Effective Fall 2016: New Fulltime Credit Enrollment Requirement for ALL WSE Graduate Students
  • All WSE Graduate Courses (600 levels and above) will have credits assigned to them.
  • Typically, fulltime WSE PhD students will be enrolled in a combination of WSE classes and/or research for a total of 20 WSE credits per semester (fall/spring).
  • Typically, fulltime WSE Masters students will be enrolled in a combination of classes and/or research for a total of 9-10 credits a semester (fall/spring).

April 2017 Update

  • Effective Fall 2017, there will be an enrollment limit of 25 credits for each fulltime WSE graduate student. Any student needing to enroll in more than 25 credits should speak to their academic staff in their program.

March 2023 Update

  • Effective with Fall 2023 registration, there is an enrollment limit  in SIS of 25 credits for each PhD student, and an enrollment limit in SIS of 18 credits for each master’s student. Any student needing to enroll in more than their enrollment limit should speak to their academic staff and/or academic advisor in their program. Individual academic programs may have lower enrollment thresholds as appropriate and documented in their manuals and advising materials.

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Credits have been assigned to our grad courses in order to (a) increase the harmonization with the WSE Engineering for Professionals program (the extensive part-time graduate school portion of the Whiting School), (b) to help the Whiting School be more in alignment with our peer graduate institutions (credits are typical at most universities), and (c) to facilitate and streamline the process for industry partner employees to complete a degree in the WSE.

  • Does this affect any prior semesters? Is there anything I need to do about any past semesters?
    Starting in the Summer 2016 term, you will start to see credits in ISIS and on your transcripts for any WSE graduate-level courses (600 and above). The credit minimums for fulltime status will start in the Fall 2016 semester and will apply to all Fall and Spring semesters onwards.
  • Why is it typical that fulltime WSE PhD students enroll in 20 credits?

    PhD students invest a lot of time in research, and the Whiting School wants to have a more tangible and accurate way capture the rigor and time spent being a PhD doing research- both for reporting purposes and for internal acknowledgement. 20 credits reflects a more accurate representation of the typical fulltime PhD workload.Typically, fulltime WSE PhD students will be enrolled in a combination of WSE classes and/or research for a total of 20 WSE credits per semester (fall/spring).

    Typically, fulltime WSE Masters students will be enrolled in a combination of classes and/or research for a total of 9-10 credits a semester (fall/spring).

  • Do I need to register for 9 credits in the summer/intersession?
    All WSE Graduate Students must be enrolled in at least 9 credits to maintain fulltime status (in fall/spring semesters).
  • Will I see a GPA?
    At this time, the WSE will not be calculating an official GPA.
  • Does this mean that my degree requirements have changed?
    No degree requirements have changed based on the use of credits.