Student Course Load

To be considered full time, a graduate student must pursue 9 hours of credit each fall and spring semester. Students may start or continue their degree in summer semesters.  Three credits of approved graduate coursework are considered full-time enrollment in summer semesters only.  In gauging the amount of time required for study in preparation for classes, the Graduate Council recommends that three or more hours of study be reserved for each hour of class. This is a general recommendation and may vary depending upon the course and individual differences in each student’s background. Due to the rigorous nature of graduate coursework, students are encouraged to limit enrollment to 9 credits each fall and spring semester, however in programs where appropriate, a student may take 12 credits a semester after consultation with their academic advisor. If a student has outstanding Incomplete (INC) grades from previous terms, those credits may count in the 12 credit maximum allowance.

International students with student visas (F-1) must enroll in nine (9) hours of credit each fall and spring semester to be considered full-time graduate students, unless enrolled in their final semester of coursework and they have a Petition to Graduate on file with the Registrar’s office.  If a student is in their final semester and has completed all degree requirements, except the internship (CPT) course (usually numbered 597), registration in any CPT course satisfies full-time enrollment.  Otherwise, if an F-1 student elects to complete CPT in a semester prior to their final semester, it must be part of the 9-credit minimum enrollment normally required.

A current graduate student may not enroll in more than 12 credits per term without written permission by the program director and academic adviser. Permission may be granted after the program director and academic advisor consider: the student’s rationale for the request provided by the student in a brief, written statement which will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than two weeks before the start of the term in consideration; and achievement in courses completed at Hood College.

A student enrolling in their first term at Hood College may not register for more than 12 credits.