Registration

Newly admitted students who have been accepted and have paid a tuition deposit will be advised and registered by email or by telephone through their graduate program director (GPD). 

Students are required to register for each succeeding semester during the designated online registration period. Registration for spring semester is held in November. Registration for the summer and fall semesters is held in late March. The College’s Academic Calendar and course schedules contain registration dates. Students register at my.emerson.edu. A $50 late registration fee is assessed to students who fail to register by the College’s deadline.

Registration information will be emailed to students’ Emerson email accounts prior to registration.

Students should discuss their course load with their graduate program director before registering for courses. A normal course load for a full-time student is 8 to 12 credits. To attain full-time status, graduate students must register for a minimum of 8 credits. The following chart displays status as it relates to credits.

With the exception of students in the Communication Disorders program, students must have the permission of the graduate program director to register for more than three courses per semester. Graduate students outside of CSD wishing to take more than 12 credits must submit a General Petition to Graduate Studies. Students in both the residential and distance learning CSD programs may take more than 12 credits during certain semesters. Please see your GPD or speak to Graduate Studies if you are uncertain if you need a petition.

Change of Address

The Office of the Registrar maintains local and permanent mailing addresses for each student. It is important that students update their addresses online at my.emerson.edu to ensure that they receive vital information affecting their student status. Students will need their Emerson email username and password in order to access any online functions. The Office of the Registrar sends out official notifications to students’ email addresses. It is imperative that students use their Emerson College email account as their primary email contact.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement

All graduate students, including graduate certificate program students, are required to maintain continuous enrollment in any required term for their respective program. 

If a student does not plan to enroll in courses in a required semester, they must take a leave of absence or register for Continuing Student Status as outlined below.

Leave of Absence

Only students in good academic standing and good standing with the College may apply for a Leave of Absence. Students considering a leave of absence should speak with their graduate program director about their situation, and contact the Office of Student Success to discuss any questions they may have about the process. Once they have reviewed all important considerations with the Office of Student Success, they should complete a Leave of Absence Request Form. Leaves of absence are granted up to one year and are renewable up to an additional year. Students returning from a leave of absence must file a Request to Re-register from a Leave of Absence form with the dean of graduate and professional studies at least 30 days (domestic students) and 90 days (international students) prior to the start of the semester in which they plan to return. Students who take a Health Leave of Absence are required to submit the Readiness to Return documentation to the Office of Student Success. Students taking leaves of absence will not have an extension of the limitation of time for degree completion (see Limitation of Time section).

Students who have either withdrawn or taken a leave of absence from the institution are not eligible to use the library or other resources or to participate in student clubs and organizations or any other College-sponsored activity or program during their leave.

The College refund policy, as detailed in the Expenses section of this catalog, is applicable to all withdrawals and leaves regardless of the reason.

Tuition and fees refund insurance is available to students who wish to protect themselves in the event they are required to withdraw from a given term because of a medical or psychological reason. For further information, refer to “Tuition Insurance Plan” listed in the Expenses section.

Withdrawals

Students who wish to terminate their degree program must complete the Emerson College Request for a Leave of Absence or Withdrawal: Graduate Student Form available online through the Office of Student Success. Withdrawal becomes effective as of the date the completed form is signed by all designated parties.

Continuing Student Status

Unless granted a leave of absence by the dean of graduate and professional studies, graduate students are required to be enrolled for a minimum of 1 credit each fall and spring semester until their degree requirements are completed. Graduate students completing their degree requirements in the summer must register for a minimum of 1 credit during one of the summer sessions. Students who have not been granted a leave of absence by the dean of graduate and professional studies and who do not wish to register for a course, master’s project credit, or master’s thesis credit must register for 1 credit of Continuing Student Status.

Continuing Student Status credits are not applicable toward the completion of the minimum number of credits required for the degree. Students normally should register for Continuing Student Status credit only if they have previously registered for all other required credits (including all master’s thesis and master’s project credits) but have not completed all requirements for the degree, such as the master’s thesis, comprehensive examinations, or courses graded Incomplete.

