Students in all graduate programs must maintain enrollment totaling 6 hours (or more) over all consecutive three semester periods (including summers). In other words, the total enrollment of the current term plus the two terms preceding it must add to 6 hours or more at all times. The status of all students will be checked by the midpoint of each term for compliance with the continuous enrollment requirement. Any student whose enrollment is out of compliance will receive a registration hold preventing all current and future registration. Those students will be notified by an e-mail message sent to their official Georgia State University's e-mail account.
To resume their programs, students with continuous enrollment holds must file for re-entry by the published deadline and must enroll at a level sufficient to satisfy the continuous enrollment criterion. That is, their enrollment in the re-entry term plus the two terms preceding it must total to 6 hours or more. The maximum required enrollment level for the re-entry term is 6 hours. For more information on the re-entry process, contact your college's advisement/admissions office.
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Beginning Fall Semester, 2006, graduate students active in a degree program (M.A.T., M.S., M.Ed., M.S.E., M.L.M, Ed.S., Ph.D.) must register for at least a total of six semester hours of course work during any period of three consecutive terms (fall, spring, summer) until completion of degree. In other words, the total enrollment of the current term plus the two terms preceding it must add to 6 hours or more at all times. In order to graduate, students must be registered in the program of study during the semester they finish degree requirements. Students must also be registered to take an exit examination even if it is scored by an outside agency (such as GACE Content Assessments).
An “I” grade, if this is ALL a student needs to complete, will NOT require one hour of registration. Please refer to the official policy posted above.
Students who do not register for an entire year (12 months) and are not on official leave or covered by other exceptions will be made inactive in the program, and if they wish to continue, are required to follow reentry procedure. Re-acceptance into the program is not guaranteed. Reentering students are subject to the regulations of the Graduate Catalog and the degree program current at the time of reentry. Time limits for all academic requirements will remain unchanged.
Ph.D. students in the College of Education follow the college policy of registering for at least three (3) semester hours of credit during at least two out of each three-term period following successful completion of the comprehensive examination until graduation. These hours of credit must include a minimum of nine semester hours of dissertation (9990) credit but may also include other coursework. Doctoral students must be enrolled in and successfully complete three semester hours of graduate credit (typically dissertation hours) the term all degree requirements are completed. The students must be enrolled in at least three semester hours of coursework during the academic term in which they defend the dissertation. Mandatory student fees will now be regulated accordingly to allow pro-rated charges for students registering for research or other semester hours less than six per semester.
Exceptions or adjustments to these requirements necessitate petitioning for a policy waiver or variance. To petition, complete a College of Education Continuous Enrollment Policy Waiver and the steps listed therein.
Graduation Changes
Candidates for graduation in a degree program offered by the College of Education must be officially registered for classes the semester of completing all academic requirements for the degree sought, including thesis/ dissertation defense, portfolio, or other exit activities. Departments may determine the extent and type of hours that must be taken by the candidate during the concluding semester (except for Ph.D. candidates who must take three semester hours the semester of dissertation defense) as long as they meet the university minimum. Every candidate for completion must register with the Graduation Services Office of the Enrollment Management Office. These regulations are explained in the general university-wide section of this website, and a calendar of deadlines is published on the enrollment services pages. The semester of completion is defined as extending until the day prior to the date of official granting of degrees each semester as published on the academic calendar by Enrollment Services.
Return to Active Status
Students who wish to graduate but have been moved to "inactive" status must follow college reentry procedures. If for some reason, re-entry the reentry term is not open for applications, students should contact the OAA Office.
Frequently Asked Questions about Continuous Enrollment
Q: I have not been registered at Georgia State University for more than three semesters while I have been writing my dissertation. What will I have to do in order to graduate in summer semester, 2007?
First, be certain you have accomplished all the steps to apply for graduation, including re-entry. Beginning with the summer semester, 2007 you will have to meet the six-hours in 12 months requirement. You must be registered at Georgia State University in order to be cleared for completion in the College of Education. Check with your department graduate coordinator to determine the courses and the minimum number of hours required for your program.
Q: What if I register for a semester that I expect to graduate, but do not get everything finished or approved on time? Will I have to register again?
Yes. If you are current with continuous enrollment requirements you will only need to register for the minimum number of hours required by your department or one hour as stated by the university. This registration is required, however, even if you have previously met the six-hour standard, because you must be registered at Georgia State University to complete your degree.
Q: As part of my graduate program, I have an internship and must be away from campus for more than three terms without registration. How can I avoid the continuous enrollment penalty and reentry change of catalog?
If your not registering at Georgia State University is built into your degree program, your graduate coordinator should notify the OAA. On return from the internship, you will need to file for re-entry at the Office of Academic Assistance, not undergraduate admissions. You will still need to pay the $25 re-entry fee, but you will be permitted to follow the Graduate Catalog under which you were admitted to the program.
Q: Do I have to pay 100% of the mandatory student fees if I am only registered for a few hours of research to finish my thesis or dissertation?
No. Beginning summer, 2006 graduate students only pay 1/6th of the mandatory fees for each hour of registration under six hours. That means, if you are registered for less than six hours you will be charged a pro-rated student fees amount.
Q: I have finished all the requirements for my degree, but I have an outstanding "I" or "IP" grade in one of my courses. Will I need to register while I complete the "I" or "IP" although I have registered for more than six semester hours over the last two semesters?
If a student only lacks removal of an Incomplete (grade of "I") in order to graduate, the student does not need to register for an additional hour in the term of completion as long as the number of hours required by the continuous enrollment policy have been met. If a student has an In Progress grade (grade of "IP"), the student must enroll for an additional hour in the term of graduation, regardless of whether or not they meet the continuous enrollment hours requirement .