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Research courses (CE 397C or D) are not counted toward MS or PhD degree requirements but do count in satisfying the course load requirements. If a seminar course or special studies (CE 397) course is intended to be counted toward the degree, arrangements must be made with the Graduate Advisor prior to registration. Seminar courses are always taken on a Cr/NC basis; anyone registered for a letter grade will automatically be changed to Cr/NC by the department unless other arrangements have been agreed upon.
Transfer of Credit for the MS Degree
Up Students may petition to have up to six hours of credit may be transferred from another university toward the MS degree if the courses were graduate level, not counted toward any other degree, and if the student received grades earned a grade of A or B. Transfer credit requests should be made early in the student’s programThe request must be submitted before 12 hours of graduate coursework are completed at UT Austin. See the Graduate Advisor or Graduate Coordinator for additional information.
Undergraduate Courses Allowed for the MS Degree
While most students will take all classes at the graduate level, in some situations faculty may advise students to take an upper-division undergraduate course. Students writing a thesis may count up to nine hours of upper-division undergraduate courses toward the degree requirements with no more than six hours in either the major or the minor. Students writing a Graduate School Report may count up to 6 hours of upper-division undergraduate coursework, while students in the No Thesis/Departmental Report or No Thesis/No Report options may count only 3 hours of upper-division undergraduate coursework toward the MS degree. As of fall 2008, grades in upper division undergraduate courses count in the graduate GPA. Undergraduate courses taken during the bachelor's degree cannot be used toward a graduate degree.
Continuous Registration - Thesis, Report, or Dissertation
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As soon as there is room in your schedule of courses and you begin work on the thesis, report, or dissertation, the student should begin registering for research hours CE 698 (thesis), CE 398D (departmental report), or CE 397D (dissertation research).
An MS student taking the thesis option would register for the two-course sequence of , starting with CE 698A the first semester of research, and subsequently CE 698B. CE 698B is required in the semester of graduation. CE 698B may be repeated until the thesis is complete.
Students in the Master's Departmental Report option generally register for CE 398D DEPARTMENTAL REPORT in their final semester.
PhD students will register for 397D (or 697D) Dissertation Research until they are officially admitted to candidacy. Once admitted to candidacy they are required to be registered in CE 399W DISSERTATION (or 699W, or 999W) in the Fall and Spring semesters until graduation. CE X99W Dissertation is required registration in the final semester.
Students should plan to register for 9 hours in Fall and Spring semesters, and 3 hours in Summer. If you have been advised to register in more than these hours, please consult the Graduate Coordinator.
-Thesis, report and dissertation are taken on a Credit/No Credit basis.
-Students must maintain continuous registration as stated above every long semester until graduation. Registration during the summers is not required if you are away from campus, have no contact with the university during that period, and are not appointed as a GRA/TA.
Leave of Absence: Please contact the Graduate Coordinator or Graduate Advisor.
Change of Major: Please contact the Graduate Coordinator or Graduate Advisor.
In Absentia/Post-Summer Registration
A student registered in the summer, who completes his/her degree requirements after the summer deadline but before the start of the fall semester, may request In Absentia Registration (also called Post-Summer Registration). A complete description of this procedure appears in the current Graduate Catalog. There is a $25 registration fee. Students registered In Absentia officially graduate in December.
Applications for PhD Candidacy or MS Graduation
Graduation/candidacy guidelines for both MS and PhD students are available on the Graduate School website, along with the deadlines for submitting the required forms. Master’s students must submit the graduation application online early in the semester they plan to graduate. An electronic MS Program of Work will automatically be sent to the graduate coordinator and advisor for approval after you have submitted your online graduation application. PhD students are expected to take the qualifying exam prior to registering for their second semester and should apply for Admission to Candidacy once the exam is passed. Application for Doctoral Candidacy is completed on the Graduate School web page.
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