Students who have been granted admission to the Graduate School are expected to register for course work whether or not they contemplate degree work. Failure to register in the term for which admission is granted requires the student to reapply for admission. The details of registration are under the jurisdiction of the Registrar's office which furnishes to each enrollee complete instructions for all steps in the procedure. Students should follow carefully such instructions and those found below. Graduate students are permitted to register at any time beginning with the first day of advance registration. Advance registration usually begins in April for the summer and fall sessions and in November for the spring semester. The exact dates may be found in the Schedule of Classes which becomes available shortly before advance registration begins.

Departmental Approval of Courses. The student should have a schedule of courses approved by an official representative of the major department at the time of registration. It is the student's responsibility to see that the Registrar's printout corresponds exactly to the courses listed on his or her schedule request card.

Enrollment of a graduate student in any course that carries graduate credit is automatically considered to be for graduate credit and affects relevant grade-point averages accordingly.

Full-Time Study. Normal full-time enrollment varies between 9 and 13 hours for doctoral students and between 9 and 16 hours for other graduate students in the regular semester. Full-time enrollment in a summer term is from 3 to 6 hours. Students on fellowships, assistantships, or other appointments designed for the support of graduate study may be permitted to enroll for as little as 9 hours in each regular semester and 3 hours in a summer term if their required duties prevent full-time course work.

If a student is devoting full time to research, using University facilities and faculty time, the schedule should reflect at least 9 hours enrollment (6 hours in each summer term). However, effective September 1, 1998, doctoral students who have completed course work, passed qualifying exams, and been admitted to candidacy, and have accumulated at least 85 doctoral hours may register as full-time students for one semester, taking the number of hours (but not less than 3) that will bring him or her up to 93 hours, and then may register as full-time students for up to two more semesters of 3 hours each, which will constitute "full enrollment" for employment purposes only. (Two summer terms shall count as one semester.) Such lower enrollment may affect financial aid status; students are encouraged to check with financial aid, scholarship, and loan officers before taking the 3-hour option.

Normally, the maximum allowable hours per semester is 13 for doctoral students and 16 for other graduate students, and 6 hours in a six-week summer term. The general rule is that a student may not earn more than one hour of credit for each week of the enrollment period. Any exceptions to this rule must have the prior approval of the Graduate Dean.

Registration in an individual study, research, or similar course implies an expected level of effort on the part of the student comparable to that associated with an organized class with the same credit value.

A doctoral student shall not be required to register for more than 13 credit hours during any long semester or 6 credit hours during a summer term without the prior permission of the Dean of the Graduate School.

A doctoral student not on campus who is required to register solely for the purpose of satisfying a continuous enrollment requirement need not register for more than 1 credit hour during each term. However, a doctoral student not on campus who is involved in internship, research, or other type of academic study should register for credit hours in proportion to the teaching effort required of the program faculty.

Leave of Absence. Any student who fails to register during a one-year period, and who does not have an official leave of absence from study, is subject to review for readmission by the standards in effect at the time of reconsideration. Official leave of absence, granted by the Dean of the Graduate School upon departmental recommendation, may be requested in case of serious medical conditions and other exceptional reasons only. Normally, leaves of absence will not exceed one year. Leaves of absence do not extend the maximum time allowed for completion of the degree.

Continuous Enrollment. Students who have begun thesis or dissertation research must register for 6000 or 8000 courses in each regular semester and at least once each summer until all degree requirements have been completed, unless granted an official leave of absence from the program for medical or other exceptional reasons. Students receiving financial assistance must register for the appropriate number of hours. Approval of a leave of absence will not extend the allowed time for completion of the degree.

Registration for Thesis or Dissertation Hours. Registration for master's thesis is required for at least 6 hours, for doctor's dissertation, at least 12 hours. A student must be enrolled in such courses every semester, once the project is begun, until finished. A student should enroll under the committee chairperson; however, in those instances where other professors on the committee are making substantial contribution to the student's research, it is permissible for the student to enroll under those professors. Students certified as off-campus may enroll for as little as 1 hour.

Students may not enroll in thesis or dissertation courses before formal admission to a degree program by the Graduate Dean.

Enrollment for thesis or dissertation courses is permitted only during a regular registration period. Students away from the campus may, however, register for such courses by mail, provided arrangements are made with the Registrar's office by telephone or electronically prior to the beginning of a registration period.