Failure to Maintain Continuous Enrollment

Students who fail to register continuously as stated above will be assessed the Continuing Student Status fee for any semester(s) for which they are not registered upon readmission, if approved. These students must pay the Continuing Student Status fee(s) in order to be financially cleared for readmission and to graduate.

Students who do not obtain an official leave of absence and fail to register for at least 1 credit will no longer be considered degree candidates. If they wish to resume candidacy, they must apply for readmission to graduate study and are responsible for payment of the Continuing Student Status fee for the semester(s) during which they were not registered. Unless the dean of graduate and professional studies grants a petition stating otherwise, time spent on a leave will be counted toward the regular time limits for degree completion. Information is available in the Office of Graduate Studies, and the forms are available online at emerson.edu/departments/graduate-studies/academic-policies-and-forms. Students are not eligible to graduate while they are on a leave of absence. See Graduation section.

Students who apply to be readmitted more than two years from the date of their last enrollment are subject to current admission standards. There is no guarantee of readmission.

Change of Degree Program

Automatic transfer from one program to another is not guaranteed. A student who wishes to transfer must submit a general petition form and supporting materials to the dean of graduate and professional studies. The general petition form is available online at emerson.edu/departments/graduate-studies/academic-policies-and-forms. The general petition form must be first signed by both graduate program directors of the respective degree programs. Some programs may not permit transfer. Some programs may require a formal admission process. The dean of graduate and professional studies will make the final decision after consultation with the graduate program directors of the degree programs concerned.

Registration Outside of Degree Program

A student who wishes to register for a class outside of their degree program must receive written approval from their graduate program director, the graduate program director of the degree program where the course is listed, and the Office of Graduate Studies. After permission is granted and the student registers, they will be required to submit a general petition if they wish for the course to count toward their degree. The general petition form is available online at emerson.edu/departments/graduate-studies/academic-policies-and-forms. Some programs may not permit outside courses to count toward a degree. Registration across programs and/or departments is not guaranteed. 

Course Numbering System

At Emerson, courses numbered 500-599 are for both bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates; courses numbered 600-699 are for master’s degree candidates. Up to four 500-level courses may be accepted toward a graduate degree provided the courses are approved by the student’s graduate program director as part of the student’s plan of study.

Students may register to audit a course with written approval from the instructor on or after the first day of classes. Students auditing a course receive no letter grade or credit hours. The letters AUD (Audit) will be recorded on the transcript as the course grade. During the first two weeks of the term, a student registered for a course for credit may change to audit status, or vice versa. Thereafter, a change may not be made. The fee for auditing a course is $30 per credit for a graduate student who is also enrolled for at least 4 full-tuition credits. Departments may determine the courses that can be audited.

Any schedule change made after students have registered may be made online at my.emerson.edu until the fifth day of classes. After the fifth day of classes, students must have the instructor’s consent to add a class. Notice given to an instructor or the graduate program director does not constitute cancellation of course registration. Failure to drop a course by the drop deadline may result in a failing grade on the student’s permanent record. After the 10th day of classes, no course can be added except through the approval of the instructor and, if applicable, the Office of Financial Aid. Such approved petitions are assessed a $50 late registration fee. Dropping a course after the 10th day of classes is not permitted except through a petition approved by the dean of graduate and professional studies. The deadline for completing drop/adds during a summer session is the end of the first week of classes. Please consult the Academic Calendar.

Students who fail a course (grade below B-) may repeat the course to receive a passing grade. Both courses, with the grades received, will be part of the student’s cumulative grade point average. See the Standards of Work section of this catalog for additional information.

Grades for the most recent semester are posted online at my.emerson.edu. Students must use their Emerson email username and password to access the web portal.

Students may request official transcripts online at emerson.edu/registrar. Three to five business days should be allowed for processing official transcript requests. Transcripts will only be released for students who have no transcript holds. Transcripts may be withheld due to any unmet obligation to the College or due to a student loan default.