Graduate students in all programs must maintain continuous registration in the School of Graduate Studies from the date of initial enrolment through to final completion of all degree requirements regardless of whether courses are being taken or not. Failure to maintain registration will be interpreted as withdrawal from the graduate program.
In order for students to register, or to continue registration, in their graduate program, they must obtain approval for their proposed program of studies (courses and/or thesis/report research) from the Director of Graduate Studies of their GAU. Once approval has been obtained, students will normally register through the on-line registration system. Typically, students in thesis- or report-based programs will register on-line in September of a given year for the Fall, Winter and Summer terms (the thesis or report designation will automatically roll forward). Students in course-based programs usually will be required to register on-line at the start of every term. In all cases, registration does not become official until all the appropriate fees have been paid.
Deadlines for all registrations, changes and withdrawals in courses are indicated in the Calendar of Academic Dates to be found on the SGS website. Each student's program of courses must be approved by their GAU’s Director of Graduate Studies. Courses taken in the student’s home GAU will normally be graduate level courses, with the possibility of a limited number of advanced undergraduate courses being allowed for credit. The decision as to whether credit shall be allowed for an undergraduate course is to be made by the Dean of the SGS. Students may, with permission of their supervisor(s), Director of Graduate Studies, and the SGS, take courses instead of, or in addition to, those specified as required for their degree program. Courses over and above the degree requirements will be indicated by an X on the transcript.
DUAL REGISTRATION
A student whose work for a Master's degree at this University is not completed by the beginning of the Fall (Winter) term but who has been conditionally accepted as a candidate for the PhD degree may enroll as a dual registrant. The student must register for both degrees and pay the appropriate fee for the higher degree. Such students must complete all of the requirements for the Master's degree by December 31 (April 30) if they are to receive residence credit towards the PhD degree. If the work for the Master's degree is not completed by December 31 (April 30), the registration for the PhD degree is cancelled and the student continues to be enrolled as a candidate for the Master's degree for the remainder of that academic year.
With the exception of students proceeding from the Master’s to the PhD as described above, in any situation in which there is a graduate degree in progress, it is incumbent on the student to obtain permission of the Dean of the SGS prior to undertaking any new degree programme. Graduate students planning to enrol in a Bachelor of Education or Bachelor of Law degree at UNB prior to the completion of the graduate program will require permission of the Dean of the SGS to retain enrolment in the graduate program in question and will require a letter confirming that the GAU considers the thesis acceptable for defence.
JOINT AND INTERDISCIPLINARY DEGREES
Students whose programs do not readily fall under the jurisdiction of a single GAU may undertake a joint graduate degree at the master’s or doctoral level. Graduate students who take a substantial part of their course work outside the discipline in which they received their undergraduate training may register for such a joint graduate degree.
Graduate students who are to be candidates for a joint degree must meet the regular admission requirements of the SGS. A candidate will be accepted into such a program with the approval of the faculty member(s) who will supervise the research, or of the GAUs concerned, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.The graduate student’s research must be directly supervised by one or more faculty members. In addition, each student should have an Advisory Committee of two or more faculty members from the appropriate disciplines. The course program of the graduate student should be analogous to that of graduate students in the GAUs concerned and must be approved by those Faculties or GAUs.
If a graduate student's program includes a thesis, a thesis proposal must be submitted to the GAUs concerned. The determination of whether a student should be placed in a joint degree program or an interdisciplinary one shall be resolved by the Dean of SGS, the DoGs, and supervisors of the units involved. When a difference in regulations governing the degree occurs between the GAUs concerned, it should be resolved by the Dean of Graduate Studies in consultation with the DoGS and supervisors involved. The exact designation of the degree received will in each case be determined by the School of Graduate Studies upon recommendation by the GAUs concerned.
When the program of study and research does not fit into an existing GAU or combination of GAUs, the candidate may apply to do an interdisciplinary degree under the Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST) GAU of the SGS. Those interested in applying for such degrees should first consult with the Assistant Dean/Director of Graduate Studies for IDST programs in the SGS.
SECOND POSTGRADUATE DEGREES
A student may obtain a second postgraduate degree through the SGS subject to the following regulations:
i. No course taken for credit towards one postgraduate degree can be counted subsequently for credit towards a second postgraduate degree. ii. An individual may receive two identical types of postgraduate degrees through the SGS if they are obtained in different GAUs. iii. An individual may receive two identical types of postgraduate degrees through the SGS in the same GAU provided that the individual's proposed program of study for the second degree is distinct from that followed for the first degree, and that it is approved by the GAU and by the Executive Committee.
AUDIT
In order to audit a course, the student must receive permission from the instructor, the student's supervisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies of the student's GAU. Matters to be considered shall include class size, impact on students registered for credit, and other factors judged to be relevant by the GAU. In some instances, permission to audit cannot be given until the number of registrations is known.
The degree of participation by a student auditing a course is limited and must be agreed to in advance by the student and the instructor. Students auditing courses are not permitted to write formal examinations, or to have their work formally assessed.
A student may not convert an Audit to Credit or Credit to Audit beyond the normal date for adding or changing course registrations.
If at the end of the course, the student has fulfilled all the requirements set forth by the instructor and agreed to by the student, the instructor will inform the Registrar and the course will be retained as an audit course on the transcript. If the student does not fulfill the requirements, the course will be deleted from the transcript.
A course which has been taken on an audit basis may not be subsequently taken on a normal credit for grade basis.
FEE SCHEDULES AND REGULATIONS
Fee schedules and regulations are subject to regular revision and update. Please see our website for the most up-to-date information.
