Application for Admission
and Registration Information

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Application for Admission	Application Process
General Admission Requirements	Admission Categories
Registration	Policies
Definition of Terms

Office of Admissions 713/743-1010

Admission

Application for Admission

Admission procedures and requirements for graduate studies at the University of Houston have been designed to facilitate the admission process and to ensure the highest probability of success in the chosen program, while protecting the value and integrity of the degree.

Because the procedures and requirements for entrance into the graduate programs vary from college to college, information regarding specific college and departmental procedures, regulations, and deadlines should be requested directly from the academic program in which the applicant is interested.

The Application Process

Graduate applications must be sent to the Office of Admissions or the college or to departments as noted at the end of this section. Once all required credentials are on file, a decision on admission status can be made. Depending on the chosen major, the decision-making process may involve both the college and the department. To ensure a complete review of all qualifications, applicants are encouraged to apply well in advance of deadlines. The official notice of acceptance or denial will be sent by the college or department.

Applications are for specific semesters. Students unable to enroll in the semester for which they have applied must contact the college of their major to update their application to a different semester. This is not an automatic process, and students are responsible for notifying the college or department in writing, by telephone, or in person of their decision to change or delay their enrollment. However, if the students have any international credentials, they should contact the Office of International Admissions to update their application to a different semester from which they applied.

For admission to graduate studies, applicants must submit the following four items, in addition to any other fees or items required by the department or college.

1. Admission application for graduate studies.
2. Two official transcripts which reflect at least the last sixty semester credit hours of course work or the equivalent. Evidence of award of degree must be reflected on the transcript(s). (Colleges and departments can request transcripts on an individual student or program basis.)
3. The appropriate test scores for the desired program, i.e., GRE, GMAT, or Miller Analogies Test, in addition to TOEFL and either TSE or FSI, as appropriate. The University of Houston requires official copies of test scores (released by the testing agency or as documented on an official transcript from an accredited college or university). (Applicants should be aware that some older test scores may not be available from the Educational Testing Service.)
4. Letters of reference or resumes, if required.

With the exception of the College of Business Administration, these should always be sent to the major department. Applicants should consult the department to determine whether reference letters or resumes are required. Files must be complete before applicants can be admitted to graduate programs. (See the Graduate Admission Application Booklet for details.)

General Admission Requirements

The University of Houston requires the following minimal qualifications for admission to its master's and doctoral programs. Additional requirements for admission to specific programs may be imposed by the colleges and departments. Applicants should write directly to the department for specific information, as well as consult the appropriate college section of this catalog.

Master's Programs

Applicants must have earned bachelor's degrees from institutions accredited by one of the six regional accred- iting associations. Foreign institutions not formally accredited by United States accrediting agencies must be recognized by the Ministry of Education or another appropriate agency of the country in which the institution is located. The university reserves the right to evaluate foreign credentials. In general, these evaluations will follow nationally accepted standard practices and will rely on the standard references such as the World Education Series published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.

Students who transfer from another graduate school must have at least a 3.00 (A=4.00) grade point average on all graduate work attempted.

Doctoral Programs

Applicants must have earned master's degrees or have completed 30 semester hours of graduate work with a minimum grade point average of 3.00 (A=4.00). Students may obtain specific requirements for admission to doctoral programs by writing directly to the department they wish to enter.

English Proficiency Requirement

All graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship status, must demonstrate proficiency in English to obtain admission to the university. To fulfill this requirement, applicants must satisfy one of the following criteria:

1. Complete baccalaureate degree requirements at a regionally accredited U.S. institution or at an institution at which English is the medium of instruction in the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Bahamas, Belize, the British Isles, Fiji, Jamaica, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Trinidad, the Virgin Islands, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, and English-speaking Canadian provinces.
2. Present a score of 550 or better on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Departments may request a higher minimum TOEFL score where previous experience and demands of the discipline warrant it. Admissions materials contain details of this requirement. The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics requires the TOEFL of all international students (with the exception of students who have completed their bachelor's degree in one of the above-mentioned TOEFL-exempt countries) even when a previous degree has been earned in the United States.