Registration When Using University Facilities. Students are required to register for appropriate courses in every semester or summer term in which they expect to receive assistance or use the facilities of the University, or when taking comprehensive examinations.

The number of hours for which a student must enroll in each semester depends on the level of involvement in research and the use of University facilities and faculty time. Students in residence who are devoting full time to research should enroll for 9 to 12 hours. Each student fulfilling the doctoral residence requirement will normally enroll for 24 hours within a 12-month period. The requirement may be fulfilled in several ways, such as 12 hours in each of two consecutive semesters; 9 hours in two consecutive semesters and 6 in the summer; or other approved patterns as authorized by the Graduate Dean. Residence consists of accumulation of 24 hours within the approved time. Also, please consult the statements relevant to residence under "General Information," "The Master's Degree," and "The Doctor's Degree." Students off campus who are devoting less time to thesis or dissertation research may enroll for fewer hours, depending on the level of activity and the judgment of the committee chair or the department. However, in the semester in which students expect to complete their work and hold the defense, enrollment should be well above the minimum, to cover the more intense reading and processing time involved.

Registration in Session of Graduation. Even though there are only two commencement exercises each year, there are three official graduation dates: December, May, and August. Every candidate for a graduate degree must be registered in the Graduate School in the session of graduation. Failure to graduate at the expected time requires such additional registrations as may be necessary until graduation.

Maximum Allowable Doctoral Hours. Students not making timely progress toward completion of the doctoral degree are subject to termination by the Graduate Dean. Because the Texas Legislature has capped fundable graduate study at 99 doctoral hours and imposed sanctions upon universities permitting registration for excess hours, graduate students will not be supported as TAs or RAs beyond 99 doctoral hours and will be required to pay out-of-state tuition, regardless of residence status. The maximum time allowed for completing the doctoral degree is eight years. Any exceptions or extensions must be approved in advance by the Graduate Dean.

Maximum Allowable Graduate Hours. Students in programs other than doctoral programs who are not making timely progress toward completion of their degree are subject to termination by the Graduate Dean. Graduate students will not be supported as TAs or RAs beyond the maximum allowable graduate hours as determined by the Texas Legislature and may be required to pay out-of-state tuition, regardless of residence status. The maximum time allowed for completing masters' degrees is five years. Any exceptions or extensions must be approved in advance by the Graduate Dean.

Changes in Schedule and Withdrawal. A graduate student who wishes to add or drop a course must initiate such action with the graduate advisor for his or her program. To withdraw from the Graduate School, the student must make the request at the Office of the Dean of Students. A student who quits a course without official withdrawal is likely to receive an F in that course.

After a schedule has been approved and the fees have been paid, each change will be subject to a charge of $6 unless it is made for the convenience of a department of the University.

Enrollment by Faculty and Staff. Full-time members of the faculty and staff of Texas Tech University may enroll for courses by permission of the department chairperson concerned. In registering for graduate work, they become subject to the regulations of the Graduate School. However, no member of the faculty who has held rank higher than instructor at Texas Tech is eligible to pursue a graduate degree program at this institution unless prior approval of the Graduate Dean is given.

Enrollment by Undergraduates. An undergraduate student who is within 12 hours of graduation and who has at least a B average in the major subject may enroll for courses carrying graduate credit, subject to the approval and certification of an acceptable grade-point average by the dean of the instructional college and the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. This approval must be obtained on special forms at the time of registration. No course taken without this approval may be counted for graduate credit. Graduate work taken under this provision may not be used to meet undergraduate degree requirements.

An undergraduate who is permitted to enroll for graduate work as indicated above is required to take the Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (or Graduate Management Admissions Test, for business applicants) in the first semester of enrollment in graduate courses, if not taken during the previous five years.

The maximum amount of work that may be scheduled by an undergraduate taking courses for graduate credit is 16 hours in a semester or 6 hours in a summer term, including graduate and undergraduate work. Undergraduates permitted to enroll for graduate work are expected to receive their bachelor's degrees within a year of their first enrollment for graduate credit.

An undergraduate may not receive credit for more than 12 semester hours of graduate work completed prior to admission to the Graduate School as an applicant for a graduate degree.