Full-time students (domestic and international) in the Graduate School of Engineering must register for classes on an ongoing basis and carry a minimum of 8 semester hours of coursework per semester. Any student who is appointed to a stipended graduate assistantship is considered full time for the term(s) of appointment if enrolled for a minimum of 6 semester hours.
All graduate students who are registered for Dissertation Term 1, Dissertation Term 2, Dissertation Continuation, PhD Candidacy Preparation, PhD Exam Preparation, or a 0-semester-hour Research course are considered full time. Registration in these courses is restricted to students who qualify for registration in these courses.
The graduate school does not require part-time students to be enrolled for a certain minimum number of semester hours in any term. However, part-time students who are not enrolled for more than one term (excluding summer terms) should take a leave of absence from the university to maintain active student status to keep their student account active.
The maximum number of semester hours approved for a student in each term varies by the degree program. However, a student can petition their faculty advisor to request permission to register for more than the allowed maximum number of semester hours for a given term. Normally, no more than 12 semester hours (inclusive of transfer credits and advanced standing for MS programs) may be taken outside the College of Engineering, unless otherwise specified in the program requirements.
Registration in classes is mandatory to maintain an active status with the university. Students must be registered in all courses for a given term prior to the university course add deadline. Students should not register for an excessive number of courses or for multiple sections of the same course with the intention of dropping half or more of the courses during the first week of classes.
Students must be registered in their last semester of study. International students should consult with the Office of Global Services if they are intending to complete their program during the summer semester. Domestic students finishing their requirements in the summer semester must be registered either in the full summer, summer 1, or summer 2 term.
Any student who is financially withdrawn by Student Accounts prior to the start of any given semester will not be permitted to register for that semester until they rectify the outstanding financial obligation.
The Graduate School of Engineering will correct registration errors. Corrections may generate a new tuition bill.
Due to last-minute scheduling changes, the Graduate School of Engineering must occasionally substitute faculty or change class schedules after the registration period has begun. Any student registered for the original course will automatically be registered for the updated section should no major schedule conflicts be apparent. Otherwise, the graduate school or the department will contact all affected students for alternatives.
Northeastern University reserves the right to cancel, postpone, combine, or modify any class.
The Graduate School of Engineering does not allow College of Engineering graduate students to elect a pass/fail grading scheme for courses normally letter graded.