CATEGORIES OF ADMISSION

Students are usually admitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as full-time candidates for a specific degree program. The largest category of exception includes the master’s degrees administered through University College, which admit students as part-time candidates. There are also two categories of admission to graduate courses without admission to candidacy for a graduate degree, as follows.

Student Not Candidate for a Degree (SNCD)

SNCD admission to one of the Graduate School’s programs may be granted to qualified students who hold a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and who wish to enroll in graduate or advanced under graduate courses on a non-degree basis. Examples include professionals and others who seek to improve their knowledge or skills through enrollment in selected courses, international exchange students who are studying at the University for a limited duration, students in good standing at other graduate schools, and students who wish to test their capabilities in a graduate setting. Students in this category are assigned home program advisors and are accorded the same privileges as degree students. Applicants for non-degree study in the Graduate School should follow all application procedures outlined in the section headed "Application for Admission." Continuation as a student candidate for degree is subject to the same academic and other standards that apply to degree students.

Non-degree students may, upon recommendation by the admissions committee of an organized graduate program and concurrence by the Dean of the Graduate School, be subsequently advanced to degree status without formal reapplication to the Graduate School. In special cases, SNCD students may be eligible for financial assistance through the regular aid vehicles of the Graduate School.

Graduate Student Unclassified

A student who wishes to enroll for selected graduate-level courses without admission to the Graduate School is generally permitted to do so by following the procedures for registering as a Graduate Unclassified student through the Graduate School. Application for admission is not required for such registration, and permission to register as a Graduate Unclassified student does not constitute admission to the Graduate School. Moreover, permission to take more than 6 hours of graduate credit within one program requires the signature of that program’s graduate studies advisor. Unclassified students are not eligible for student services, including financial assistance administered by the Graduate School and its affiliated programs.

--- From the 2003-2004 Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin