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Last modified
9/23/09
Graduate Admission and Registration
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Persons holding the baccalaureate degree and wishing to take graduate-level courses at the University may do so through admission to the Graduate School.
Graduate School
Lynn Pasquerella, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach
Harold D. Bibb, Associate Dean, Graduate School
Judy K. Beckman, Associate Dean, Graduate School
Admission
Students may be admitted to URI’s Graduate School as degree candidates or they may pursue postbaccalaureate work in nonmatriculating status (see next page). Admission to the Graduate School is based on academic qualifications and potential without regard to race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation, and without discrimination against disabled and Vietnam era veterans.
Application forms can be downloaded at www.uri.edu/gsadmis, or prospective students may apply directly on-line via a link from the same location. If the on-line application is used, all supporting materials (application fee, transcripts, letters of reference, etc.) must be sent as a complete package to the department or program to which admission is sought. Inquiries concerning particular degree programs or courses of instruction should be addressed to the appropriate department chairperson or the graduate program director, as listed in the “Graduate Programs” section of this catalog.
The completed application package must be sent directly to the department or program to which admission is sought. Final decisions rest with the Graduate School, which, after considering the recommendation of the department concerned, will notify the applicant of the decision.
Where admission to a doctoral program is possible for those holding the bachelor’s degree and meeting other requirements, the Graduate School reserves the right to offer admission only to the master’s program while postponing a decision on admission to the doctoral program until at least a substantial portion of the master’s work has been completed.
Applications must be accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Simultaneous application to more than one department requires duplicate applications and credentials and separate application fees.
The completed application package and all supporting documents must be received by April 15 for summer admission, July 15 for fall admission, and November 15 for spring admission (dates for international applicants are below). The application package must be received by February 1 for consideration for financial aid for the following year. As indicated in the “Graduate Programs” section in this catalog, certain programs admit students only for the fall semester or have earlier deadlines. There is no assurance that applications completed after specified deadlines will be processed in time for enrollment in the desired semester. Admission is valid only for the term offered and must be reconsidered if a postponement is subsequently requested.
International Applicants. Applicants from foreign countries must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 550 (or 213 on the computer-based TOEFL exam) unless a higher minimum is listed under the admission requirements for the specific program. Equivalent scores will be required on the new TOEFL exam. Application forms can be downloaded at www.uri.edu/gsadmis (the completed application package must be sent directly to the department or program to which admission is sought), or prospective students may apply directly on-line via a link from the same location. If the on-line application is used, please note that all supporting materials (application fee, transcripts, letters of reference, etc.) must be sent as a complete package to the department or program to which admission is sought. Applications not received by February 1 for fall admission and July 15 for spring admission will be considered for the next admission period. Inquiries from international students concerning nonimmigrant visas, transfers, funding, etc., should be sent to the Office of International Students and Scholars. Inquiries concerning housing should be sent to the Department of Housing and Residential Life (for apartments on campus) or to Off-Campus Housing (for rooms, apartments, and houses in the nearby community).
Transfer Credit. Transfer credit can be requested for graduate work taken at other accredited institutions of higher learning. Under usual circumstances, such credits may not exceed 20 percent of the total credits required in the program. Doctoral candidates holding a master’s degree in the same or a closely related area can request up to 30 credits from their master’s degree. The transfer work must have been taken at the graduate level (equivalent to the 500 level or higher in URI’s course numbering system) and a passing grade earned at that institution. It must have been completed not more than five years prior to the date of admission into a master’s program (ten years for the doctoral program) and must have a clear and unquestioned relevance to the student’s program of study. The request for transfer credit should be accompanied by a proposed program of study and must have the approval of the student’s major professor and the Graduate School. If transfer credit is desired for work taken elsewhere after a graduate student is enrolled at the University, prior approval must be obtained from the Graduate School.
Degree Candidates. Applicants must forward the completed self-managed application package, containing all of the requested materials, directly to the department to which admission is being sought. Where required, test scores in the appropriate nationally administered tests should be sent directly to the department by the testing service. Tests required for specific programs can be found in the “Graduate Programs” section. Scores (GRE, MAT, or GMAT) earned more than five years prior to the term of application will not be accepted. If test results exceed the five-year limit, applicants must retake the examination.
To be accepted as graduate degree candidates, applicants must have maintained an average of approximately B (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) or better in their undergraduate work. For programs that require standardized tests, students must also have satisfactory scores on the appropriate nationally administered test. Applicants with undergraduate averages below the B level may possibly be admitted with submission of other evidence of academic potential; i.e., satisfactory performance in postbaccalaureate work, professional experience as evidenced by publications or letters of recommendation, and/or high scores in the standardized tests referred to above. All students are expected to maintain a cumulative average of B (3.00) or better. Students who do not maintain a cumulative B average will have their status reviewed and may be placed on provisional status or be dismissed. A student placed on provisional status must achieve a cumulative B average within one semester (or nine credits, if part-time) or be subject to dismissal.
Advanced Standing. Advanced standing refers to credits taken at URI by a nonmatriculating student, by a matriculating student while on nondegree status, or by a student in one degree program before acceptance to any other degree program. Credits earned at the University of Rhode Island by a nonmatriculating student may be applied as advanced standing toward degree requirements only upon the recommendation of the student’s major professor and the graduate program director and with the approval of the Graduate School. For the credits to be applied to advanced standing, they must have been earned within a five-year period before the student matriculated into the degree program. For a master’s degree program, advanced standing and transfer credit may not total more than 40 percent of the credits required for the degree. For Ph.D. candidates admitted without a master’s degree, advanced standing may not total more than 20 percent of the credits required for the degree. In special cases, Ph.D. candidates admitted with a master’s degree in the same or a closely related area may request up to nine credits of advanced standing. The request should be accompanied by a proposed program of study and satisfy the time constraints listed for transfer credit.
