FAQ - Frequently ASKED QUESTIONS

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS OFFICE FAQS

WHO DO I CONTACT FOR _________ ?

• Please refer to our Who to Contact page.

ARE THERE ANY RECENT POLICY CHANGES I SHOULD BE AWARE OF?

• The Graduate School sends out a memo at the beginning of each semester notifying staff and faculty of policy changes. The Graduate Bulletin can be found on the Policies page of the main Graduate School website.

DOES THE GRADUATE SCHOOL ACCEPT ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES?

• YES! We accept emails from @georgetown.edu email accounts in lieu of physical signatures. The email can be sent to you directly and you can print/scan and submit it with the student’s paperwork (preferred), or can be sent to gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu

HOW CAN I GET ACCESS TO GUExperience/COGNOS/BANNER?

• Please contact the Registrar's Office at univregistrarreporting@georgetown.edu to begin the process for Academic access to these systems. (Note: Admissions access is a different process - please see the  Admissions Accounts & Passwords Page ).

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR MY STUDENTS TO CONTACT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL WITH GENERAL QUESTIONS?

• All general questions can be directed towards our general email inbox at gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu. All Academic Affairs staff members monitor the inbox and we respond to messages within 1-2 business days.

DOES THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OFFER TRAINING FOR DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS?

• YES! We are available for trainings on a variety of topics. Contact us to let us know what you would like training on.

• Contact Graduate Student Services at gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu with any questions or suggestions for training.

Registration FAQS

WHY DID MY STUDENT GET AN EMAIL ABOUT A MISSING TRANSCRIPT?   WHY IS A HOLD ON MY STUDENT'S ACCOUNT?

• The Academic Affairs office audits the files of all incoming students to identify students who have unfulfilled admissions conditions.  Any students who have not submitted final or official academic credentials to the Graduate School Office will be notified that they are required to submit the missing academic documents. We place holds on the accounts of students who do not submit the required documents to our office in the allotted time. Holds are placed prior to registration for the next term.

• Students often submit official documents as part of the admissions process, but those documents may not include grades from the final semester or a notation that the degree was awarded. 

• Note: submission of these documents to a department does not waive the requirement that they be submitted to the Graduate School Office. If you received credentials and can verify that they were official when they reached your office, we will accept them in lieu of having the student re-submit.

WHEN IS REGISTRATION?

• In general, registration occurs in the first two weeks of April (for fall semester) and the first two weeks of November (for spring semester). New fall admits register in the summer. Please refer to the Registrar's Academic Year calendar which can be found here: https://registrar.georgetown.edu/academic-calendar/maincampus/#

IF A STUDENT HAS A HOLD WHEN REGISTRATION ARRIVES, WHAT HAPPENS?

• Students with holds on their accounts are barred from registering, so it is essential that students resolve all holds as soon as possible but at the latest by the end of the Add/Drop period so that they may register.

WHEN ARE ADD/DROP FORMS REQUIRED?

• Students should be able to register for most classes via GUExperience. However there are several circumstances where they must obtain permission to register from the Graduate School, and that is when an Add/Drop form is required. Those circumstances include:

  • Changing a class from regular grading to Pass/Fail or audit

  • Overriding a time conflict (i.e., classes start within 10 minutes of one another)

  • Instructor permission is required to enroll in a class

  • Course is restricted to a major and the student is outside that major

  • Other course restrictions apply

• Please note: Administrators may request enrollment in Continuous Registration and Thesis Research via email -- no Add/Drop Form is necessary.

WHEN IS AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION FOR THESIS RESEARCH?

• Please refer to the Graduate School Academic Affairs Administrator Calendar. The Assistant Director of Academic Affairs will email you at the times indicated with further details and information.

WHAT IS CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION?

• Continuous registration is a “placeholder” category that keeps students active in the system and fulfills the GSAS requirement that all students maintain active registration. It is used when students have completed coursework and are waiting to graduate. There are two sections of Continuous Registration. Please see the Graduate School Bulletin for further information.

DOES THE GRADUATE SCHOOL MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR STUDENTS WHO MISS THE ADD/DROP DEADLINES?

• The Graduate School adheres strictly to the academic calendar published by the Office of the Registrar. Retroactive withdrawals or drops are not permitted and students should be advised accordingly. Exceptions will not be made for students who simply forget to drop a course at the beginning of the semester. We write to students during Add/Drop and ask them to review their registration via GUExperience and encourage you to do the same. 

• Tutorials, Thesis Research, Continuous Registration, and Grade-type changes (audit or pass/fail) must also be finalized by the end of the Add/Drop period. 

• If a student would like to request a retroactive registration change, please advise them to send an email to the Assistant Director for Academic Affairs gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu with the details of the request. In consultation with the Registrar’s office, the Graduate School will determine if an exception will be made.

I HAVE A STUDENT WHO NEEDS TO LEAVE THE UNIVERSITY. WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

• To take a Leave of Absence (LOA) : student must complete the “Student Petition for Change” form, acquire departmental approval, and submit the form to the Assistant Director for Academic Affairs in Car Barn 207. Please note that all requests for an LOA are due by the final day of Add/Drop. 

• To withdraw from the university: student should email the Assistant Director for Academic Affairs at gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu with their request.

grades faqs

WHAT ARE “EXCEPTION GRADES”?