Only the senior vice president may make exceptions to the above, upon recommendation of the dean of the college of the student's major. Graduate students whose English proficiency is judged inadequate by the department or college may be denied permission to continue work on graduate degrees.

In order to qualify for employment in an instructional role, nonnative speakers of English who did not complete their baccalaureate requirements at a regionally accredited U.S. institution also must demonstrate oral proficiency in the English language. Graduate students may demonstrate proficiency by a minimum score of 220 (or a renormed score of 50) on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or 17 (out of a possible 25) on the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Oral Interview. The TSE is administered at TOEFL test centers on TOEFL test dates. Graduate students may make arrangements to take the FSI Oral Interview or its equivalent with the Office of Counseling and Testing. (Refer to the section on Campus Policies for Graduate Assistants in Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements.)

Admission Categories

Unconditional Admission

The minimum requirements for unconditional admission status are a grade point average of 3.00 (A=4.00) during the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate and/or graduate work attempted and satisfactory test scores as determined by the college or department. Foreign degrees will be evaluated in their entirety.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission applies only at the master's degree level. Conditional admission is not granted to doctoral-level applicants. Students holding visas (F-1 or J-1) are not eligible for conditional admission at the graduate level. (Note: The College of Business Administration does not grant conditional admission.)

Conditional admission may be granted to students who have achieved grade point averages of at least 2.60 (A=4.00) and whose scores on the appropriate admission examination meet levels that would indicate probable success in a graduate program. Scores must be presented well in advance of the desired date of admission. Students are advised to check the required grade point average with the college of their major.

To remain in a graduate studies program, conditionally admitted students must earn grade point averages of at least 3.00 (A=4.00) in the first 12 semester hours of graduate work attempted at the University of Houston subsequent to admission, and fulfill any specific stipulations of the college or department.

Transfer Admission

Transfer students must meet regular admission require- ments. Credit may be transferred only for advanced and graduate courses completed with a grade of A or B. The number of semester credit hours applied to the graduate degree is subject to approval of the individual department in which transfer credit is determined after enrollment. Except in the case of planned coordinated inter-institutional programs approved in advance by the Graduate and Professional Studies Council, not more than nine semester hours of transfer credit may be applied to a master's degree. The College of Business Administration and the Cullen College of Engineering will not accept more than nine and six semester hours of transfer credit, respectively, under any circumstances. Under no circumstances may more than one-half of the course credit necessary for any graduate degree within the jurisdiction of graduate studies be represented by credit transferred from other institutions. With the approval of the dean of the college, a maximum of six semester hours of an earned master's degree may be applied to a second master's degree. Regulations concerning time limitations apply to transfer credit as well as to credit earned at the university. All doctoral credit is also subject to approval of the department or college.

The credit to be accepted is subject to evaluation and must be consistent with the plan approved by the student's advisor. Advanced work completed at another institution prior to the time the institution offered graduate credit will not apply as credit toward an advanced degree at the university. The student bears the final responsibility for securing the department's acceptance of transfer credit.

Transient Admission

A transient sutdent must be in good standing at another accredited graduate institution, and may be admitted to the University of Houston as a non-degree objective student for one semester. An official statement of standing form must be completed by the student's graduate institution and returned to Admissions. This form requires a seal and verification of a prior degree from the student's registrar's office. If the prior degree cannot be verified, the student must submit an official transcript with the degree posted in addition to the statement of standing. Transient students may apply for regular admission by satisfying the appropriate requirements for the department/college. For more information concerning transient admission, students should contact their specific department.

Nondegree Objective

The college may grant, under special circumstances, non-degree objective (NDO) status to applicants who have earned bachelor's degrees and who are candidates for certification, such as in Education. The admission procedures are the same as those for regular student status. Applicants must submit a graduate application, transcripts, and examination scores to the appropriate office. Students given NDO status may apply to a graduate program at a later date by petitioning the college. Six semester hours from the NDO status may be applied toward a graduate degree if the credits are no more than five years old at the time of graduation and the courses are applicable to that degree. For more information concerning NDO status, students should contact their specific college.