In certain cases, applicants who have been denied admission may be advised to take several courses in nonmatriculating status (see following paragraph) to provide a basis for later reconsideration of their applications. In such cases, these courses are usually regarded as if they were entrance deficiencies and are not accepted for advanced standing in minimum-credit programs of study.
Nonmatriculating Status. Individuals holding a bachelor’s degree who are not candidates for an advanced degree may take courses during the academic year or in the summer in nonmatriculating status. Normally, to take courses for personal satisfaction or professional advancement, postbaccalaureate students enroll in the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education. Any nonmatriculated student wishing to take courses on the Kingston Campus must file an application with Registration and Records. If nonmatriculated students later wish to be admitted to a degree program, they must complete the regular admission procedure.
Nonmatriculated students do not have the privileges regularly enjoyed by degree candidates. For example, on the Kingston Campus they may not register until one week before classes begin and must make payment before accessing the registration system. Their enrollment is subject to the accommodation of degree candidates wishing to take these courses. In addition, there is a limit to the number of courses taken in this status that may be used as advanced standing to satisfy degree requirements. Nonmatriculated students are not eligible for financial aid.
Registration
The responsibility for being properly registered rests with the student. Students must complete their registration within the time period announced by the University in the Schedule of Courses. The chairperson of the student’s major department will assign an advisor to assist the new graduate student in planning a program. All students must register for courses through Registration and Records in order to be properly enrolled.
For information on late registration, schedule of courses, payment of fees, drop and add, auditing, Veterans Administration educational benefits, transcripts, change of address, and required identification, please see the section on undergraduate registration, page 27.
Early Registration. Matriculated (official degree-seeking) students who meet the eligibility requirements as defined in the Schedule of Courses generally register in April and October for the following semester. The Schedule of Courses is available at www.uri.edu.
Summer Session. Although some graduate-level courses are offered during the summer sessions, the University does not guarantee that any particular course will be offered. The availability of individual faculty members to supervise research or to participate in comprehensive examinations and in examinations in defense of theses or dissertations during the summer sessions varies from year to year. During the summer sessions, special arrangements must be made with both the Graduate School and the department for scheduling comprehensive examinations and thesis or dissertation defenses. Students must be registered to be eligible to schedule these exams. Graduate students must make prior individual arrangements for taking directed studies or special problems courses.
Time Limit and Continuous Registration. Graduate students are expected to complete their course work and research within the five-year time limit prescribed for the master’s degree and the seven-year time limit for the doctorate. The time limit for a degree program may be extended for legitimate reasons such as military service or serious illness. An application to the Graduate School requesting such an extension requires the endorsement of the student’s graduate program director or department chairperson (see the Graduate Student Manual, sections 7.42 and 7.51).
Graduate students must remain continuously enrolled—except for summer sessions, which are optional—until they have completed all requirements and have received their degree. Students who wish to maintain graduate status but do not require use of any University resources, are not registered for course work or research, and are not on a leave of absence approved by the department and the Graduate School must pay the continuous registration fee each semester until the degree has been awarded.
Students who are on a leave of absence or are on continuous registration do not have the privileges of consulting regularly with faculty on research or thesis preparation, nor of using laboratory, computer, or other educational facilities at URI. Students on continuous registration are not eligible for continuation of educational loan deferments based on student status.
A student who does not register for a semester, or obtain approval for a leave of absence, will be considered as having voluntarily withdrawn from the University. Students who are later permitted to re-enroll must pay the continuous registration fee for each semester in which they did not maintain graduate status.
Full-Time and Part-Time Students. Minimum full-time registration is nine credit hours during a regular semester and six credit hours during a summer session. Maximum registration of 15 credit hours during a regular semester and eight credits during each summer term may not be exceeded without prior written permission of the Graduate School, based on extraordinary circumstances. (Students on graduate teaching and research assistantships are limited to a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 credits.) Credits in excess of 15 will be billed at the per-credit rate. Full-time registration is required of all international students and of all students holding fellowships, assistantships, full scholarships, and traineeships administered by the University.
Credits Earned Off Campus. Students wishing to register for credits to be counted toward a degree, who will be earning these credits through off-campus activities (such as research or independent study at a national laboratory), must obtain prior approval from the Graduate School and to have these activities listed as part of their programs of study.
Intellectual Opportunity Plan (Pass-Fail Option). To allow graduate students to venture into new areas of knowledge without fear that their scholastic average will suffer, the Graduate Council has approved the Intellectual Opportunity Plan. (Please note that courses below the 400 level are automatically excluded from the scholastic average.) To be eligible for this option, the student’s major professor or advisor must certify that the course or courses are outside the student’s major field of study, are not entrance deficiencies, and are not specific requirements of, but are relevant to, the student’s program. A maximum of four credits may be taken by the master’s degree candidate and a maximum of eight credits, including any taken as a master’s candidate, by the doctoral candidate. Deadlines to participate in this plan are published in the Schedule of Courses.
2005-2006 Calendar for Graduate Degree Candidates
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2006 Summer Sessions for Graduate Degree Candidates
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