PhD Fall 2013 Registration

General Instructions

  • Prior to registering for any classes, all students must first meet with their Advisor/ Program director to discuss course selection and to obtain the required Academic Advising Access Code for on-line Registration.  Some GMS courses are restricted from on-line registration.   For these courses, students will need to submit a Registration form which requires both the instructor and advisor signature.
  • A complete listing of all GMS courses and the current fall 2013 courses can be found on the GMS website and accessed through the student link.
  • Official registration and payment dates are posted.
  • All registration forms can be found on the Current Student Forms page as well as below.
  • Students should receive approval from the program/department director prior to registering or auditing courses in other colleges at the University.
  • Online registration is closed after a course meets once.  To add or drop courses, obtain instructor (s) and advisor signatures on an Class Adjustment Form and submit the form to the GMS Registrar’s Office.

Important Links and Forms

Register for Fall 2013 courses on-line through Student Link.

On-Line Registration Procedures

To register online, students log into Student Link with their BU login name Kerberos password and Academic Advising code.

  • Meet with your advisor, discuss course selection and obtain your Academic Advising Access Code for On-line Registration
  • Obtain signatures on the Certified Full Time (CFT) Form, if applicable
  • After registration is complete, verify your schedule on the Student Link not only on Blackboard.
  • Full‐time candidates may not register for more than 18 credits without written permission from the Program director and academic advisor. If granted this permission, full‐time tuition charges will apply plus $1,374 per credit for each credit above 18 credits.

Additional Information

International Students: Should visit the ISSO site for additional information.

Completion of Graduate Study: All students in graduate study in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences are required to register continuously each semester until all degree requirements have been completed including submission of thesis.  Students must register for two consecutive semesters prior to completion of their degree.  All final documents, including the dissertation (if applicable), must be submitted during the last registered semester according to the deadlines on the graduation calendar and will not be accepted unless all other coursework and requirements of the specific degree have been completed.

Continuing Students With Courses: Students continuing in a program but not registering for a full-time course load due to the completion of other degree requirement, such as research, must follow the registration guidelines above and first meet with their Advisor/Program director to discuss course selection and obtain an access code for On-line Registration.  If applicable, a  Certified Full-Time (CFT) form must be submitted if registering for less than twelve credits of course work.  This form must be signed by your advisor and submitted as a hard copy to the GMS office, L315. Students should indicate the type of independent work being completed (such as thesis work).  Visa regulations require that most International students maintain full-time status either by course registration or by certification.

Continuing Students Without Courses: All students who are no longer taking coursework and are working on their dissertation, or other degree requirements, must register as a continuing student.  Any student registering for continuing study full-time (GMS MS 985) only need to submit the Certified Full Time (CFT) Form for registration.  No additional registration forms are required. Continuing student fees will apply.  Students should indicate the type of independent work being completed (such as research).  Visa regulations require that most International students maintain full-time status either by course registration or by certification.

Continuing Students Part-Time: All part-time continuing students may register On-line for course number GMS MS 983.

Class Adjustment Guidelines: The Class Adjustment form should be used to add or drop a class.  Pay close attention to the drop/add deadlines as these dates are firm and students are responsible for meeting them.

Adding a Course:

  • Students may add a course via on-line registration or with the Class Adjustment Form through September 16, 2013.  Some GMS courses are restricted from on-line registration.  For these courses, students must submit a Registration Form or a Class Adjustment Form with instructor and advisor signature.

Dropping a Course(s):

  • Students may drop a course via on-line registration following the approval of their advisor without academic penalty or a “W” grade for standard courses through October 7, 2013.
  • Students who choose to drop a course after the designated drop deadline must obtain both the instructor and advisor signatures, complete the Class Adjustment Form and will receive a “W” grade on their transcript.   After November 8, 2013 students may not drop standard courses.
  • To add or drop a non-standard course, students should use Student Link to view pertinent add/drop deadlines, because non-standard classes have a customized drop schedule.
  • Students should recheck their student account as they add and drop classes after the payment deadline and then notify the GMS Registrar  if status changes from part‐time (0‐11 credits) to full‐time (12‐18credits)  (or vice-versa) in order  to  have their certification code corrected.  A revised scholarship voucher must be submitted to Ms. Sherill Ashe, Financial Aid Administrator (617-638-5216) at the GMS office.

Payment, Billing and Health Insurance

Stipend Checks: All PhD students who are currently in the research years need to register by May 1, 2013 to ensure that a June 2013 stipend check is issued on time. You should also check with your Departmental administrator to make sure the necessary paperwork is in order.

Financial Aid Vouchers, Fellowships, Scholarships and Deadlines: Be sure to discuss your registration with your department/advisor so that your department administrator may submit a student award voucher to Sherill Ashe in ( L309) prior to the payment deadline. If you have been awarded a fellowship, please bring in a copy of the award or award renewal to Ms. Sherill Ashe (L-309) as soon as possible to establish your financial aid awards.

Payment & Payment Deadlines: All students must be registered and paid by August 5, 2013.  Payments are made to Boston University and can be sent to Student Accounting Services, 881 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Payment options for degree candidates are listed on the Student Accounting Services web site. All students are expected to use the Student Account Inquiry function on the Student Link to check the balance due on their student account.

Billing: If you have registered and not received a bill by the end of July, or if there is an error in your bill, please contact Millie Agosto/Sherill Ashe for assistance in resolving any discrepancies. Continuing students are expected to use the Student Account Inquiry function on the Student Link to check the balance due on their student account.

Health Insurance Massachusetts Law: Massachusetts Law stipulates that college students registered must be covered by health insurance. Students registered at Boston University are automatically charged for the PLUS student health insurance plan (Aetna Student Health). For any questions, please contact Ellen Millman in Student Accounting Services for assistance (emillman@bu.edu).  If the student charged for PLUS health insurance is already covered under a comparable health insurance plan based in the United States, he or she may waive the charge on the Student Link under the “Money Matters” tab. Waivers should be completed before the payment deadline.  Students who have health insurance charge (s) on their bills cannot ignore the charge. The charge (s) must be paid, waived, or removed by Student Accounting Services by the deadlines.

E-mail Communications: Please be reminded that all important GMS communications are e-mailed to your BU e-mail account. It is important that you check your BU e-mail regularly. For those of you who wish to have your e-mail forwarded from your BU account to a different account, please be sure your e-mail forwarding is functioning correctly.

Address Changes/Forwarding Address: update your address on the Student Link.

Withdrawing or Taking a Leave of Absence:

A student Withdraws from a program when they officially drop ALL courses taken during the current semester and leave their Program of study prior to completion of their degree.

A student requests a Leave of Absence (LOA) to take a period time off prior to resuming and completing their Program.

Students should discuss their situation with their Department Head / Program Director and then submit the withdrawal/leave of absence form to the GMS Registrar.  Students must return within 1 year of requesting a LOA to be reinstated without reapplying.  All PhD students requesting a LOA and /or Withdrawal from GMS should meet with the Associate Provost, Dr. Linda Hyman.  Appointments can be arranged by contacting Kayleigh Klegraefe or calling 617-638-5138.  Additional expansion of the rules governing leave of absences and withdrawal can be found here.  Please follow the refund calendar for key dates.

 

Boston University does not permit a student to enroll simultaneously in more than one graduate program either within Boston University or at another institution, unless those programs have been previously approved by the Trustees of Boston University as a combined degree program.