Postbaccalaureate Status

A postbaccalaureate student has earned one or more baccalaureate or higher degrees at a regionally accredited institution. An applicant seeking this classification rather than the graduate status must apply to the Office of Admissions.

Advanced courses taken while students are classified as postbaccalaureates may be applied toward a graduate degree with college/departmental approval, but there are restrictions and limitations that affect those whose goal is to earn a graduate degree at the University of Houston.

For more information, see the section on Post-baccalaureate Status in the Graduate Admission Application Booklet, and the Undergraduate Studies Catalog.

International Students (Non-U.S. Citizens) Any student who is on a nonimmigrant visa is classified as an international student by the university.

Nonimmigrant international students must carry medical and hospitalization insurance.

Visas issued for the purpose of study do not normally carry employment privileges.

New students on nonimmigrant visas are required to enroll for an orientation program, which takes place at the beginning of the semester.

Holders of nonimmigrant visas (F-1 or J-1) must enroll in a full course load each semester. Full-time status is defined by the college of the student's major.

PENNSE Requirement

Nonnative English speaking students who did not complete their baccalaureate requirements at a regionally accredited U.S. institution are required to take the Placement Examination for Non-Native Speakers of English (PENNSE) upon arrival at the university and before initial enrollment. Those who score below 53 on either the essay or objective portions of the PENNSE will be directed, at their own expense, to take a course in English structure, rhetoric, and research methods. PENNSE scores will be sent to the respective associate deans of the students' colleges and will become part of their official university records. Students who fail to sit for the PENNSE upon arrival at the university will not be allowed to enroll for classes. Students with questions concerning international student services should contact:

Office of International Student and Scholar Services
University of Houston
Houston, Texas 77204-3243

Registration

The university's touchtone Voice Information Processing (VIP) system is designed to simplify the enrollment process. For students' convenience, several opportunities to enroll by phone are offered each semester and summer session. Specific dates and detailed instructions, as well as a listing of courses offered for the semester, are included in the class schedule.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities desiring assistance for registration or other accommodations should contact the Center for Students with DisABILITIES in room 307 of the Student Service Center.

Class Schedules

Class schedules may be obtained from university bookstores well in advance of the beginning of each semester and summer session. The class schedule also includes detailed registration or enrollment procedures.

Policies

Cancellation

Students may cancel their registration after payment through the Office of Registration and Academic Records, 108 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building, if they cancel before the first day of class. Check with the appropriate unit. Students who do so are entitled to a full refund minus a small matriculation fee and are regarded as never having officially enrolled in that semester.

Discontinued Classes The university reserves the right, whenever necessary, to discontinue classes or to alter the schedule. If a class is discontinued, students will be notified at the first scheduled class meeting, whenever possible, so that they may register for alternate courses. Students who are enrolled in a discontinued class will be dropped automatically from the course. If they wish to enroll in another section, they must officially go through drop and add.

Section Changes

Students may make section changes, such as dropping and adding a course or section of a course, after they have received department or college approval, if required, using the touchtone Voice Information Processing (VIP) system. Changes must be made only during the periods prescribed in the class schedule.

Class Membership

Students may not attend a class after the first week of classes unless properly registered for that course and section. Failure to follow proper registration procedures may jeopardize a student's good standing at the university and result in a loss of credit. Class rolls are made up solely from the official enrollment records of the Office of Registration and Academic Records. Students whose names are not on the class roll in each of their classes should immediately contact the Office of Registration and Academic Records, 108 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building, to verify registration.

Residency Status

The following information is from the Rules and Regulations for Determining Residency Status, published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Definition of Terms

"Dependent" means an individual who is claimed as a dependent for federal income tax purposes by the individual's parent or guardian at the time of registration and for the tax year preceding the year in which the individual registers.

Nonresidents

An individual who is under 18 years of age or is a dependent and who is living away from his family and whose family resides in another state or has not resided in Texas for the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of registration shall be classified as a nonresident student.

