What should I register for?

5/15/2013 Katrina Hagler, Assistant Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions

Written by Katrina Hagler, Assistant Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions

Happy summer, everyone!  We are receiving many inquiries about registration for fall, so we are reposting this blog entry.  As always, if you have any questions, please contact us.  We look forward to seeing everyone in the fall!

 

Many of our new students are excited about the classes they will be taking in the fall! 
Here are some guidelines to help you through selecting your courses for the fall.

 

How do I know which courses are offered?


For a complete list of courses that are offerred, please see the class schedule. Graduate level courses are all 500-level courses and most 400-level courses.

 

What are the requirements for my degree program?
Degree requirements are posted here

 

Who should I discuss my course selection with?
If you don't have an advisor by the start of your first semester, we will assign a temporary advisor to you, and you will be able to ask that faculty member for advice when selecting your courses. 

What is a temporary advisor? A temporary advisor is simply a faculty member you can discuss course selection with. Students who have temporary advisors should still actively search for a permanent advisor.

When are temporary advisors assigned?  Because many students find permanent advisors over the summer and before the start of the fall semester, the department usually assigns temporary advisors around one week before classes start.

 

How many credit hours should students register for? 
We get a lot of questions about this!  Here are the details:

New graduate students usually register for 2-3 graduate level courses.  If you are on an RA or a TA appointment, we recommend that you register for 2 courses (and your total registration should equal 14 credit hours...see below).  If you are not on an RA or TA appointment, we recommend that you register for 3 courses (and your total registration should equal 16 credit hours...see below).

If I am only registered for 2 or 3 courses, how will I have 14-16 credit hours?

Your registration will consist of the following:

  • 2 or 3 graduate level courses (most graduate level courses are 4 credit hours, so your courses combined will equal 8-12 hours)
  • Seminar Registration Requirement (1 credit hour)
  • Thesis research registration (remainder of credit hours, typically 3-5 credit hours per semester)

What if I am required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses?
If you are taking an ESL course, make sure that you allocate enough time in your schedule for this course.  We recommend that students in ESL course(s) take only 1 or 2 courses toward their degree requirements during the semester(s) in which they are enrolled in ESL courses.  Therefore, students in this cateogry would still be registered for a total of 14 or 16 credit hours as explained above.

I don't know if I'm going to do a thesis yet.  Should I really register for thesis research?
Yes.  All students register for thesis research credit, even if they don't know whether they will complete a thesis or not.  Contact the Graduate Programs Office for the correct Course Registration Number (CRN) for your thesis.
 

How do I complete the registration process?
Students can register online through the self service application which is available here.  Please note, international students will not be able to register until they have completed the check-in process on campus at the International Student and Scholar Services office.

 

Have a question for MechSE Grad?  Have an idea for a blog post? Contact mechse-grad[figure="" class="align-center" width="10"]illinois [dot] edu.


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This story was published May 15, 2013.