirements, subject to approval of the director of the master’s program and the Dean of Students.

Ph.D. Program

The following information is not comprehensive, but rather provides a basic pattern of how the residence system works.

During the first four years of study PhD students are in Scholastic Residence. Scholastic Residence is a full-time registration and requires students to register Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters.

After completing Scholastic Residence, students enter Advanced Residence. They will remain in Advanced Residence through the end of their program For students entering Autumn 2016 and later, the end of the program is nine years after matriculation. For students entering before that time, the end of program is twelve years from matriculation. Advanced Residence is a full-time registration, which requires students to register Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. Students may register for courses while in Advanced Residence, but are not required to do so.

If a student has not received the PhD degree by the end of the ninth or twelfth year of study (depending on when they matriculated; see Student Manual for University policy), they are Administratively Withdrawn. Students who have been Administratively Withdrawn can still complete their dissertation and graduate with the permission of the Committee on Degrees. In order to obtain the PhD after they have been Administratively Withdrawn, students must complete all degree requirements, including the dissertation and the dissertation defense, their Area must certify that they have demonstrated current knowledge in their field, and the student must pay a graduation fee.

Students who have been Administratively Withdrawn are not eligible for loan deferments, additional student loans, or health insurance coverage through the university. They will be eligible for a two-quarter grace period (usually Autumn and Winter quarters) during which they will maintain access to electronic resources. After the end of the two-quarter grace period students will only be eligible for alumni privileges, which are available regardless of whether a student has received a degree.

Ph.D. students are eligible for all the privileges and rights of full-time students, such as access to Student Health Services and medical insurance coverage, University housing, computer facilities, libraries, career and placement services, and athletic facilities. Provided they are not employed more than 20 hours a week or more in a job unrelated to their dissertation research, and subject to other federal and state student loan policies, students are eligible for student loans and deferment of loan payments.

Pro Forma Status, Leave of Absence, and Parental Leave

A Ph.D. student whose dissertation research requires residence away from Chicago may register Pro Forma, upon recommendation from the advisor and approval by the Dean of Students. Quarters registered in Pro Forma are counted toward the total time a student may be enrolled in the Ph.D. program. 

Leave of Absence is a formal status for students who suspend work toward a degree but who expect to resume work after a maximum of one academic year, with the possibility of approval of an additional year. Such leave must be approved by both the student’s area of study and the Dean of Students. If, at the conclusion of an approved Leave of Absence, studies are not resumed, the student will be withdrawn from the University.  After any Leave of Absence, the student resumes residence at the point at which studies were interrupted.

The University Graduate Student Parent Policy includes three academic support options: Academic Modification, Leave of Absence, and Milestone Extension. A complete description of these options is in the Student Manual.As students plan for the birth or adoption of a child, they are encouraged to consider all their options with the Dean of Students, their advisor, and the Director of Doctoral Studies, as appropriate, to discuss the their path and timeline to graduation.

Availability of student health insurance during a leave of absence, and other issues that may arise about that coverage, will be governed by the operative student health insurance rules and policies at the time the leave is taken. Other University facilities and services are not available to students on leaves of absence.

The registration and residence requirements reflect a structure of graduate tuition that links charges to residence status. Students will be assessed the prevailing full tuition rate only for the period of Scholastic Residence. A lower level will apply to any years of Advanced Residence. Tuition is not charged for Pro Forma registration, though a fee is assessed each quarter. No tuition is assessed when a student is on a Leave of Absence.