An individual who is 18 years of age or under or is a dependent and whose family has not resided in Texas for the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of registration shall be classified as a nonresident student regardless of whether he has become the legal ward of residents of Texas or has been adopted by residents of Texas while he is attending an educational institution in Texas, or within a 12-month period before his attendance, or under circumstances indicating that the guardianship or adoption was for the purpose of obtaining status as a resident student. An individual who is 18 years of age or over who resides out of the state or who has come from outside Texas and who registers in an educational institution before having resided in Texas for a 12-month period shall be classified as a nonresident student.

Residents

An individual who is 18 years of age or under or is a dependent and whose parents were formerly residents of Texas is entitled to pay the resident tuition fee following the parents' change of legal residence to another state, as long as the individual remains continuously enrolled in a regular session in a state-supported institution of higher education.

An individual who is 18 years of age or over who has come from outside Texas and who is gainfully employed in Texas for a 12-month period immediately preceding registration in an educational institution shall be classified as a resident student as long as he continues to maintain a legal residence in Texas.

An individual who would have been classified as a resident for the first five of the six years immediately preceding registration, but who resided in another state for all or part of the year immediately preceding registration, shall be classified as a resident student.

An individual who is a resident of Texas who marries a nonresident is entitled to pay the resident tuition fee as long as the individual does not adopt the legal residence of the spouse in another state.

An alien who is living in this country under a visa permitting permanent residence or who has filed with the proper federal immigration authorities a declaration of intention to become a citizen has the same privilege of qualifying for resident status for fee purposes under the law as a citizen of the United States. A resident alien residing in a junior college district located immediately adjacent to Texas boundary lines shall be charged the resident tuition by that junior college.

Proper Classification

Students are responsible for registering under the proper residency classification. If there is a question regarding classification, individuals are responsible for raising the issue with the appropriate administrative officials prior to registration. If you are a new student or making a new application to the University of Houston, contact the Office of Admissions. Former students should contact the Office of Registration and Academic Records, 108 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building, prior to registration.

Nonresident Notification

Students who are classified as residents but who become nonresidents by changing legal residence through their own action or by the action of the individuals controlling their domicile are required to notify the Office of Registration and Academic Records, 108 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building.

Reclassification as a Nonresident

Individuals who have been classified as residents of Texas shall be reclassified as nonresident students whenever they shall report, or there is found to exist, circumstances indicating a change in legal residence to another state. If individuals who have been classified as residents of Texas are found to have been erroneously classified, those individuals shall be reclassified as nonresidents and will be required to pay the difference between the resident and nonresident fees for those semesters in which they were so erroneously classified. In addition, the individuals shall be required to pay back all monies borrowed from the Henson-Hazelwood College Student Loan Program.

Application for Reclassification

New students classified as nonresidents will retain that status until they make written application for reclassification by completing the proper form and are officially reclassified in writing as residents of Texas by the Office of Admissions, 129 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building. (Former students should contact Registration and Academic Records, 108 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building.) An application for reclassification must be submitted prior to the official census date of the relevant term.

Reclassification as a Resident

Students who have been erroneously classified as nonresidents and subsequently prove to the satisfaction of the appropriate campus officials that they should have been classified as resident students will be reclassified as residents and will be entitled to a refund of the difference between the resident and nonresident fees for the semesters in which they were erroneously classified as nonresidents. Normally the refunds must be requested and substantiated during the current terms.

Residency Status Appeal

Students who believe they have been misclassified may, upon written request, have the case reviewed by a residency official in the Office of Admissions (if they are newly admitted) or the Office of Registration and Academic Records if they are a former student seeking reclassification.

Penalties

Statute: Section 54.053. The governing board of each institution required by this act to charge a nonresident tuition or registration fee is subject to the rules, regulations, and interpretations issued by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the administration of the nonresident tuition provisions of this act. The rules, regulations, and interpretations promulgated by the Coordinating Board shall be furnished to the presidents or administrative heads of all Texas public senior and junior colleges and universities.

Section 54.061. The governing board of an institution of higher education may assess and collect from each nonresident student who fails to comply with the rules and regulations of the boards concerning nonresident fees a penalty not to exceed $10 a semester.

If students have obtained residence classification by virtue of deliberate concealment of facts, or misrepresentation of facts, they may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, in accordance with the rules and regulations that may be adopted by the governing boards of the respective institution of higher education.