Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Enrollment



The Enrollment section explains matters related to registering for classes, dropping classes, attending classes and taking final examinations.

 

New Graduate Student Orientation


The Graduate School coordinates a New Graduate Student Orientation each fall, spring, and summer semester that provides an overview of what to expect at UNT Dallas - including information on policies, procedures, resources and services on campus and in the community.  The Graduate School recognizes the unique needs and realities of graduate students, and this event is designed to give you the tools and connections you’ll need to be successful in your professional and personal lives. 

Effective orientation programs play an important role in integrating graduate students into the university community; therefore, all new students are strongly encouraged to attend.  All new graduate students receive orientation information following acceptance notification.

Questions regarding New Graduate Student Orientation should be directed to the Graduate School at 972-338-1746 or GradSchool@untdallas.edu.

 

Change of Address


It is the responsibility of the student to provide correct permanent and local mailing address information at all times and on all documents at the University. Students who change their mailing address must notify the Office of the Registrar immediately by submitting the change in writing or by updating their address at my.untdallas.edu.

 

Student Load (Fall/Spring)


 

Fall/Spring

Graduate students may schedule a maximum of 16 total hours during any fall or spring term/semester. Graduate students may schedule a maximum of 9 hours in one eight week session (8W1 or 8W2). Any request for a course overload beyond the maximum hours listed must be approved in advance of registration by the Dean of the Graduate School. For the purpose of fulfilling the graduate residence requirement, a load of 9 graduate semester hours is considered to be a full load.

Graduate students enrolled only in undergraduate courses, for undergraduate credit, may request special consideration by the Graduate School to enroll in hours that exceed the 16 hour maximum.

 

Summer

A full-time graduate student with a GPA of at least 3.000 may select multiple sessions for a maximum of 18 total hours.

Constraints apply to graduate courses. Graduate students may schedule a maximum of 4 hours in a three week session (3W1), a maximum of 7 hours in a five week session (5W1, 5W2), a maximum of 9 hours in a ten week session (10W), or a maximum of 9 hours in an eight week session (8W1). At no time during concurrently running summer sessions can graduate students’ enrollment exceed 10 hours.

For purposes of fulfilling the graduate residence requirements, a load of 9 semester hours is considered a full load. Any request for a course overload beyond the maximum hours listed must be approved in advance of registration by the appropriate Dean.

Graduate students enrolled only in undergraduate courses, for undergraduate credit, may request special consideration by the Graduate School to enroll in hours that exceed the 10 hour maximum.

 

Overload

A graduate student can request an overload of the maximum number of hours allowed in a term/semester through the Graduate School. All requests are reviewed and the student notified of the status of their request prior to the end of registration for a term/semester.

 

Enrollment Certification


Enrollment verification and loan deferments are requested online through the Student Center at my.untdallas.edu and are based upon a student having registered and paid tuition and fees according to the below criteria. Please click here for more information on generating an enrollment certification/verification from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). See “Special Conditions for Financial Aid Applicants” in the Tuition, Expenses, and Financial Aid section of this catalog for loan deferment requirements.

 

Undergraduate


  • Full Time: fall, spring or summer terms/semesters, 12 or more hours.
  • Three-Quarter Time: fall, spring or summer terms/semesters, 9 to 11 hours.
  • Half Time: fall, spring or summer terms/semesters, 6 to 8 hours.

 

Graduate


  • Full Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 9 or more hours.
  • Three-Quarter Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 6 to 8 hours.
  • Half Time: fall, spring or summer term/semester, 5 hours.

 

Registration


All registration and student-requested schedule changes are conducted via web registration at my.untdallas.edu. Specific information and instructions as well as dates are found online at registrar.untdallas.edu and at my.untdallas.edu.

 

Late Registration


Students who are unable to enroll during the official registration periods must pay an additional fee for late registration. Refer to registrar.untdallas.edu for late registration information.

 

Concurrent Registration


Graduate students must secure written permission from the Graduate School before registering for any course or courses at another institution while registered for any course at UNT Dallas. Failure to secure the required permission for concurrent enrollment prior to registration at the second institution may cause UNT Dallas to refuse degree credit for the work taken elsewhere. In no case may the combined total of semester hours enrolled for at the two institutions exceed the maximum load permitted to graduate students at UNT Dallas.

 

Evening and Saturday Classes


A large number of classes at the graduate level are scheduled for one three-hour meeting per week during the spring and fall terms/semesters, usually on Saturday morning or on a weekday evening. Consult the online schedule of classes at my.untdallas.edu, available prior to spring and fall registration, for schedule details.

A few of these classes also are available during summer terms/sessions. Consult the online schedule of classes at my.untdallas.edu.

 

Schedule Changes


For information concerning adding or dropping courses, consult the online Academic Calendars at registrar.untdallas.edu.

 

Registration Changes for Lacking the Prerequisite


A prerequisite is a course or other preparation that must be completed before beginning a course to ensure that students can successfully complete the course.  All prerequisites are included in catalog course descriptions.

Students will be allowed to enroll in the next course of the sequence for the following term if they are currently enrolled in the prerequisite course at UNT Dallas.  However, students will be dropped from that course prior to the beginning of the next term if they do not meet the prerequisite specified in the catalog.  Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop a plan for successful completion of the prerequisite course. 

Concurrent prerequisite enrollment is not permitted; however, in rare instances, exceptions may be approved by the department via the Academic Exception Form.

 

Student Attendance


The University of North Texas at Dallas (“UNTD” or “the University”) recognizes that student success is promoted by the expectation of regular attendance and participation in class (Policy 7.005).
 

Class Attendance:

  1. Responsibility for class attendance rests with students. Regular and punctual attendance at all scheduled classes is expected.
  2. Faculty members will clearly state their policy regarding class absence and the impact of absences on course grades on their course syllabi. Absences may lower a student’s grade where class attendance and class participation are deemed essential by the faculty member.
  3. Faculty members will be expected to report accurately attendance for class roll audits, early alerts, and last day of participation for financial aid purposes.

 

Excused Absences:

  1. An absence may be excused for the following reasons:
    1. Religious holy day, including travel for that purpose;
    2. active military service;
    3. participation in an official university function; or
    4. illness or other extenuating circumstances.
  2. A student is responsible for requesting an excused absence in writing, providing satisfactory evidence to the faculty member to substantiate the excused absence and delivering the request personally to the faculty member assigned to each course.
  3. When the absence is excused, the faculty member will provide a reasonable time after the absence for the student to complete the assignment or examination.

 

Student Absence Due to Religious Holy Day:
A student may be excused from attending classes or other activities, including examinations, for observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose.

  1. A student should notify a faculty member of anticipated absence to observe religious holy days as early in semester as possible.
  2. An excused student may not be penalized for the absence and must be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable period after the absence. The faculty member may take appropriate action if a student fails to satisfactorily complete an assignment or examination.
  3. If a student and faculty member disagree about the nature of the absence being for the observance of a religious holy day or about whether the student has been given reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the faculty member may appeal to the Student Academic Appeals Committee (SAAC). The student and faculty member will abide by the decision of the SAAC.

 

Student Absence Due to Military Service:
A student will be excused from attending classes or other activities upon providing notice of participation in active military service.

  1. A student called to active military service must provide a copy of the student’s military order to each faculty member instructing a course in which the student is enrolled.
  2. An excused student will not be penalized for an absence due to military service and will be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable period after the absence.
  3. The course syllabus or instructional plan for a course in which a student was enrolled when called to active military service will be retained so that the student may complete the course without prejudice and pursuant to the course requirements that were in effect when the student enrolled in the course upon the student’s return from active military service. All course work completed by the student prior to being called to active military service will be retained until the student returns.
  4. A student who returns from active military service who will not be able to satisfactorily complete any outstanding assignments or examinations within a reasonable period of time must contact the Office of the Provost to develop a written plan and timeframe for completing all outstanding assignments or to make any other arrangements as may be appropriate under the circumstances.
  5. The maximum period for which a student may be excused will be no more than 25% (twenty-five percent) of the total number of class meetings or the contract hour equivalent (not including the final examination period) for the specific course or courses in which the student is currently enrolled at the beginning of the period of active military service.
  6. A student returning from active military service who believes that they have not been given full and fair treatment in accordance with this policy, or all other relevant state or federal laws relating to return from active military service, may seek review by the Student Academic Appeals Committee (SAAC). The SAAC will review the complaint asserted by the student, meet with all university officials who may have knowledge of the circumstances, and attempted to resolve the dispute amicably in accordance with UNTD policy and state and federal law.

 

Student Absence for Official University Functions:
Student absences due to participation in a university function or activity must be approved in advance within a reasonable time by the faculty member. Students should be prepared to provide appropriate documentation of participation in the official function.

Student Absence Due to Illness and Extenuating Circumstances:

In cases of brief illness or extenuating circumstances in which a student can return to class participation in a reasonable timeframe, the student should inform his or her faculty of currently enrolled courses with the reason for absence and make arrangements to make up work immediately upon return. Documentation may be requested by the faculty member to verify illness. In case of an absence in which the student is not able to communicate effectively with faculty, the student should notify the Assistant Provost for notification of the faculty.

 

Course Drop/Withdrawal


  1. A student may drop a course prior to the census date in the Office of the Registrar. Courses dropped prior to the census date will not appear on the student’s transcript and will not be included in the limitation of dropped courses as set forth below.
  2. If a course is withdrawn from prior to the end of the 12th week of classes for the fall or spring semester or equivalent date for shorter sessions, a grade of W will be assigned.
  3. No student may drop any course after the date designated by the Office of the Registrar during the twelfth (12th) week of the fall or spring semester, or the equivalent date of the shorter sessions.
  4. No student may withdraw from more than six (6) courses during their academic program except as set forth below. The Registrar may refuse to allow a student to drop a course if the student has dropped six (6) courses previously.
  5. Students applying for financial aid must contact the Office of Student Financial Aid prior to removing any class from their schedule in order to understand the potential impact of the drop/withdrawal of the course on student financial aid eligibility.

 

All relevant course drop dates will be published annually by the Registrar and will be made available on the UNTD online academic calendar. All drop procedures must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline dates specified on the UNTD academic calendar.

 

Limitations on Course Withdrawals


Undergraduate students who enrolled in higher education for the first time after fall 2007 will not be permitted to drop a total of more than six (6) courses, including any course a transfer student dropped at another institution unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than six (6) courses, including but not limited to a showing that:

  1. A severe illness or debilitating condition affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete a course;
  2. The student’s responsibility for the care of a sick, injured or needy person if the provision of that care affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course;
  3. The death of a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s death is considered to be a showing of good cause;
  4. The active duty service as a member of the Texas national guard or the armed forces of the United States of either the student or a person who is considered to be a member of the student’s family or who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student that the person’s active military service is considered to be a showing of good cause;
  5. The change of the student’s work schedule that is beyond the control of the student and affects the student’s ability to satisfactorily complete the course; or,
  6. Other good cause as determined by the Student Academic Appeals Committee. Courses dropped for complete withdrawal from UNTD are not calculated for the purpose of the course drop limitation.

 

Administrative Withdrawal from Courses


At the beginning of each session, faculty report students who do not participate in any classes or coursework prior to the official census date for the term. Students, who are enrolled for courses but fail to attend or participate in all enrolled courses before census, will be administratively dropped from courses for the current term and any future terms. Students who do not attend for one, full academic year are discontinued from the University and required to reapply for admission.

 

Withdrawal from UNT Dallas


A student may withdraw from all courses from UNTD any time prior to for the end of the 13th week of classes the fall or spring semester or the equivalent dates for summer session.

The Registrar will record a W for each course in which a student was enrolled for withdrawals processed prior to the 12th week of classes for the fall or spring semester or the equivalent for summer sessions.

 

Pre-Finals Week


So that students can more adequately prepare for their final examinations, special rules apply to the seven calendar days preceding the final week of each fall and spring term/semester. During pre-finals week, student organizations do not meet; and activities requiring student participation such as field trips or performances by dance, drama or music ensembles are not scheduled.

 

Final Examinations


Faculty members are expected to administer final examinations at the designated times during the exam week of each long semester and during the last class meeting day of each summer term. Any deviation from the published schedule of final examinations must be approved in advance by the appropriate academic dean.

Students who have as many as three final examinations scheduled on one day may appeal to their academic dean to reschedule one of those examinations on another day during the final examination period.

 

Graduation and Commencement


Graduation is the process that verifies that all degree requirements have been met, and the degree awarded (i.e., conferred). Students must apply for graduation in their final term to complete coursework. Diplomas are mailed to candidates approximately eight weeks after the end of the semester in which the student has applied for graduation, and the coursework and other degree requirements have been verified.

 

Application for Graduation 


Applications for graduation are available in online at the student center at my.untdallas.edu. (Visit registrar.untdallas.edu for degree application deadlines.)

Applications for admission to candidacy for a graduate degree must have a 3.00 or above average on all courses that receive graduate credit, whether or not the courses are to be applied toward a graduate degree No student whose academic or personal record is unsatisfactory will be admitted to candidacy for the master’s degree.  The candidate must also earn 30 or more hours of graduate credit, depending upon the requirements for the degree sought.  Courses in which the grade is D cannot be used toward completion of graduate degree requirements.  Please see General Degree Requirements for more details.

Students otherwise eligible for graduation who complete their final course or courses elsewhere will not graduate at the end of the term/semester or summer session/term in which the work is completed, because of the time required for obtaining transcripts. Such students will have their degrees conferred at the close of a subsequent UNT Dallas term/semester.

Applicants who wish to apply after the graduation deadline (see the Academic Calendar) may not have their names listed in the commencement program because of publication deadlines. A late application may also delay degree conferral and final transcript.
Students who would like to apply after the degree conferral deadline will not graduate at the end of the term/semester. Their degree conferral will be processed at the close of the following eligible term/semester.

 

Commencement Exercises


Commencement is the public ceremony to recognize and celebrate students’ achievements. Commencement exercises are held in May and December. 

Students can only participate in one commencement exercise for an academic career (i.e. undergraduate and graduate levels). Students completing degree requirements at the end of the summer term traditionally attend the December commencement exercises. However, students that are within two courses (6-8 credits) of degree completion and in good academic standing can appeal to participate in earlier exercises.

All communications with students related to graduation and commencement activities will be conducted through the UNT Dallas student email accounts.

For more information on graduation and the commencement ceremony, click here to be directed to the Graduation and Commencement page located on the Registrar’s Office website. 

 

Definition of Terms


Active Military Service. “Active Military Service” includes active military service performed by a member of the Texas National Guard of the Texas State Guard.

Census Date. “Census date” means the 12th class day of the fall or spring semester or
the equivalent dates in a summer session. The census date will vary based on the
length of the course and are established and available from the Office of the Registrar.

Class Participation. “Class participation” is determined by the faculty member and may include activities such as attendance in class, submitting homework assignments or discussion board posts, and communication with the faculty member of record.

Commencement. The public ceremony to recognize and celebrate students who have applied for graduation.

Course Drop. “Course drop” means a course credit not completed by the student
that was removed from his/her schedule prior to the session census date and is
removed from the transcript.

Course Withdrawal. “Course withdrawal” means a credit course not completed by
the student who was enrolled in the course on the session census date for which the
student will receive a non-punitive grade of W on his/her transcript.

Discontinuation. Students who are “discontinued” at UNTD are those who have not
been enrolled for at least 12 months at UNTD and must reapply to the institution to
reenroll.

Grade. “Grade” means an indicator assigned upon completion of a course (usually
A,B,C,D or F). A grade indicates that the student has earned and will be awarded
credit if the course was completed successfully or that the student remained in the
course until completion but failed to make satisfactory performance to be awarded
credit. “Grade” does not include “incomplete.”

Graduation. The process to verify that all degree requirements have been met and the degree is awarded (sometimes, also referred to as conferred). The conferred degree is noted on the official transcript, and diplomas are mailed to candidates approximately eight weeks after the end of the final term.

Member of a student’s family. “Member of a student’s family” includes the
student’s spouse, child, grandchild, father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother,
grandfather, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first-cousin, step-parent, step-child or stepsibling.

Person who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student. “Person who is otherwise considered to have a sufficiently close relationship
to the student” includes any relative within the third degree of consanguinity, plus
close friends, including but not limited to roommates, housemates, classmates or other
persons identified by the student as determined by the Assistant Provost for Academic
Affairs on a case-by-case basis.

Reasonable Time. “Reasonable Time” means no fewer than 10 days.

Religious Holy Days. “Religious Holy Days” means a holy day observed by a religion whose place of worship is exempt from state property tax.

Student. “Student” includes students enrolled in distance education, self-paced and other asynchronous courses.