Frequently Asked Questions

The maximum hours that the College of Arts and Sciences can cover for any tuition payment is nine (9) in the Fall and Spring semesters or six (6) in the Summer semester. If a student is requesting more than the standard graduate hours, a Request for Approval of Greater than 9 Credits form, signed by the Chair (see Victoria Nelson) is needed to submit along with the student registration to explain why the additional hours are required to receive the additional waiver of credit hours.

If you do NOT have a university assistantship tuition waiver or fellowship, then it can vary depending on your particular situation, such as: 

1. if you are in pre-candidacy status or if you have been admitted into doctoral candidacy status;
2. how many hours you still need to fulfill the required total hours towards the M.A. or Ph.D. degree;
3. how many hours you still need to fulfill the required total hours towards the thesis or dissertation research requirement;
4. what the requirements are of your loan lending institution or Veterans Administration benefits; and
5. how you may be subject to tax withholding if not registered as full time.

Pre-candidate students typically should register for 9 credit hours fall and spring (summer hours not required). Students admitted into Doctoral Candidacy typically should register for a minimum of 2 hours each semester fall, spring, and including summer. Refer to the Course Load section of the Graduate Student Handbook.

Students taking a minimum of 9 hours toward their degree in the fall or spring semester, or taking a minimum of 6 hours in the summer semester, will be classified a Full-Time students for academic purposes. For financial aid enrollment requirements, refer to the Office of Financial Aid.

All graduate degree-seeking students (not in candidacy) must be continuously enrolled. Continuous enrollment is defined as completing, with grades assigned, a minimum of 6 hours of graduate credit every three continuous semesters. Courses that receive a "W" grade do not fulfill continuous enrollment requirements. A graduate student who is not registered and enrolled for a minimum of six (6) credits in a 12-month period is automatically placed in non-degree seeking (i.e. inactive) status. Students must be readmitted to the major to continue their studies. Readmission is at the discretion of the major and is not guaranteed. Refer to the Readmission Policy in the Graduate Admissions Section of the USF Catalog for more information. Students on an approved leave of absence are not subject to the requirement for the time approved for the leave. Students who have been admitted into Doctoral Candidacy must follow the Dissertation Hour Enrollment in place of the Continuous Enrollment requirement as specified here for all graduate students (not in candidacy). 

If you do not have a tuition waiver and have the approval of all your committee members, then you may defend your master’s thesis in the summer even though you are not registered for credit hours. However, you will not be able to complete the final manuscript submission nor apply for your master’s degree in the summer but would have to wait until the following fall semester.

During the semester in which students take the comprehensive exams, students must be enrolled for a minimum of 2 hours of graduate credit (see Candidacy section regarding Directed Research option PSY 7918). If the exam is taken between semesters, the student must enroll for a minimum of 2 hours of graduate credit in the semester before or following the exam. Students must also be enrolled for a minimum of 2 hours of graduate work in the semester they apply for admission to doctoral candidacy.

Students working on a dissertation must enroll for a minimum of 2 hours of dissertation every semester (fall, spring, and summer), starting with the semester following applying for Admission to Doctoral Candidacy, up to and including the semester the dissertation is submitted to and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies. Dissertation hours may apply to the Continuous Enrollment Requirement.

You must be registered for at least 2 credit hours of Dissertation in the semester of your final dissertation defense. The only exception is for clinical students who are on full-time internships during the summer and who request to be enrolled for the IDS 6940 Cooperative Internship Course. Note: Although students may defend their dissertation while enrolled in the IDS 6940 non-credit hour course option, students cannot use only the IDS 6940 non-credit hour course option. In the semester they intend to graduate, students should be enrolled both in the IDS 6940 non-credit option and also be enrolled for at least two dissertation course credits. 

However, if new student loans are desired, then students must register for at least 5 credits per semester based on current federal student loan requirements.

Students must be enrolled for a minimum of two Thesis: Master’s or Dissertation: Doctoral course hours during the semester that the thesis/dissertation final manuscript is submitted and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.

In the semester you graduate you are no longer required to register for hours. To take advantage of this cost savings you will need to provide proof of registering for graduation (Registrar’s confirmation email). To register graduate visit USF Registrars website.

Students who are planning to defend or get their degree in the Summer semester should register for the course section of Thesis or Dissertation assigned to their Major Professor. Please email Brittany Vojnovic to request she assign a section to your Major Professor (include your major professor’s name). However, students who do NOT plan to defend nor get their degree in the Summer semester but need to register to meet summer tuition waiver eligibility (6 credit hours) or continuous enrollment requirements, should register only for the course section of Thesis, Dissertation, or Directed Research assigned to the department Chair (Dr. Stephen Stark). 

According to the graduate catalog, if a student is unable to meet the mandatory continuous enrollment requirement and unable to make continuous progress toward completion of degree requirements due to an exceptional and unavoidable situation, the student should submit in advance a Leave of Absence (LOA) Request Form. The request should specify the reasons for the leave, as well as the duration. Requested LOA may be approved for up to two years. Under rare circumstances, the Office of Graduate Studies may approve a Time Limit Extension (TLE). However, students are allowed only one TLE during their graduate training. Any TLE request must contain a comprehensive work action plan showing benchmarks that will be completed during the extension. The TLE request form and benchmarks must be submitted at least one semester prior to the end of the time limit for the student’s course of study, or degree requirements. A TLE request for a student already out of compliance will not be approved. Students who exceed the time limitations may have their registration placed on hold until a request for extension has been approved. Generally, students that have had a previous Leave of Absence will not be approved for a TLE unless there are exceptional and unavoidable circumstances.