Enrollment for continuing graduate students takes place in early April for fall semester, and in mid-November for spring semester. New students register in July for the fall semester and should consult their assigned advisor as to their course selection. Instructions for enrollment and the student’s enrollment date are sent to students via email from the Registrar in early summer. Enrollment demonstrations and tutorials are available through the Registrar. See: https://registrar.wisc.edu/enrollhelp/.
Enrollment Requirements
Graduate students in Communication Arts who are at pre-dissertator status are normally required to register for 10 credits each semester, one of which must be their area’s colloquium. A graduate student may register for fewer credits in a given semester with the permission of their advisor, though, or for more than one semester with the permission of the Graduate Committee. The Graduate School considers full-time enrollment for fall and spring semesters to consist of a minimum of 8 graded credits. For students with a TA or PA appointment, the Graduate School considers full-time enrollment to be 6 credits for an appointment of at least 33.3 percent and 4 credits for an appointment of at least 50.0 percent.
https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/enrollment-requirements/
With the permission of their advisor, a graduate student may not register for the colloquium in a given semester if a minor course outside the department meets during their area’s regular colloquium time, or, in the case of a student in the Communication Science area, may instead register for a colloquium in another department. In either case, a student should notify their area’s colloquium coordinator that they will not be attending colloquium in a given semester. Graduate students who have obtained dissertator status must register for three credits during the fall and spring semesters. Dissertators in residence in Madison are required to register in 2 credits of Communication Arts 990 under their advisor and one credit of their area’s colloquium. Dissertators not residing in Madison are required to register in 3 credits of Communication Arts 990 under their advisor.
For the Graduate School’s policy on enrollment requirements, see:
https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/enrollment-requirements/
For the Graduate School’s policy on auditing courses, see:
https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/auditing-courses/
For the Graduate School’s Policy on continuous enrollment, see:
https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/continuous-enrollment-requirement/
For the Graduate School’s policy on transfer credits, see:
https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/transfer-of-graduate-work-from-other-institutions/
For the Graduate School’s policy on residence requirements for tuition purposes, see:
https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/residence-for-tuition-purposes/
Leave of Absence
Graduate students who take a leave of absence, which constitutes one or more semesters of non-enrollment, from their studies in the Department and at the University must reapply for admission to the graduate program. The Graduate School requires that any student who does not enroll for a semester must reapply and pay the online application fee. The Department recommends that any student reapplying should contact the graduate coordinator, since the specific materials required when reapplying may vary in particular cases. Any student granted readmission must adhere to the current Graduate School requirements when they reenter. The Department does not guarantee readmission to students taking a leave of absence.
The policy of the Graduate School is that Master’s degree students who have been absent for five or more consecutive years lose all credits they have earned before their absence. Doctoral students who have been absent for ten or more consecutive years lose all the credits they have earned before their absence.
According to the Graduate School, a candidate for the doctoral degree should be aware that failure to take the oral examination and submit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may require another preliminary examination and admittance to candidacy a second time.
The Department discourages graduate students from seeking a leave of absence, except in extraordinary circumstances. Any student considering a leave of absence should discuss this possibility with their advisor and/or another department faculty member. Should a leave be necessary, the Department encourages students to reapply for admission as soon as possible.