Supplementary Information Form

The Supplementary Information Form must be filled out by each student prior to the first registration. Please see Section 2.1 of the graduate handbook for choosing the correct program code. The Graduate Program Coordinator in consultation with the student's temporary advisor will verify that the appropriate degree code number has been entered on the line for program major on the Supplementary Information Form. If a student has previously been registered in another Department at the University of Cincinnati, he/she should write "Department Change" across the top of the form. Problems with registration, class listing, grade reports, and bills from the University can often be traced to an incorrectly filled out Supplementary Information Form.

Program of Study Form

Newly admitted graduate students are required to attend the Department Orientation before classes start in the Autumn Quarter. At this time general Department policies will be discussed. Afterwards the students of each Research Group meet together. Each Research Group will have one or more temporary faculty advisors at that meeting and each student will be assigned to a temporary advisor in his/her Research Group. The student will keep this advisor until he/she chooses a permanent research advisor or the student is allowed to switch to another Research Group or Degree Program. With the temporary advisor the student determines a preliminary program of study, and fills out the Program of Study Form for the first year.

Registration

Only after the student has obtained the signature of the advisor on the Program of Study Form and submitted a copy to the Graduate Program Coordinator can the student register for these courses. Any deviation from the list of courses on the Program of Study form may not be approved unless it has been requested formally by submitting the 'Petition to Revise Program of Study' form and the petition has been approved by the advisor. It is the student's responsibility to insure that required courses in the program are taken and that any remedial course work is done as early as possible.

Changes in Registration

The deadlines for any changes (Add/Drop) in registration are listed each quarter in the Learning Opportunities. Listed there too are the deadlines for withdrawing from a course. An instructor may withdraw a student from a course when excessive absences have occurred. The College of Engineering enforces deadlines, and only the most extreme and unusual circumstance would justify a deviation from the deadlines.

When a student makes changes in registration or withdraws from a course, it most likely conflicts with what is on the Program of Study form. Failure by a student to complete the courses, which are listed in his or her Program of Study form, will affect the renewal of any financial aid.

Full-time Course Load

Full-time graduate students must register and maintain a minimum of 12 graduate credits in each quarter of the academic year. These credits include seminars, independent study, research, and thesis/dissertation research, but courses taken on an audit basis are excluded. Only after all course work has been completed and the student has enough credits for thesis/dissertation research can a full-time student register for just one credit. For international students this means registering for one credit hour each Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarter until graduation, whereas domestic students can just register once each academic year until and including the year of graduation.

Part-time Course Load

Part-time graduate students must register for at least one credit during the autumn quarter of each academic year to remain active in the graduate degree program of the ECE Department. However, it is generally expected that every part-time student will take at least one course per quarter or register for thesis research or M.S. project work so as to complete the degree program within the time frame prescribed by the University. Registration is required for at least one credit hour during a quarter of the academic year in which the student graduates.

Change to Part-time/Full-time Status

A student must receive written permission from the Graduate Program Director, in consultation with the advisor, to change from part-time to full-time status, or vice versa. International students must maintain full-time status and can not switch to part time status.

Students Receiving Financial Aid

Students on a University Graduate Scholarship (UGS), a Graduate Assistantship (GA), or other financial assistance from general funds must maintain full-time status. If a student withdraws from a course during the quarter so as to fall below the minimum 12 graduate credits, he/she will be liable for tuition for that quarter. Students with a GA/UGS must also pay for any credits over 19 credits, including audit hours.

Grading Policies

All required or elective course work, which counts towards the M.S. or Ph.D. degree must be taken for a letter grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, or F). Each student must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better in these courses. In addition, at least 2/3 of the graduate credits of the required course work necessary for the degree must be at a level of B or higher (B- has a GPA of 2.67 and is below B).

I, IP, NG and F grades

If a grade of incomplete (I) is assigned at the end of a course, the student must clear the incomplete from the record as soon as possible and at most within one calendar year. After one calendar year, the grade lapses to a failure grade called I/F. No student can graduate with an I, IP (In Progress) or NG (No Grade reported) grade on the record. A student having a grade of F in any required course will not be considered to have completed the requirement of that course for the degree. Usually only repeating the course and receiving a passing grade can meet the requirement. Grades of F are counted in computing averages, including the F's earned in courses which are repeated.

Students who complete a course and either did not receive a grade, or received an F, or an I grade may not subsequently withdraw from the course to avoid grade point average difficulties without prior permission. Such permission will ordinarily not be given except in rare circumstances where the student can provide adequate justification, such as a physician's written, dated, and signed statement if a medical reason is claimed.

Audit Regulations

Admissions and conditions for participation in audit courses are at the discretion of the instructor of the course, who is not obligated to accept a student for audit. Audit course credits do not count towards degree requirements. Audit hours also do not count toward the 260 credit limit for University funded financial assistance (UGS and GA) and they do not count toward full-time status. However, they do count for tuition purposes. Hence a student on a UGS/GA will be assessed for any credits, which run over 19, including audit hours.

Seminar

20-ECES-701 Seminar: The seminar is offered to familiarize the students with research done both within and outside of the Department. Attendance at the seminar is required of all first year students. The specific requirement that each student has to complete to obtain a passing grade varies among the Research Groups and is announced at the first meeting of the seminar.

Independent Study, Research Courses

The Department offers several graduate courses that can be taken on an individual basis with a separate section number allocated for each faculty member. These courses serve different purposes, as described below:

• 20-ECES-780 Self-Study Research: This course is offered only in the Autumn Quarter. First year students who have not been assigned a permanent advisor may register for the appropriate section of 20-ECES-780 Self-Study Research. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, a student may register for a maximum of 9 credits per quarter in order to maintain full-time status. The grade S is given for 20-ECES-780, but the credits do not count towards M.S. or Ph.D. degree course requirements.
• 20-ECES-880 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal: Individualized study and research taken for 1 to 9 credits per quarter for the purpose of preparing the doctoral dissertation proposal and its defense before the student's doctoral advisory committee. A maximum of 9 credits may be counted towards the doctoral course work requirements. This should not be used on a regular basis in place of 20-ECES-889, Thesis/Dissertation Research.
• 20-ECES-888 M.S. Project: Individualized project work to be taken for 1 to 6 credits per quarter per quarter under the direction of the permanent advisor. This course has to be used to satisfy the 6 credit project requirement for the non-thesis M.S. degree program (see Section Error! Reference source not found.). A final, written report appropriately organized, of thesis quality and with sufficient detail must be presented and defended to the student's advisory committee in order to complete the degree requirements. Students pursuing the M.S. thesis program should enroll in 20-ECES-889 instead.
• 20-ECES-889 Thesis/Dissertation Research: This course may be taken for 1 to 19 credits each quarter while the student is engaged in research for the M.S. thesis or doctoral dissertation under the supervision of the permanent advisor.
• 20-ECES-892 Independent Study: Individualized study under the direction of a faculty member. This must be arranged between a student and a faculty member with mutual consent and agreement on the requirements for earning the credits. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, a student may register for a maximum of 9 credits per quarter in order to maintain full-time status. These credits do not count towards M.S. or Ph.D. degree course requirements.