Approved by:	Provost
History:	Issued              -- August 2006
	Revised            -- February 27, 2019
	Last Reviewed -- February 27, 2019
Related Policies:
Additional References:
Responsible Official:	Senior Vice Provost for Administration and Dean of Undergraduate Studies tel. (202) 319-4738

 

I. Residence

 

The term "residence" denotes enrollment for work leading to a graduate degree that is done under the direction of the faculty of a school. Such residence, as is usually the case in the United States, entails enrollment for specified course hours and credits for which corresponding tuition and fees are charged. The minimum period of residence for the master's degree is one year in full-time enrollment or the equivalent; the minimum period of residence for the doctorate is three years of full-time enrollment (including time spent on the master's degree and in dissertation guidance) or the equivalent. A department or school may, with the approval of the Graduate Board, require longer periods of residence than those stated here. Students are advised to consult the Announcements and other publications of their department and school for special regulations.

The normal maximum course load for a full-time graduate student during the period of required residence is nine semester hours per semester or the equivalent. With the permission of the department chair and the dean, a student may be permitted to register for a maximum of 15 semester hours.

Teaching or research assistants must be full-time students and may not enroll for more than nine semester hours per semester, depending upon the number of hours of teaching or research per week required by their appointments.

II. Extended Residence

 

Students who have completed both the minimum residence requirements and all academic requirements for a degree with the exception of the dissertation and defense must continue in extended residence each semester until all the requirements for the degree are fulfilled. Extended residence is a form of continuous enrollment that requires registration for research or dissertation guidance, for which tuition is charged at the rate of one credit hour per semester, unless a student is granted a leave of absence or permission to work in absentia. Students in extended residence have full privileges of consultation with their professors and use of university facilities; they also may take courses upon payment of the usual tuition charge.

Students registering in extended residence will be required to observe the deadlines for registration.