American Studies at Minnesota

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

FACULTY

UNDERGRADUATE

GRADUATE

GRADUATE

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Online Graduate Student Handbook

CONTENTS

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REGISTRATION

GENERAL INFORMATION
REGISTRATION RESTRICTIONS

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Graduate School on a semester-by-semester basis determines an individual’s status as a graduate student. Individuals who are not registered in a given semester are not officially students for that registration period. Individuals must be considered official students in order to use the University's educational resources. Even if students are not actively taking classes, they must register fall and spring semester or the Graduate School will terminate their graduate student status. Students may register for Grad 999 (zero credit, zero fees, and no grade) to meet this requirement. NOTE: American Studies Ph.D. students who have not passed the preliminary oral examination may register for Grad 999 no more than two semesters total without the approval of their advisor and the DGS.

Class Schedules

Students can access the most current class schedule information via the Onestop website at In selecting specific courses, students should consult with their adviser (and the DGS if appropriate). Then students should register using the web site.

Course Options

Graduate students may register for 4xxx (American Studies limits this to one 4xxx course), 5xxx or 8xxx-level classes. Although American Studies students can generally choose from all University classes, students in consultation with their adviser and the DGS should be careful to select classes that fulfill Department requirements. See Registration Restrictions, page 7.

Grading Options

Graduate students may choose between two grading options when they submit the course: A—F (with pluses and minuses) or S-N (satisfactory and non-satisfactory). It is highly recommended that all American Studies graduate students take their courses A-F except the practicum (8401) and dissertation (8801) seminars which can only be taken S-N. A student may change the grading option originally selected during the first two weeks of class by submitting a new course request. On both the M.A. and Ph.D. levels, at least two-thirds of the credits completed in the Graduate School and included on the degree program must be taken under the A-F system.

REGISTRATION RESTRICTIONS

Course Permission Numbers

Registration for those courses for which the instructor or the department wish to control enrollment require that the student obtain a course permission number in order to enroll. The American Studies instructor will provide the permission number or notify the main office to provide one. Students should check for course permission number requirements and obtain them prior to registering.

Graduate School 999

American Studies Ph.D. students who have not passed the preliminary oral examination may register for Grad 999 no more than two semesters total without the approval of their advisor and the DGS. Please be aware that students should register for Grad 999 only those terms (fall and spring) in which they do not have to be registered for any reason other than to meet the Graduate School's fall/spring registration requirement. Grad 999 does not meet any other internal/external departmental or agency requirements. Do not register for Grad 999 if you must be registered to hold an assistantship, maintain legal visa status, defer loans, receive financial aid, or for any reason other than to meet the Graduate School's registration requirement.

Holds

Students with a hold on their records will not be allowed to register until the hold requirement is satisfied or temporarily waived. Holds may be put on a record for monetary debt to the University Libraries or the Bursar’s Office or by the Graduate School. Temporary waivers of programmatic holds may be requested of the DGS. When registering on line, you will be notified of any holds that may be on your record. Alternatively, you may Contact One Stop Student Services at 612-624-1111 or 1-800-400-8636 (toll-free from outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area) or 612-626-0701 (TTY for hearing-impaired students only); or email helpingu@umn.edu.

Thesis Credit Registration Policy

Students must enroll for at least 24 thesis credits before they can complete their Ph.D. (10 thesis credits for a M.A. Plan A program). Ph.D. students may not register for thesis credits until the semester after they have passed the preliminary oral examination. Students should be completed with the Ph.D. thesis credits (AmSt 8888) in two semesters. In most cases this would be taking 12 credits per semester. After completing the 24 required thesis credits, you should begin registering for the Full Time Equivalent FTE (AmSt 8444) if you hold an assistantship, must maintain legal visa status, defer loans or to receive financial aid. Register for GRAD 999 to maintain Graduate School registration only.

Registration as a Student Assistant

In order to work as Graduate Assistants at the University, students must be registered for every semester for which they hold the assistantship (pre-thesis credits, thesis credits and FTE credits count as registration, GRAD 999 does not). If students miss the deadline for registration, their assistantships will be terminated, which will also affect the Graduate Assistant Health Insurance Plan. Registration deadlines are usually the end of the second week of classes.

Registration for 4xxx Courses

One 4xxx course in American studies, English, history, American Indian studies, or another appropriate program may be included as one of the seminars to meet the course requirements in American studies. As long as a member of the graduate school faculty teaches the course, students can register for additional 4xxx-level courses by contracting to take the course as an AmSt 8xxx-level directed study with appropriate additional coursework in American studies.