Registration

Registration periods for each semester are listed in the University Academic Calendar. While every effort is made to ensure that the Schedule of Classes is accurate, unforeseen circumstances or low enrollments may cause the cancellation of some section(s) or course(s). Michigan Tech also reserves the right to change the days, times, rooms, or instructors of section(s) or course(s) as deemed necessary.

The Schedule of Classes can be found on the web at Prepare for Registration.

Adding Classes

The last day to officially add a full semester course is Wednesday of the second week of the semester*.

First-Year Students

Through the first five business days of the semester*, signature approval must be obtained from the student's academic advisor. After the fifth business day of the semester*, signature approval must be obtained from the student's academic advisor and the course instructor. Section changes for the same course do not require an academic advisor approval signature.

All Other Students

Through the first five business days of the semester*, no signature approval is required. After the fifth business day of the semester*, students must obtain signature approval from the course instructor to add a course or change a section.

* Or the same percentage of time if a course is offered in a time module other than a fourteen-week semester

Dropping Classes

Courses dropped by the close of business on Wednesday of the second week of the semester* will be refunded 100 percent. Courses dropped after this date will not be refunded.

During the first three weeks of a semester, courses dropped will not be recorded on the student’s permanent record. Beginning the fourth week through the end of the tenth week of the semester, courses dropped will be indicated by a grade of 'W' on the student’s permanent record.

First-Year Students

During the first three weeks of instruction*, signature approval must be obtained from the student’s academic advisor. Students must be made aware of how dropping a course affects their progress toward graduation. After the third week of instruction*, signature approval must be obtained from the student’s academic advisor and the course instructor.

All Other Students

During the first week through the end of the tenth week of instruction*, no signature approval is required to drop a course.

* Or the same percentage of time, if a course is offered in a time module other than a fourteen week semester.

After the tenth week, a student may request a late drop from the Dean of Student's Office, which will only consider those requests that clearly involve extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control. Comments from the academic advisor and instructor will be requested prior to final approval. The course will appear on the student's permanent record with the grade of 'W.'

NOTE: Students that drop all of their courses will be withdrawn from school as of the date the last course was dropped.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite courses are required to be satisfactorily completed before a student may register in a course requiring the prerequisite.  Students who earn a CD or D in a prerequisite course should retake the prerequisite course before registering for the advanced course.

Departments may also require C or better grades in some prerequisite courses. Students should check both the course number and the required grade to determine if they are qualified to move to the next course.

Concurrent prerequisites are courses that may be taken either simultaneously in the same semester or in a prior semester.

Co-requisites are courses that are required to be taken in the same semester as the course requiring the co-requisite.

The course instructor has the right to waive prerequisites, if openings are available, in the case of a student who has demonstrated competence or who has had academic experience equivalent to that represented by the prerequisite. The waiver does not grant credit for the prerequisite course but indicates the instructor's willingness to accept the student into their class without the student officially taking the prerequisite course.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a course under the following guidelines:

  • When a course is repeated the most recent grade will be used to calculate the GPA, credits earned
    toward graduation, and determination of class standing.
  • A record of all attempts and the grades received will appear on the student’s official
    transcript.
  • Any course repeated for credit must be taken using the same grade mode as the first
    attempt (e.g. pass/fail grades will not replace letter grades).
  • Repeat indicators of “Include” and “Exclude” will appear on the official transcript to identify
    repeated courses.
  • W (Withdrew) and I (Incomplete) grades will not replace a previous grade.
  • Students must have the permission of the dean of students and their academic advisor for the third
    attempt at any one course.
  • Courses exempt from the repeat rule are those that may be repeated for credit as indicated in the
    course description.
  • In situations where an original course is no longer offered and no active direct equivalent exists,
    students may seek the permission of their academic advisor and their department chair or head of
    the academic unit to substitute a different course (a “similar repeat”) which covers comparable
    material at a similar level. The similar repeat must also be approved by the academic unit that
    offered the original course, which may be outside of the student’s academic unit.

Variable Credit Courses

The last day to change credit amounts on variable credit courses is Wednesday of the second week of the semester (or the same percentage of time if a course is offered in a time module other than a fourteen-week semester). Decreases in credits after this date will not be refunded.

Enrollment in Graduate Courses under "Senior Rule"

While completing an undergraduate degree, students are permitted to take courses which could apply to a graduate degree. However, a course cannot be applied to both a graduate and an undergraduate degree.

A Senior Rule form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar’s Office by Wednesday of the second week of class for the term in which the class is taken. Upon submission, the student's academic record will be changed to show graduate status for the course(s) designated. Once the academic record has been changed to show graduate status for a particular course, it cannot be changed back to count toward an undergraduate degree, nor can courses from previous semesters be reclassified.

Students will receive two transcripts once the Senior Rule is applied to a course—one for undergraduate courses and one for graduate courses. Courses completed previously under Senior Rule (but not classified as such in the student's academic record) will not be reclassified to appear on the graduate transcript, but the courses may be accepted on the graduate degree schedule with department advisor’s approval.

Senior Rule Guidelines

  • A student so enrolled and carrying 6 credits or more in 5000 or 6000 level courses may carry no more than 16 credits of course work per semester.
  • The total number of Senior Rule credits may not exceed one-third of the required non-research course credits.
  • Courses taken under senior rule are not eligible for undergraduate Federal aid.  

Senior Citizen Enrollment

The President may authorize financial aid or waive tuition and required or related fees for the auditing of up to two courses per semester for individuals who are 60 years of age or older and are residents of Houghton County or counties contiguous with Houghton County (Baraga, Iron, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon).

Regularly scheduled undergraduate and graduate courses are available for audit, subject to approval by the Office of the Registrar.  Individuals who are not assessed tuition and fees are not entitled to receive any associated benefits.