Coursework
Topics:
- Undergraduate Courses
- Courses in Other Departments
- The Washington Consortium of Universities
- Folger Shakespeare Library
- Transfer of Credit
- Taking Courses at Georgetown Prior to Admission to the M.A. Program
- Incomplete Coursework
- Adding/Dropping Courses
- Withdrawing from the University
Course Listings
Undergraduate Courses
Graduate students are seriously discouraged from taking undergraduate courses. In very rare cases, a graduate student may take undergraduate English courses (300- and 400- level) for graduate credit, provided that additional work is assigned to make the demands of the course comparable to those of a graduate course. Before the add/drop deadline, the student must file with the Graduate School office the Tutorial Registration form [download], describing the supplementary work, and approved by the professor of the course and by the Director of Graduate Studies in English. It is important to submit the form before the deadline; graduate credit is not granted retroactively.
Courses in Other Departments
A student may take up to 6 credits in other departments of the university, provided that he or she has the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies in English and of the instructor of the course.
Washington Consortium of Universities
M.A. candidates may take graduate courses through the Washington Consortium of Universities. Courses taken through the Consortium must be on topics not available at Georgetown and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in English and the course instructor. Since it is not possible to pre-register for Consortium courses, students have to add in at the beginning of the semester. Approval forms may be obtained at the Registrar's office (G-01 White-Gravenor) or the Graduate School office (302 Intercultural Center). Consortium courses may not be taken Pass/Fail or S/U. The Registrar maintains a file of Consortium university catalogues. For up-to-date information on course offerings and schedules, it is best to call the particular department at the Consortium university.
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Institute of Renaissance and Eighteenth-Century Studies at the Folger Shakespeare Library offers a full program of seminars convened by scholars of international note. As a member of the Institute, Georgetown offers its graduate students an opportunity to join graduate students from other major mid-Atlantic universities in taking these seminars for credit. Contact and application information is available here.
Transfer of Credit
Students may receive up to 6 credits toward the MA for graduate English courses taken at another university, provided they have earned at least a B, and have completed 12 credits in this department. Students requesting a transfer of credit need to fill out a Student Petition for Change to Graduate Program form [Word or PDF]. This should then be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval. If accepted, the form will be sent to the Graduate School for final approval. Transcripts should also be included with all requests. Courses taken seven or more years ago are not usually accepted for transfer.
Taking Courses at Georgetown Prior to Admission to the M.A. Program
English M.A. courses are not open to non-matriculating students. However, qualified prospective students may enroll in courses through the School for Summer and Continuing Education. Credits from these graduate courses, as well as courses taken by students under Special Student status, may be transferred prior to admission to the M.A. program in English. In these two situations, only 6 credits may be transferred toward the M.A. degree. Students required to register as Special Students for probationary purposes will sometimes be permitted to transfer more than 6 credits toward the degree, depending upon the conditions of their admission.
Incomplete Coursework
Section taken directly from the Graduate School Bulletin; see complete Bulletin for additional information
It is expected that students will complete all coursework by the end of the semester in which that coursework is taken. In special circumstances, an instructor may grant a student permission to delay submission of work up to one semester after the course ends. Instructors
are not bound to grant such requests, nor are they bound to grant an entire semester to complete such work. When an instructor has granted such permission, he or she will assign the student a grade of "Incomplete" ("I") for the course; this grade will appear on the student's official transcript until a final grade is reported.
The student must submit the completed work to the instructor in a timely manner, sufficient to enable the instructor to review the work and to send a final grade (recorded on a Grade Change Authorization form) to the Graduate School before the last day of classes in the Fall or Spring semester following the semester in which the Incomplete grade was given.
Some departments or programs, as well as some individual instructors, do not permit the "Incomplete" option. Students should determine early in their first semester of study the policy of their department or program, and each semester the policy of their instructors, in regard to “Incompletes.”
If an "I" is assigned by an instructor and not subsequently changed to a grade by the instructor before the last day of classes in the following semester, it will be converted to an “F” on the student's transcript.
Students who receive an “Incomplete” in their final semester of enrollment, but who are able to graduate without those credits, will retain an “Incomplete” indefinitely. Upon graduation the transcript will be closed and no further grade changes will be made.
This policy will apply to courses taken from Spring semester 2011 forward. It will not be applied retroactively to “Incomplete” grades posted in earlier semesters; those courses will remain “Incomplete” indefinitely unless and until a grade is entered by the instructor.
Adding/Dropping Courses
Section taken directly from the Graduate School Bulletin; see complete Bulletin for additional information
The Add/Drop period generally begins the first day of classes and lasts for ten days; see the Academic Calendar for exact dates. During the Add/Drop period, students may make registration changes including changes of grade status (i.e., letter-grade, pass/fail, or audit), changes of courses already selected, the addition of tutorials, or changes in the number of credits assigned to a variable-credit course. In the last case, the number of credits indicated in the Schedule of Classes will remain on the student's record unless changed during the week following registration.
Students wishing to make such changes in their registration may do so via the Internet, using StudentAccess+ on the Georgetown University home page. For enrollment in Tutorial courses or in undergraduate courses for graduate credit, see Section III.
Courses cannot be added after the Add/Drop period.
Courses may be dropped up to, but not including, the last week of classes. After the Add/Drop period, withdrawal from one or more courses may be accomplished only by processing official Course Registration Change forms, (also known as Drop/Add forms) through the Graduate School and the Registrar.
Withdrawing from the University
Section taken directly from the Graduate School Bulletin; see complete Bulletin for additional information
A student who wishes to withdraw formally from the University must notify the Graduate School in writing. In addition, the student must notify Student Financial Services (in person, when possible) if he or she has received financial assistance from Georgetown University or from state-guaranteed or federally-insured loan lenders outside the University. Students who withdraw from the University must consult with a Student Accounts representative to be certain that financial records are in order. By act of registration, students accept financial responsibility for tuition and fees for the entire semester regardless of attendance in class and regardless of the method of payment used; registration includes Early Registration, Registration, and all courses added after the student's initial registration. A percentage credit toward tuition will be calculated from the date the Graduate School receives notification in writing, according to the schedule printed in Section I. Registration, "The Add/Drop Process and Withdrawal from Courses."