• “Exception grades” are essentially placeholder grades, where a “grade” is entered in place of the final official grade. Those grades include “I” (incomplete), “BL” (blank), “NR” (not reported), and “IP”(in progress), but faculty should ONLY assign "I" (incomplete). We send out exception grade reports at the beginning of every semester to assist in tracking down any missing grades. We will also send out daily exception grade reports the week of Commencement.

HOW SHOULD I HANDLE GRADE CHANGES? HOW SOON WILL GRADE CHANGES BE ENTERED?

• Grade change forms are available from our office and from the Registrar’s Office. They should not be handled by students. Please be prepared to present an ID when delivering a grade change form to our office. Student workers are allowed to deliver grade change forms in sealed envelopes with your initials across the seal.

• Instructors may sign grade change forms electronically via email, provided that the email comes from their @georgetown.edu email account. Administrators may fill out the grade change form on their behalf and submit it with a copy of the email.

• Please allow 48 hours after the grade change is submitted to our office for the grade change to actually appear on the student’s record.

Graduation FAQS

WHAT ISSUES SHOULD I BE AWARE OF WITH GRADUATION?

• Please refer to Academic Affairs Administrator Training Class #3  for a comprehensive look at our  graduation process and a list of associated FAQs. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE THESIS / DISSERTATION SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL PROCESS?

• Please refer to Part 2: Theses & Dissertations from the Academic Training  page for a comprehensive look at our thesis/dissertation process and a list of associated FAQs. 

WHEN WILL MY STUDENTS RECEIVE THEIR DIPLOMAS AND/OR FINAL TRANSCRIPTS? HOW SOON ARE DEGREES POSTED AFTER THE STUDENTS ARE CLEARED TO GRADUATE?

• Answers to all of these questions can be found on this section of the main Graduate School website: http://grad.georgetown.edu/academics/how-to-graduate/diplomas-and-transcripts

AM I EXPECTED TO HELP OUT AT THE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY?

• YES! The Commencement Ceremony is a huge event and we require support from all departments and programs. A Commencement calendar with important dates for administrators will be sent out at the end of February. A memo from Dean Maria Snyder asking for volunteers will be sent out in early April. Volunteer assignments are sent out in the first week of May. 

WHERE CAN I FIND COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY INFORMATION FOR ADMINISTRATORS?

• Information about the Commencement ceremonies in general can be found on the Graduate School main website Commencement pages.  Detailed responsibilities for faculty and staff can be found at  Commencement Info for Faculty  or the Commencement Info for Staff pages.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A "MASTER'S IN PASSING"? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MASTERS IN PASSING AND A TERMINAL MASTER'S?

Master's in Passing

• A Master's in Passing is a masters degree earned en route to a Ph.D. degree. Administratively, it is considered a normal master's degree, and entitles the student to participate in the Commencement Ceremony as a master's student. 

• Please note that students who request a Master's in Passing will stay listed in the Georgetown student database as a Ph.D. student and will not appear on any of your reports as Master's students. No Master's in Passing student should apply to graduate via GUExperience (they will only be able to select the Ph.D. curriculum to graduate). Please instruct your students NOT to apply to graduate via GUExperience.

• Instead, to apply for a Master's in Passing, students should fill out the “Petition for Master's in Passing” form. Please note that our normal deadlines for graduation apply to students who request a Master's in Passing. Students must submit the petition form by the first business day of the month in which they intend to graduate. Students who apply after the first business day of the month will be eligible for graduation at the opportunity--August, December, May.

Terminal Master's

• A Terminal Master's degree can be awarded under certain circumstances when a student leaves a Ph.D. program. Students who wish to leave the program voluntarily should submit a “Petition for for Terminal Master's form. Please contact gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu for details if a student is to be involuntarily terminated from the Ph.D. program.

OTHER FAQS

WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION REGARDING MY STUDENTS ONLINE?

• GUExperience is the primary way faculty and administrators can access information about their students. Please review the FAQs developed by the Registrar’s Office regarding how to use GUExperience. They are located at: https://registrar.georgetown.edu/gu-experience-documentation-for-faculty/.

• In addition, be sure to check out the “Deans View” tab to see most information compiled in one location. Please contact gradstudentservices@georgetown.edu  if you notice any of your students missing from the list.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "ADVANCED STANDING" AND "TRANSFER CREDIT"?

• Advanced Standing is available to Ph.D. students only, and is awarded when a student has obtained a relevant masters degree at another university. Departments can approve up to 30 credits of Advanced Standing.

• Transfer Credit is awarded in cases where no degree was earned, and is available to master's and Ph.D. students. Credits may not be transferred if they have been applied towards any other degree, at Georgetown or any other university.

• Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing must be requested via the "Student Petition for Change Form." More detailed information can be found on in the  Graduate School Bulletin. 

WHAT IS "CANDIDACY"?

• According to the Graduate School Bulletin, Doctoral Candidacy is defined as the successful completion of all required coursework and all required examinations”. Please refer to the Graduate School Bulletin for more detailed information. Please note that Doctoral students may not take a personal leave of absence once candidacy is achieved. 

GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOKS

• Graduate Student Handbooks are the policies and guidelines developed by each graduate program and/or department which cover graduate students in their program of study. These graduate student handbooks are IN ADDITION TO the Georgetown University policies that are found in the Graduate Bulletin (which apply to all graduate students at Georgetown).  Your graduate students should be able to access their graduate student handbooks from your program website.  Prospective students may wish to see your program's Graduate Student Handbook, too, so please make it available for online viewing (or download).