Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Registration

General questions pertaining to all students:

Q. Why do I get an error when I type in my course number on the enrollment screen?

A. Most likely you are entering the academic course number in the Class Number field. The Student Administration System assigns each class an internal class number, akin to the old touch tone access number. For example, ENGL 230, Section 1 on the Storrs campus has a Class Number of 3761. If you know this number, you may enter it in the Class Number field when you enroll. Most often, however, you will not know the Class Number. Without this class number, you tell the system of the class you want by entering the academic subject and course number in the enrollment screen, then picking the section from the list (if there is more than one section). The system then uses the information you gave it to determine the internal Class Number, with which it enrolls you in the class. If you enter the course number (e.g., 230) in the Class Number field, you will get an error message, since none of the scheduled classes has a Class Number less than 1000.

Q. What do the letters in front of some of the class sections mean?

A. These are residues from the old Thesis system. They represent the various campuses of the University and other sites where instruction is offered. Thus, a class with no letter in front of it (e.g., 001) is a section of the course offered on the Storrs campus, while the prefix letter 'F' represents a class offered at the Health Center in Farmington. There are many different letters and symbols for some very obscure sites.

Q. Do I need to worry about which letter is on the section number for a class?

A. Absolutely. If you enroll in an MBA course being taught on the Stamford campus (prefix letter 'M') you will have to commute to Stamford for the course. The best way to avoid this problem is to include the Campus in your search for classes.

Q. For some of my courses the system tells me that I need instructor consent. Why is this and what do I do now?

A. The Student Administration system enforces instructor consents on those classes so designated by the faculty. To enroll in these classes, you need to contact the instructor and obtain a Permission Number. This is a unique 5-7 digit number that you will enter into the Permission Number field on the enrollment screen. Different departments and faculty are handling these permission numbers in different ways. Some faculty are distributing the numbers themselves, others are permitting departmental staff to distribute them. If you cannot make contact with the instructor for the class, contact the department office. If that does not produce results, let us know by phone at 486-3615 or by email at gradschool@uconn.edu.

Q. I chose the right classes, but they do not show on my class schedule. What is the problem?

A. Make sure you submit your enrollment request after you have chosen your classes. Use the following sequence of steps to do this:

• After you select your first class click the "Add Another Class" button. Repeat this step until you have chosen all of your classes;
• Once you have chosen all your classes, click the "Continue" button at the bottom of the page;
• Click the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page that appears;
• Finally, click the "Submit Request" button on that same page.

If you simply choose your classes but do not click on the "Save Changes" and "Submit Request" buttons at the bottom of the screen, the session will remain pending forever and you will not be enrolled in those classes. The system will not carry out your enrollments until you officially submit your choices in this way.

Questions pertaining to Graduate Students:

Q. I am trying to register for GRAD 395. Why am I told that I do not meet the requisites?

A. To enroll in GRAD 395 (Thesis Research) you must be a Plan A (Thesis) master's student. If you cannot register, one of two things may be wrong:

• Are you a doctoral student? If so, you should enroll in GRAD 495 (Dissertation Research), the equivalent course for doctoral students.
• Have you told the Graduate School that you are a Plan A student? Until we hear from you, we have no way of telling if you are in a Plan A track, and the default track is Plan B (non-thesis). Call the Graduate School (486-3615) or send us an e-mail (gradschool@uconn.edu) and we will set you up as a Plan A student. Remember, however, that if you change your mind and switch to a Plan B track, the GRAD 395 courses you take will not count on your plan of study.

Q. I am trying to register for GRAD 495. Why am I told that I do not meet the requisites?

A. To enroll in GRAD 495 (Dissertation Research), you must be enrolled in a doctoral plan of study. If you are a thesis master's student, register for GRAD 395. If you really are a doctoral student and still cannot register, contact us (gradschool@uconn.edu or 486-3615) so we may check on your status.

Q. There are quite a few different GRAD research courses. What do the various GRAD courses represent and how are they used?

A. You are right, there seems to be a lot of them, but they are pretty logical once you know how they are used. The first rule is that the 300 level courses are for master's students, while the 400 level is for doctoral students. The PeopleSoft system knows which degree you are seeking and will check to make sure you are enrolling in the appropriate level of research class. Here is the set of courses at the master's level:

• GRAD 395 is for master's thesis research. You must be in a Plan A (thesis-based) master's program to enroll. It is a variable credit course, from 1 to 9 credits. The section of the class corresponds to the number of credits the course is worth. Toward the end of the semester the system will automatically associate your enrollment with a section associated with your major advisor, who will assign you a grade for the class.
  
• GRAD 396 is a special 3-credit class for students who have completed all of the requirements for the Plan A master's degree except the thesis. When enrolled in this course you are defined as a full-time student and you may not hold a graduate assistantship. This course requires consent from the Graduate School.
  
• GRAD 397 is a special 3-credit course called Directed Studies. It is intended for those students who are off-campus for the entire semester pursuing their academic studies. Typically, students who are doing field studies or required internships enroll in this course. It requires consent from the Graduate School.
  
• GRAD 398 is a zero-credit course for Plan B (non-thesis) master's students who wish to remain registered with the Graduate School when they are taking no credit-bearing courses. You do not have to enroll in this course if you are enrolling in some other course for credit.
  
• GRAD 399 is a zero-credit course for Plan A (thesis) master's students who wish to remain registered with the Graduate School when they are taking no credit-bearing courses. You do not have to enroll in this course if you are enrolling in some other course for credit.
  The 400-series is identical in purpose to the 300-series and each course corresponds to the same course in the 300-series:
  
• GRAD 495 is for dissertation research. The section number of the class corresponds to the number of credits the course is worth. Toward the end of the semester the system will automatically associate your enrollment with a section associated with your major advisor, who will assign you a grade for the class.
  
• GRAD 496 is a special 3-credit full-time research course for "ABD" students. When enrolled in this course you may not take any other courses and may not hold a graduate assistantship. This course requires consent of the Graduate School.
  
• GRAD 497 is the Directed Studies course corresponding to GRAD 397. It also requires consent of the Graduate School.
  
• GRAD 498 is a zero-credit course used by doctoral students who have not passed the general exam and who are not taking any credit-bearing courses but must remain registered.
  
• GRAD 499 is a zero-credit course similar to GRAD 498, but used by doctoral students who are candidates for the degree, i.e., are "ABD."