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Overview

Graduate Research course numbers must be used for full-time status designation for students completing the research-phase of their programs across the institution because these numbers are specifically designed to be recognized by internal processes related to financial aid and full-time status reporting for research-related activities. 

In rare circumstances, there are program-specific courses that have been created for intensive practical/field-work settings in professional certification-oriented programs, namely the Doctor of Social Work program, that do carry a full-time status as well. The course numbers used are 9450, 9460, 9470, and 9480. Students in these programs must be finished with all other program requirements before enrolling in these courses that carry full-time status. These specific courses have been vetted and approved by the Registrar and Financial Aid offices due the specific curricular design related to the required intensive culminating experience. If such a need exists for another program at the institution, please present a course proposal via the Curriculum Inventory Management system requesting a course with one of the 9450, 9460, 9470 or 9480 numbers and include the appropriate justification.  

Research Coursework Credit hour and Grading Requirements

The number of credit hours the Research coursework varies with most of these courses carrying 0 or 1 credit hours. The faculty of the school decide upon the amount of credit for Research coursework when the program is created. Whether or not these courses carry credit is dependent upon professional accreditation requirements and curricular design generally. If the courses carry no credit, a 7 “Research No Credit” Grade mode is used and at the end of the semester an “R” research grade is posted automatically. If the courses carry credit, there must be faculty oversight and a faculty member must be assigned to each section. Further, the credit-bearing research courses must be assessed by the faculty member at the end of each term and assigned a final grade, typically a Pass or Fail, using the K “Research For Credit” Grade mode. See this page for more information about grading graduate research coursework.   

Research/Thesis/Dissertation Fee Assessments

The university has typically required an administrative fee to cover the costs of a student who is post-coursework and is in the active research phase of a graduate program. Historically, the charge has been $300 per student per semester, and most have retained this fee to this day. The amount has varied in recent years, and it is determined by the school and submitted by the departments via the CourseLeaf CLSS scheduling system.  

Additional FAQ’s

Enrollment

How do students enroll in these graduate research courses?

Enrollment specifications for these courses is set-up via the CourseLeaf CLSS system.

Program/department approval for these 9000-level classes is

required for enrollment in these courses. Students should not be able to self-register.

Usage Limitations

If students are enrolled in fewer than 9-credits (full-time status for graduate students), can you have them enroll in the dissertation research course to maintain full time status?

No, 9970, 9980, 9990 Research/Thesis/Dissertation coursework cannot be used to convert students to full-time if they are not already finished with their required coursework. In order to remain an active student, a graduate student must be continuously enrolled in at least one course each Fall or Spring term; summer enrollment is not required. See the policy on “continuous enrollment” (here and here in the University Catalog) for more details on this. 

TA/RA Designation & Full-Time Status

What is the relationship between TA/RA (Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant) Designation and full-time status? Enrollment in courses is the main mechanism that impacts time status. To potentially gain full-time status, a student must be enrolled in at least course. If the student has completed their coursework and is working toward fulfilling the research component of their program, they would then enroll in 9970, 9980, 9990 coursework to gain full-time status. If a student has been awarded a TA or RA position, they will gain full-time status each semester that they are in said position if they are also enrolled in at least one course.  

Tuition Scholarships and Stipends & Full-Time Status

Do tuition scholarships and stipends impact students impact students’ enrollment status? A tuition waiver or scholarship doesn’t affect a student’s enrollment status (e.g. full-time, part-time, quarter-time). If by “stipend/scholarship” you are referring to the funds received as a result of earning a position of Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant, then in these cases, the RA or TA-student would be considered full-time. (See above)  

Developed and approved by the Office of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies (OGPS) and the Office of the University Registrar (OUR), March 2024

Related page: Understanding graduate research course grade modes (9970, 9980, 9990)