REGISTRATION
[Registration and Student Status]
REGISTRATION FOR THE FALL SEMESTER
- Obtain a Schedule of Classes at GSBS Orientation
- If you wish, talk to Jon R. Wiener for an informal briefing on GSBS policies and procedures.
- Meet with your Dean's Office Advisor (DOA) to obtain advice about and approval of your course and tutorial selections
- Meet with Faculty Advisor(s) to obtain advice about course and tutorial selections
- Students who are not residents of Texas must complete a "Petition for the Determination of Resident Tuition" in order to qualify for resident tuition rates.
- Have your student I.D. badge made (after you register).
- Date: Friday of Orientation Week
- Time: 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon and 1:00-4:00 p.m.
- Place: 22nd floor, UCT
At orientation you will be provided with a packet which contains the timetable of courses to be offered and an assortment of other forms. The Schedule of Classes contains information about registration, which is done by telephone or via the internet using the UT-LINK system. The Schedule booklet also contains the hours during which you may register using UT-LINK. You will have time to meet with faculty members and advisors, choose a tutorial instructor, and decide which ourses to take.
If you have questions, Dr. Wiener will be happy to help you. Feel free to call him or stop by anytime. You don't need an appointment but it is a good idea to call ahead to make sure he will be in his office.
Each student is assigned a Dean's Office Advisor whose role is to provide general academic advice and to ensure that students have plans to remedy any entrance deficiencies and meet the breadth and tutorial requirements.
You might find it helpful to meet with your DOA prior to meeting with a Faculty Advisor (see #4).
The Dean's Office Advisors on the Houston campus are:
Tom Goka, Assistant Dean
713-500-9868
BSRB 3.8435
Thomas.J.Goka@uth.tmc.edu
Jon R. Wiener, Assistant Dean
713-500-9870
BSRB 3.8451
Jon.R.Wiener@uth.tmc.edu
Students at UT-M.D. Anderson/Science Park campus should contact:
Ellen Richie, Assistant Dean
512-237-2403
erichie@mdanderson.org
A Faculty Advisor is a designated faculty member in a particular research area who can advise students on appropriate coursework and who is knowledgeable of research opportunities in that area. The list of Faculty Advisors can be found in the section on Faculty Advisors.
A student interested in several areas is encouraged to meet with a Faculty Advisor from each area. A student who has already decided with whom he/she wants to work can get advice from that person instead of meeting with an "official" Faculty Advisor.
This form is necessary to verify your employment (Graduate Research Assistantship) and it will be included in your Schedule of Classes booklet.
If your appointment is through the Health Science Center, a GSBS representative will sign your petition form. This will be the case for all students whose fall stipend is paid either by GSBS or by faculty at the Medical School, the Dental Branch, the School of Public Health or the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology.
If your appointment is through the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (i.e., if your fall stipend is paid by MDACC faculty), your petition must be signed by a staff member in the Office of Education, room 3.063, of the Houston Main Building.
The completed, signed Petition for the Determination of Resident Tuition must be turned in to the Registrar's Office (22nd floor, UCT) when you pay your tuition and fees for each semester.
REGISTRATION AND STUDENT STATUS
It is the expectation of the Graduate School that every student in a degree program [M.S. or Ph.D.] will be registered as a full-time student every term (including summer) from first enrollment in GSBS to the completion of the degree requirements. Students must register for at least 9 credit hours each fall and spring semester, and 6 credit hours each summer semester. Courses that a student audits do not count toward the semester's credit hour minimum.
A student's transcript must reflect his/her activity during that semester. For example, a student registered for 9 credit hours of formal course work but also performing research must enroll in at least one credit hour of a research course (Special Project: Research, Research in Biomedical Sciences, Thesis or Dissertation, depending on the student's degree program and progress).
Permission to register for less than full-time study during a particular period of time may be granted in extraordinary circumstances by the Dean of the Graduate School. Self-supported M.S. students (but not those receiving a Graduate Research Assistantship) may register for less than 9 hours in any semester, but are still subject to all GSBS academic deadlines, including the three-year limit for completion of the M.S. degree.
If, for personal or medical reasons, a student in good academic standing is unable to make normal academic progress toward the degree, he or she may request a leave of absence. Leaves may be granted by the Dean for a period of up to one year. Although renewals are occasionally granted, the total period of the leave may not exceed two years.
GSBS students may enroll in graduate courses in area institutions (Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Houston) to obtain training directly related to their degree program at GSBS. Students must be registered for at least nine credit hours in GSBS to be eligible for outside enrollment. Students must inform their advisor and their advisory/supervisory committee of registration for courses outside of GSBS. Enrollment without the advisor's consent in courses unrelated to the student's GSBS program may be grounds for dismissal from the Graduate School.
A student who is making progress toward the degree, but is not making use of UT facilities or current GSBS Faculty, may choose not to register and will be considered a "non-registered candidate for the degree." This status would be appropriate for a student who was registered for courses in another institution or for a student who accompanied his or her thesis advisor to another institution. It should be emphasized, however, that all students must register for at least one semester of thesis/dissertation research and must be registered in the semester in which the thesis/dissertation is completed.
Requests for leave of absence, registration for part-time study, or non-registered degree candidate status must be supported by the student's Supervisory Committee. Students who propose to accompany their advisors to another institution and complete their GSBS degree requirements off-site must have satisfied the candidacy conditions for that degree prior to their departure.
If a student is not registered for a particular term and has not been granted an official leave of absence, the Graduate School will consider that student to have withdrawn. To be reinstated in a degree program, a student who has withdrawn must apply and be readmitted to the Graduate School.
