Changing Student Classification

From Part-time to Full-time

If you are in good standing (cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and not on warning), you may petition the Center for Graduate Studies to be changed from part-time to fulltime. Your petition must bear the endorsements of your advisor and department chair.

From Full-time to Part-time

We place a great deal of importance on getting our graduate students through their programs quickly as fulltime students so that they can begin their careers. Your chances of earning your degree are dramatically reduced if you depart Tech before you have completed all requirements and your completion is signed off. Changing to part-time status is available after all coursework for your degree has been completed if and only if your advisor approves this change and you are not receiving financial support for your degree.

To request this change, write a petition requesting the change. Your petition must bear the endorsements of your advisor and department chair.

To see the information on other accommodations for reduced registration for full-time students, see the section on graduate Course Loads.

If extraordinary circumstances suggest that you might better complete your degree as a part-time student you may request a change in your status. If you are in good standing (cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and not on warning), you may petition the Dean of Graduate Studies to be changed from full time to part time. To receive consideration, your petition should explain your extraordinary circumstances, why you find it necessary to prolong your studies, and detail your plan for completion. Your petition must bear the endorsements of your advisor and department chair.

From Provisional to Regular

After at least one semester of satisfactory academic progress, you may petition the Dean of Graduate Studies for a change in status to regular graduate student status. Ideally, your department will have specified the conditions required for admission to regular status at the time you were admitted to provisional status. Such specific conditions must be met prior to conversion to regular graduate student status. Your petition to the Dean of Graduate Studies must be endorsed by your department chair.

From Regular to Special

If you have been dropped from your graduate program for academic reasons and you are a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, you may apply to the Center for Graduate Studies for special (non-degree) student status. This is not done automatically. There is a limit of 12 credits taken as a special graduate student that
may apply, with committee approval, to any graduate program.

From Special to Regular

If you were not previously in a graduate degree program at Tech, you must apply for regular admission and be accepted by the department where you would like to study. If you seek readmission to a graduate degree program, your requirements for readmission depends on your status before you transitioned to special status (i.e., whether you were a full-time or part-time student). If you were full-time, you must first complete six credit hours within a single semester in courses approved for the degree program with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and no grade less than C. (If you were parttime, you must complete two or three credit hours within a single semester with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and no grade less than C). Your petition for readmission will then be considered by the department you wish to rejoin. The request must be approved and endorsed by the department chair before it will be considered by the Dean of Graduate Studies.