Graduate School: Credit Hour Changes

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Policy Number:
UW-1225
Responsible Office:
Graduate School

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

The Course Catalog specifies the credit hour value for each course. This policy ensures variable credit hours correlate to student workload.

Definitions:
Credit Hour
Defined in UW-1011, The Credit Hour
Variable Credit Hour Course
A course in which the number of credits vary, depending on the anticipated workload of the student at the time of registration.
Scope:

Graduate students pursuing Master's or PhD degrees in academic programs under the purview of the Graduate School. 

Policy:

Some courses such as Directed Study, Research, Seminars, Study Abroad and Topics may offer variable credit which allows a graduate student to register for the number of credit hours which correlate to the student’s course workload.

A student is prohibited from registering for more or fewer credit hours than indicated for a course.

A student may not change credit hours for a variable credit hour course after the Variable Credits deadline published in the Dates and Deadlines calendar without approval from the dean’s office.

The instructor and student are both responsible for ensuring the student’s workload correlates to the number of credit hours for which the student is registered.

Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Dean of the Graduate School
Policy Manager:
Director, Academic Services, Graduate School
Contact:
Associate Director of Admissions -- Katie Bourassa, katie.bourassa@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2433
Revised Dates:

04-26-2023

Retrieved:
05-16-2025 19:51:58