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Admission to Graduate and Professional Studies and Eligibility for Competitive Fellowships
General Academic Regulations & Requirements
Planning the
Graduate Program
Course Load
Graduate Student Assistantships
Courses and degree requirements
1998-2000 Archive
2001 Archive
Course Load
The following graduate course load regulations apply to all graduate students with the exception of those students who fall under alternative regulations as specified in individual college programs. Graduate student assistants should also consult the section entitled "University Policies for Graduate Student Assistantships."Nine semester hours is considered a full-time course load for a fall or spring semester for master's students. Nine semester hours is considered a full-time course load for doctoral students registered during any fall or spring semester. Doctoral students shall not be required to register for more than nine hours except for the following:
- special professional students;
- doctoral students enrolled in programs with core curricula requiring 12 hours of organized classes during long semesters;
- doctoral students enrolled in nine credit hours of organized classes who are conducting research related to their dissertation. This last category of students (c.) may be required to register for up to three hours of research or dissertation for a total of twelve credit hours during each fall and spring term.
When unusual circumstances exist, the dean of the college may, upon recommendation of the department chair, certify full-time equivalency for a master's student taking fewer than nine semester hourse, or a doctoral student taking fewer than nine semester hours, in a fall or spring semester. Each college will determine the maximum course load for a graduate and/or professional student in that college.
Full-time enrollment is expected of the following categories of graduate students:
- Students receiving financial support from the University of Houston campus in the form of academic fellowships, graduate student appointments, or other forms of support.
- Students making significant use of such campus resources as the library, the computer center, office space, laboratory space, other research facilities, and faculty time.
- Students meeting residency requirements.
- Students holding visas (F-1 or other temporary visas requiring full-time enrollment). (Contact the office of International Student and Scholar Service for more information concerning this requirement.)
Note: Public school teachers cannot be enrolled for more than six hours while teaching and are considered full-time students while taking six semester credit hours.
Students taking only thesis/dissertation hours are required to register for a minimum of three hours per long semester. Students whose programs require six or more hours of thesis/dissertation credit do not necessarily have to register for more than three hours in their final semester. Doctoral students in their last semester are required to enroll for the number of hours appropriate to their course of study, but not less than three hours unless otherwise approved by the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies.