2.1 Registration Access
Access to registration will be granted by time tickets in Owl Express based on a student’s number of overall earned hours (this includes transfer hours). No course additions/deletions are permitted after Drop-Add period has ended.
2.2 Holds on Registration
Holds may be placed on a student’s registration in order to satisfy an obligation owed to the University. Failure to return equipment, books, or lab supplies may also result in a financial hold. Registration, transcript, and diploma requests may not proceed unless all holds are removed.
2.3 Maintaining Eligibility to Register
Students enrolled in a Graduate degree program must register for at least one course in at least one semester per academic year in order for the original program requirements for their degree to remain unchanged unless a Leave of Absence has been approved. If a student is not enrolled three (3) consecutive terms (including summer), the student must apply for readmission. See the Admissions section of this catalog for additional details.
2.3.1 Continuous Enrollment While Completing Dissertation, Thesis or Capstone Project Work
- If dissertation, thesis, capstone, or project courses comprise 50% or more of a student’s credit hours in any semester students must be enrolled every semester (including summer) when they are receiving thesis, dissertation or project guidance or intend to use campus resources. If a student is not receiving thesis, dissertation, or project guidance and does not intend to use campus resources, then the student is not required to register in the summer and the student should request a leave of absence.
- Students who have completed all coursework and are planning to submit a dissertation, thesis, capstone, or project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree should register for dissertation, thesis, capstone or project hours consistent with a realistic appraisal of the amount of remaining work and required faculty involvement.
- Graduate students must be registered for at least one semester hour in the semester (including summer) in which they complete all degree requirements to qualify for graduation. Students then may graduate that same semester or the following in accordance with the graduate timeline.
2.4 Credit Hour
KSU defines a credit hour as a minimum of 2,250 minutes of academic engagement per semester. For many courses, the time is distributed as 750 minutes of direct, faculty-led instruction and 1,500 minutes of out-of-class academic engagement. For a 15-week semester (i.e., Spring Semester or Fall Semester), that equates to 50 minutes of direct, faculty-led instruction and 100 minutes of out-of-class academic engagement per week. An equivalent amount of work and a minimum of 2,250 minutes of academic engagement per credit hour is required for credit-bearing educational activities, for which the direct, faculty-led instruction time varies, including internship, field experience, cooperative education, and some online courses. Thus, this definition applies regardless of type of course, term length, and delivery mode.
2.5 Classification of Courses
Kennesaw State University divides courses completed for academic credit into four categories - lower division, upper division, graduate, and doctoral - representing increasing levels of rigor.
- Lower-division courses are numbered 1000-2999;
- Upper-division, undergraduate courses are numbered 3000-4999;
- Graduate courses are numbered 5000-7999;
- Doctoral courses are numbered 8000-9999.
- Advanced, undergraduate coursework for the five-year, Bachelor of Architecture program are numbered 5000-5999.
Graduate courses are open only to students accepted to graduate study or in instances where a Double Owl Pathway is in place (maximum 9 credit hours).
Graduate students may use graduate level work only to complete their degree requirements. Graduate coursework may not substitute or transfer more than two levels; (i.e. 5000‐level course may not be used for 8000‐level courses and vice versa).
2.6 Full Time and Maximum Course Load
For a graduate student nine (9) semester credit hours is a full-time load in Fall and Spring semesters, and six (6) semester credit hours in Summer semesters. A graduate student in good standing may enroll for twelve (12) semester credit hours in any semester. In order to enroll for more than twelve (12) semester hours, a student must obtain approval from the applicable graduate program coordinator/director.
2.6.1 Full Time Course Load for Doctoral Students Advanced to Candidacy
For doctoral candidates, a) advanced to candidacy and b) who will be registered for more than 50% of their hours in dissertation hours for the remainder of their degree, a full-time load is 6 semester credit hours in Fall and Spring and 3 semester credit hours in Summer.
2.7 Course Audits
Auditing of courses will be permitted for a regularly enrolled graduate student and on a space-available basis. A student must have completed all prerequisites necessary for the course to be audited and is expected to complete all course requirements as noted on the course syllabus. A student may audit no more than 6 credit hours of graduate course work in a given term.
An audited course does not affect the student’s GPA, requires the same tuition and fees as a course taken for credit, does not count toward degree completion, and will be noted in Owl Express and on the transcript with the symbol “V.” A student will not be permitted to have the audit grade changed at any future date.
Withdrawal from an audited course is subject to the KSU withdrawal policy 2.9 Withdrawal From Classes
Auditing of courses is not allowed in the following programs:
2.8 Prerequisites, Concurrent Prerequisites, and Co-requisites
Unless noted in the catalog, a minimum grade of “C” is required as a prerequisite for all courses.
Registration for many courses is restricted to students who completed certain coursework (i.e., prerequisite course(s)), met certain milestones (engineering standing, admission to the program, earned more than a particular number of credit hours, etc.), or permission from applicable faculty.
- Prerequisites must be completed prior to enrolling in a course.
- Concurrent Prerequisites can be completed prior to enrolling or can be enrolled in during the same term as a course.
- Co-requisites must be enrolled in during the same term as the course.
Each student is responsible for identifying prerequisites and planning a program of study in consultation with an academic advisor.
2.9 Withdrawal from Classes
A student who officially withdraws from a course by the end of the last day to withdraw without academic penalty will receive a grade of “W” and receive no credit.
A student will receive a refund only when the student withdraws from ALL courses for the applicable semester and only by the schedule outlined in the University refund policy found here Tuition, Expenses, & Financial Aid .
Students should be aware that a reduction in their hours might result in the loss of full-time student status and thus affect their financial aid, scholarships, athletic and ticket eligibility, University resources and access to university facilities, visa status for international students, and Veterans Educational Benefits. Students should contact the appropriate office and their program coordinator with questions about the impact of their withdrawal from a course before initiating a withdrawal.
Veterans and dependents of veterans who receive educational benefits must notify the Veterans Education Benefits Area in the Office of the Registrar of any course load reductions.
International Students should contact the International Student and Scholar Services for advising on how a reduction in credit hours may impact visa status.
2.9.1 Hardship Withdrawals
If a student experiences significant personal hardship (e.g., medical or family emergency, prolonged illness), the Dean of Students can approve a hardship withdrawal from all courses in the term for which the student is currently registered. In the case of an approved hardship withdrawal from all courses, the Registrar will assign grades of “W” for those classes. The deadline for final approval of a hardship withdrawal by Dean of Students is the last day of class for which the hardship withdrawal is sought. If the hardship withdrawal process is not complete by the last day of class for which the hardship withdrawal is sought, a student must appeal for a retroactive hardship withdrawal from the Academic Standing Committee.
Appeals for retroactive hardship withdrawals must be directed to the Academic Standing Committee. Retroactive hardship withdrawals are rarely granted if it has been more than one year since the last day of class for which the withdrawal is sought. Extraordinary justification must be shown. In the case of approved retroactive hardship withdrawals, the Registrar will assign a grade of “W.”
2.9.2 University Initiated Withdrawals
If a student is suspended by the Office of Student Conduct following a violation of the University’s Code of Conduct not related to academic dishonesty, the Office of Student Conduct may facilitate a University-initiated withdrawal from courses for which a student is registered for the term. The Registrar will assign grades of “W” for those classes.
2.9.3 Military Withdrawals
A student will receive a “WM” symbol for all courses and a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees and a pro rata refund of other fees for military and other service, as defined by BOR Policy Manual, Section 7.3.5.3. To request a military withdrawal, the student must submit a copy of official orders to the Office of the Registrar.
2.10 Military Short-Term Absence Policy
The University recognizes and appreciates the important contributions made in service of our country by Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard members and their dependents. At times these students may be called to fulfill their duties for training or short-term deployment, which cause students to be absent from classes for a short period of time. These absences qualify as “excused absences” which means that the absence, with proper documentation provided, is not subject to penalty and coursework may be satisfied through agreement between individual instructors and students.
- For any emergency orders where the student will be absent approximately 3 weeks or less: Students are responsible for making arrangements with instructors to maintain and/or make up classwork as needed. Service members should provide instructors with maximum advance notice of absences, providing copies of directives from the Military, Reserve, or National Guard.
- A student who will be absent for up to three weeks will be allowed to make up any missed work within a reasonable time frame (generally up to 30 days) without a grade penalty. Instructors must accommodate absences of up to three weeks for 15-week semesters and a proportional duration for other sessions. It is the responsibility of the student to communicate in writing directly with each instructor, as far in advance as possible, so appropriate accommodations can be made.
- For time-sensitive state or federal emergencies/activations where written documentation may not be available until the end of the obligation, the student is responsible for securing the orders to provide to faculty members upon return to the University.
2.11 Cross Registration - Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE)
Kennesaw State University is a member of the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE), an association of colleges and universities in the Atlanta area offering a combination of reciprocal academic services, such as cross registration, interlibrary loans, and visiting-scholars program.
The cross-registration program is available to students officially enrolled in ARCHE institutions. This program is distinct from transient status in that it is possible for a student to register for an approved course at any of the 20 consortium schools and receive credit, while paying tuition costs to the home institution. The intent is to allow a qualified student to complete coursework in that student’s area of study that is not available at the home institution.
A student applying to cross register must meet all eligibility requirements under the ARCHE agreement and the partnering school. Courses taken at a partnering school are transferred back as transfer credit. Credits earned through the ARCHE program do not count in the KSU residency requirement.
To be eligible to participate, the student must be in good standing and must have the recommendation of the faculty advisor or Department Chair at the home institution. Cross registration may be pursued only for courses not offered at the home institution for the given term and is not recommended for a student enrolled in the student’s last semester before graduation. A KSU student must be enrolled for at least one semester hour at KSU in order to cross register. To apply for cross registration at an ARCHE member institution, a student must submit a Cross Registration Application to the Office of Registrar. KSU’s cross registration coordinator should be consulted for individual member college cross-registration deadlines. A complete list of the requirements for eligibility and registration procedures are located on the application.
Member Institutions:
Agnes Scott College
Brenau University
Clark Atlanta University
Clayton College & State University
Columbia Theological Seminary
Emory University
Georgia Gwinnett College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University
Interdenominational Theological Center
Kennesaw State University
Mercer University of Atlanta
Mercer University
Morehouse College
Morehouse School of Medicine
Oglethorpe University
Savannah College of Art and Design - Atlanta
Spelman College
University of Georgia
University of West Georgia
2.12 Attendance Policy
Attendance in classes, laboratories, and lectures is important. Each student is expected to attend the activities corresponding with the student’s schedule of courses. The instructor determines the attendance policy for the course and at the beginning of the semester, provides the students a clear statement regarding the absence policies for the course, including academic consequences of absences. A student who is absent because of participation in University-approved activities, such as field trips and extracurricular events, will be permitted to make up the work missed during the absences.
2.13 Directed Study
The following institutional regulations apply to directed study. Additional departmental requirements may exist.
General restrictions:
- Content in the directed study must not substantially overlap an existing course in the curriculum.
- A student may not enroll in more than three semester credit hours of directed study coursework per semester.
- A maximum of ten semester hours of directed study may be used to satisfy degree requirements with a maximum of three hours used as related studies electives and a maximum of three hours used as free electives. The department shall determine the maximum number of hours allowed within the major.
- A student must have an overall institutional GPA of at least 3.0 and a cumulative GPA in the major of at least 3.0 in order to be eligible for a directed study
Any student wishing to do a directed study must obtain approval from the department and complete a Directed Study request.
2.14 Special Topics
The following institutional regulations apply to special topic courses. Additional departmental requirements may exist.
- Content in the special topic course must not substantially overlap an existing course in the curriculum.
- Special topics courses cannot be required in a degree, concentration, minor, or certificate program because of their temporary nature, but may be included in a list of electives for any program.
- No course may be offered more than three times using a Special Topics course number and/or topic. If after being taught, the course can go through the curriculum process to be approved as a new course.
Note: Special Topics courses are temporary; they are not ongoing courses with variable topics. Variable topics courses offer different content in different semesters and have undergone curricular approval.
2.15 Cooperative Education and Internships
The cooperative education (co-op) and internship courses offer participating students work experience relevant to their majors. For information about co-op and internship opportunities, contact the Department of Career Planning and Development or the corresponding academic department. For information about the applicability of co-op and internship courses to a particular major, contact the corresponding academic advisor.
S/U grades will be assigned for co-op classes.
The Internship grade structure depends on the academic department involved.
2.16 Leave of Absence
A leave of absence provides a mechanism for students experiencing unusual circumstances to be exempt temporarily from the Continuous Enrollment Policy. A leave of absence requires approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator and The Graduate College. See policy 2.3.1 Continuous Enrollment While Completing Dissertation, Thesis or Capstone Project Work
An approved leave of absence stands in lieu of registering for the minimum of 1 credit for each semester for which the leave of absence is granted. During a leave of absence, students may not use KSU facilities, resources, or services designed or intended only for enrolled students; receive a graduate assistantship, fellowship, or financial aid from the University; or take any KSU courses related to their program of study. Time on leave counts toward any University, Graduate College, or program time limits pertaining to the degree being sought. The Graduate College, at its discretion, may grant an extension of the time to degree completion (see: 5.4 Program Time Limit).
2.16.1 Application
Students may apply for a leave of absence for good cause such as serious medical and health-related issues; major financial and employment issues; pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, elder care, and other significant family issues; and other major personal circumstances that interfere with the ability to undertake graduate study.
2.16.2 External Limitations
An approved leave of absence does not exempt students from the enrollment requirements of other programs, offices and agencies such as the Veterans Administration, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and federal financial aid programs. Please note that eligibility for certain types of financial aid (including graduate assistantships) may require enrollment for credits beyond those required by the Continuous Enrollment Policy. It is the student’s responsibility to notify other appropriate agencies as necessary, as well as ensuring the leave does not adversely affect the student.
2.16.3 Deadlines
It is the student’s responsibility to apply for a leave of absence in a timely fashion. A student may apply for a leave of absence before or during any semester in which they are not registered for courses. Application for a leave of absence must be received by the Graduate College on or before the last day of classes for the semester for which it is requested. A leave of absence will not be granted retroactively after the end of the semester.
2.16.4 Limits
A student may request a leave of absence for one semester, two consecutive semesters, or three consecutive semesters (summer semester included). There is a 12-month limit for any one request of leave of absence. A student may submit multiple requests for a leave of absence subject to a 3-semester limit while enrolled in a specific graduate program.
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