Course Load

Course Load Status

The following table defines a student's course load status by term and career

Term	Career	Minimum Semester Hour Requirement for Full-Time Status	Minimum Semester Hour Requirement for Half-Time Status
Fall or Spring Semester	GR	9	5
	UG & PB	12	6
5-Week Term	GR	4	2
	UG & PB	4	2
10-Week Term	GR	7	4
	UG & PB	8	4

The course load of a student enrolled in both a 5-week summer term and 10-week summer session is computed by adding the semester hours for the 5-week term to one-half of those taken over 10 weeks and using that total under 5-week term in the table above. Certification of full-time equivalency by the dean is required if the graduate student is registered for less than these specified full-time loads.

Maximum Course Load
 

The following table defines the maximum course load in semester credit hours for which a student may enroll without approval of the dean of the student's plan.
 

Career	Fall or Spring Semester	5-Week Term*	10-Week Session	Entire Summer **
Undergraduate	19P	7	13	13
Undergraduate on Probation	13	7	13	13
Graduate or Postbaccalaureate	15	6	12	12

* One-half of a student's enrollment in 10-week classes should be added to any 5-week enrollment to determine the total load for the 5-week term.
** Only the senior student who is graduating in August may complete a maximum of 15 semester hours for the entire summer with a maximum of 9 semester hours in one 5-week term.
P  A student enrolled for 9 semester hours of student teaching may enroll for a maximum of 13 semester hours.

Independent Studies

Independent studies are intended to supplement or extend regular coursework. Only demonstrably capable students with a significant base of regular coursework in a field should seek to undertake an independent study. Independent studies:

1. Must have the approval of the sponsoring faculty member and school dean.
2. Should not duplicate scheduled courses or serve as a substitute for regular courses. School deans may approve exceptions if students are otherwise unable to make reasonable progress toward a degree.
3. Should be completed in one semester or summer.
4. Must require at least the same total commitment of time and effort as a regular course.
5. Must require at least three scheduled conferences between the student and sponsoring faculty member.
6. Must require, as appropriate, a written plan of study prepared by the student or faculty member, including topic, purpose, proposed method of inquiry, tentative description of scope and focus, and method of evaluating the learning achieved.
7. Must require at least one graded report, paper, examination, or some combination of these.