Guidelines for Registration Hours

For part-time students, the minimum load is three credit hours.

Full-time enrollment is required of all students receiving financial aid and for international students on visas. You must register for a minimum of 12 hours of letter-grade and/or pass/fail thesis or dissertation credit hours to maintain your status as a full-time student. Failure to register on time might delay the payment of a fellowship stipend or tuition payment.

Research assistants doing thesis research must sign up for thesis hours (ME/NRE/MP 7000 for the MS and ME/NRE 9000 for the Ph.D.). Graduate research assistants conducting research should register for letter-grade course work (usually six to nine hours) and sufficient thesis hours to bring the total load to 21 credit hours. The Institute Policy on Hour Loads for Graduate Students is found here.  

Enrollment Reduction or Enrollment Waiver

Students must be registered for a minimum of three credit hours at all times, except that thesis students may enroll for one hour of 7000/9000 in the semester of graduation. This Enrollment Reduction may be used only once.

Students who have met all requirements for graduation before the last day of registration for the graduation term and who were registered the preceding semester may be eligible for an Enrollment Waiver. The Enrollment Waiver must be submitted before the first day of classes. You must also reactivate your degree petition at the same time as you submit the enrollment waiver. The waiver must be signed by your advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.

Basic Registration Information

Overrides, Overloads and Waitlists

Restrictions on Campus and Campus Codes

Registration Basics

Overrides (Overloads, Permits and Prerequisite)

  • Override Types - If you need an override, please make sure that you understand what you need! If you ask for the wrong thing, you will still not be able to register for classes.
    • Restricted Class Permit Overrides - Resolves the following registration errors:
      • Major Restriction
      • Class Restriction
      • Level Restriction
      • Permit Required
    • Overload Overrides - If you cannot register for a class because it is full, then you need an overload override. Overloads cannot be given for courses using Waitlists.  Resolves the following error:
      • Closed Section
    • Pre-Requisite Overrides - If you do not have the correct prerequisites or co-requisites for a class, you need a pre-requisite override.
      • Preq & Test Score Error
    • Duplicate Overrides - If you are taking 2 courses with the same CRN number but different sections. (Ex: ME 4803 A & ME 4803 B)
      • Dupl Crse (Duplicate Course)
  • How to Make an Override Request
    • If the class you are requesting does not show up in OSCAR using the instructions below, then click here for more information. 
    • Override requests can only be during active registration periods. See the registrar's calendar for registration dates.
    • Instructions to Request an Override
      • Log onto Buzzport
      • Select Registration (OSCAR)
      • Select Registration on the top menu bar
      • Select Registration Override Request
      • Follow the instructions to submit the override request
      • If your override is approved, you must still register for the class. The override does not automatically register you for the course.
      • Overrides will typically be answered within 48 hours of the request. You will receive an e-mail telling you if the request was approved or denied.
  • Viewing the Status of Override Requests
    • All override requests made through OSCAR can be tracked and monitored using the following instructions:
      • Log onto Buzzport.
      • Select Registration (OSCAR)
      • Select Registration on the top menu bar
      • Select Registration Override Request Status
      • Students will receive an e-mail when requests made through OSCAR have been processed

Waitlists

  • Waitlist is an optional function that departments may decide to use. It allows students to sign up for the waitlist for a course that is closed. Waitlist is exactly what it sounds like; you are not registered for the course but you are in line waiting to register for the course. You will need to wait for everybody else who is in line before you to register before you.
  • If a class section uses a waitlist, then no overloads are given in that class. There are no exceptions to this.
  • Once a student has waitlisted for a course section, a notification will be sent via email if a seat becomes available in that section.
  • Waitlisted students are notified on a first-come-first-serve basis.
  • If a seat becomes available, students will have 12 hours to register for the course section after the email notification is sent.  Students who do not register in that 12 hour time frame will lose their seat in the class and on the waitlist.
  • Waitlist is NOT registration and does not guarantee enrollment in the course.
  • Click here for instructions to identify course sections that use the waitlist option.
  • Click here for instructions to waitlist for the course section.
  • If you drop a waitlisted class that you are registered for, you will not be able to get the class back without using the waitlist. You will need to register for the waitlist, and you will be last in the queue.\
  • View Your Place on The Waitlist - To see where you are on the waitlist, use the instructions:
    • Log onto Buzzport.
    • Select Registration - OSCAR.
    • Select Registration.
    • Select Register for Classes.
    • Follow the prompts to go into the registration screen for the semester in question. 
    • View this image to find your position on the waitlist.


Taking 4000 Level Courses

  • 4000 Level Classes:  There is no published schedule of 4000 level classes.  A tentative list by semester is available here.
  • Graduate students will encounter registration errors while trying to register for most 4000 level courses.  Students usually need two different override requests for each 4000 level course they wish to take. Students trying to take 4000 level ME, NRE and MP courses must made 2 requests for each class:  
    • Restricted Class Permit - Most undergraduate courses are major restricted or restricted to undergraduates only
    • Prerequisite Override - Undergraduate courses have pre-requisites enforced in the registration system
  • Instructions to request the overrides are here.
  • In general, permits for 4000 level ME on-campus classes will not be approved until phase 2 registration.  This is usually very early during the first week of school.  Permits for distance learning classes will be approved during phase 1 registration.
     

Variable Hour Courses

  • Some courses are offered for a range of credit hours (Ex: ME 9000 is offered for 1-21 hours). When a student registers for a variable hours course the credit hours defaults to 1. It is the student’s responsibility to adjust the number of credit hours.
  • Variable hours can only be adjusted during active registration times.
  • How to Change the Hours of a Variable Hour Course

How to Request a Permit for Seminar Credit or the Teaching Practicum

  • Seminar Classes
    • Students must have a permit to register for seminar classes.
    • Seminar classes are ME/NRE/MP 8014 and MP 6011.
    • For ME/NRE/MP 8014, you must attend a minimum of 22 seminars before requesting a permit for the seminar class.
    • Instructions to request a permit:
      • Go to the seminar website. 
      • Complete and submit the form on-line.
      • You will receive an automated e-mail telling you the permit was issued.
      • You must then register for the class.
  • Teaching Practicum
    • All Woodruff School Ph.D. students are required to complete three semester hours of Teaching Practicum (ME/NRE 7757) during the course of their doctoral studies.
    • Instructions to request a permit:
      • Go to the teaching practicum website. 
      • Complete and submit the form on-line.
      • You will receive an automated e-mail telling you the permit was issued.
      • You must then register for the class.

 

How to Request a Permit for Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship Class

  • Email your academic advisor to request a permit for a TA or RA class.

 

How to Request a Permit for a Special Problem Class

  • Go to the graduate database.
  • Complete and submit the form on-line.
  • You will receive an automated e-mail telling you the permit was issued.
  • You must then register for the class.
  • More information can be found here.
 

Campus Restrictions - Is this Class Offered in Atlanta?

  • Campus restriction errors occur if you try to register for a class not offered in Atlanta. All Atlanta classes have a campus code (CMP) of 'A'.
  • Classes offered at any location other than Atlanta, usually have a section code starting with R or Q. (ex. RMZ, RCC, RPK, ROX, R, QUP, etc.)
    • R:  These courses are offered on a different GT campus such as Lorraine, Oxford, etc.
    • Q:  These courses are for distance learning students only.
  • How to View the Campus Code for a Class
    • Look at the class listing in OSCAR. Click here for instructions and screen shots.
    • Find the column labeled CMP. CMP stands for campus code.
    • Only classes with a CMP (campus code) of 'A' are in Atlanta.
    • Any other campus code will give you a campus restriction error.

 

Restriction Information and Notes about Classes

  • Use the procedure below to view details about classes listed in OSCAR.
    • Log onto Buzzport.
    • Select Registration - OSCAR.
    • Select Student Services & Financial Aid.
    • Select Registration.
    • Select Look Up Classes.
    • Select the Term and press Submit.
    • Select the subject you are interested in and press Course Search.
    • Select the class number and press View Sections.
    • After the classes are listed on the screen, click on the hyper linked CRN Number of the class.
    • Any footnotes, comments or notes about the classes are listed on this screen. If the class is a special problems class, the class title should be listed here.
    • Click on the hyper linked Title of the Class.
    • The pre-requisites and restrictions of the class are listed on that screen.

 

Restrictions on Robotics, Controls, and Mechatronics Courses

  • ME 6229, Intro to MEMS, is permit only.  Please email the instructor director to request a permit for the class.
  • The following courses have open enrollment for all graduate students with a home school of ME:
    • ME 6401 - Linear Control Systems
    • ME 6406 - Machine Vision
    • ME 6407 - Robotics for Spring 2024
      • ME 6407 Section AMZ - only for students who are Amazon Fellows, no exceptions are made to this
      • ME 6407 Section A - only for students with a home school of ME.  The major restrictions will be removed during phase 2, after the incoming graduate students have registered. 
      • ME 6407 Section ROB - this section is reserved for students who are in the robotics program who have a home school other than ME, no permit is needed to register for this section as long as the student's major is robotics
      • ME 6407 section Q - This is for distance learning students only, with a home school of ME.  The major restrictions will be removed during phase 2, after the incoming graduate students have registered. 
    • ME 6705 - Intro to Mechatronics
  • Any students with a home school other than ME, will need to apply for a RESTRICTED CLASS PERMIT to enroll in these courses. This includes MS Robotics, PhD Robotics, BIOE, AE, etc. Permit requests will be evaluated after all incoming graduate students have had the opportunity to register for classes, during phase 2 registration only.  Permits requested during phase 1 registration will automatically be denied and need to be requested again during phase 2. 
  • Students who want permits for ME 77XX and ME 87XX robotics courses that are permit restricted need to contact the robotics coordinator for the program, to request permits.