Graduate Student Registration FAQ

MA, MSc, and Ph.D. programs: Academic advising is typically provided by your Supervisor. If you need additional information, contact the School of Graduate Studies regarding academic regulations, course selection, and program planning.

MC, MEd, MHSMgt, MN, MSc Health Sciences (all majors), MSc (Mgt), Graduate Diploma (AMHP), and Graduate Certificate (HSMgt, ACSA) programs: Academic advising is typically provided by the relevant Graduate Program Office.

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Graduate students are responsible for their own registration. However, approvals are required in the following situations:
• To register for an applied research study or independent study
• To register in a course closed to web registration

For specific information relating to program requirements, milestones, and timelines, refer to the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue, the School of Graduate Policies and Procedures manual, and the School of Graduate Studies website.

The Co-operative Education/Internship Option is available to students for the MA, MSc, MSc (Health Sciences), and MSc Mgt programs. Co-operative education integrates academic study at the master’s level with relevant, paid work experience in appropriate fields such as government, institutions, and industry. During a co-operative education, the University, the employer, and the student are in partnership to ensure an enriching experience for the student's professional development.

Graduate students can apply for a Co-op option in the first term of their graduate program; therefore, students are encouraged to contact the Career Bridge Office as soon as possible.

Normally, students are required to complete two work terms of four months each to earn the co-op designation for their degree.

Once you are accepted into a co-op placement, the Co-op Student Handbook has valuable information on milestones during your placement and returning to your studies after your work terms are complete.

Students must be registered for the entire duration of their work terms, and are not permitted to withdraw from the work placement without penalty of failure.

This is treated as a non-credit course recorded on your transcript and does not affect your degree requirements. Refer to the applicable degree sections in the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue for more information.

Continuous registration in the Spring, Summer and Fall terms of each year of your program is required for part-time and full-time graduate students.

Students can log onto the Bridge to withdraw from one or more courses in a given term/session.

If you wish to withdraw from any of your courses or program (thesis), contact the School of Graduate Studies prior to withdrawing. Graduate students are required, by policy, to maintain continuous registration in their programs (3 terms per year). Graduate students should review the Leave of Absence policy published in the Graduate Studies Calendar.

MA, MFA, MMus, MSc, and Ph.D.: Contact your Supervisor in the event that you need to withdraw from one or more of your courses following the add/drop deadline.

MC, MEd, MHSMgt, MN, MSc Health Sciences (all majors), MSc (Mgt), Graduate Diploma (AMHP), and Graduate Certificate (HSMgt, ACSA) programs: Contact the relevant Faculty office in the event that you need to withdraw from one or more of your courses following the add/drop deadline.
The deadlines for withdrawals are found in the ULethbridge Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue.

Withdrawal with Cause:

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances beyond your control that make the continuation of a course impossible. In this case, you may be granted a ‘Withdrawal with Cause’ and will be asked to provide evidence that the conditions that led to the withdrawal have been identified and addressed.

Did You Know? Both a Withdrawal (W) and Withdrawal with Cause (WC) will be recorded on your student transcript. However, if you take the course over again to achieve a grade, both attempts will show on your transcript (the W and the latest grade).

If you want to take a course in a different field, but you are worried that you might not do as well as you would like, you can designate the course as Credit/Non-Credit.

When you designate a course as Credit/Non-Credit, you essentially have insured your GPA because you will not receive a letter grade in the course unless you receive a “B-” or higher at the master’s level or a “B” or higher at the doctoral level. If you get less than a “B-“ at the master’s level or a “B” at the doctoral level, you have failed the course, and an “NC“(No Credit) will appear on your transcript. This indicates that you did not receive credit for the course, but an “NC“ will not bring down your GPA.

Students must designate a course "Non-Credit" on or before the deadline listed in the Dates and Deadlines (Academic Schedule); this destination cannot be done retroactively.

Open Studies students are not eligible to use Credit/Non-Credit designation. See the Registration Dates and Deadlines for the date on which you may designate courses as Credit/Non-Credit for the current fall or spring term or summer session. Also, see the Regulations, Policies, and Program Requirements section in the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue for more information and limitations associated with Credit/Non-Credit.

Equivalent courses can be substituted (one for the other) to meet the same course requirement.

For example, prior to the 2016/2017 calendar year, Art History 5150 was known as Art History/Museum Studies 5150. These two courses are equivalent; so, if you took Art History/Museum Studies 5150 prior to 2016 and now take Art History 5150, you will be repeating a course.

The regulations that apply to repeated courses also apply to equivalent courses. Courses that are equivalent to other courses are denoted with an ‘Equivalent' course element in the course description. The Graduate and Undergraduate Course Catalogues can be accessed here.

At ULethbridge, a graduate student may repeat a course previously taken one (1) time. A grade may be improved by completing either the course or its equivalent.

Three important things to note are:
• Students wanting to improve their grade in an Independent Study, Series or Topics course must repeat the section with the identical title.
• Courses that are equivalent are denoted with an ‘Equivalent’ course element in the course description and include courses that have been renamed or renumbered, and Topics or Series courses that have been regularized.
• Under certain circumstances, the degree-specific program committee may recommend another course to the School of Graduate Studies Dean or Designate for approval consideration.

If a student repeats a course, the grades for each attempt are recorded on the transcript, but only the grade and credit hours for the most recent attempt are computed in the grade point average (GPA). Students may not have grades and credit hours for more than one attempt calculated in the GPA. Students who have repeated a course must submit a Repeated Course form. A student may not use a Credit/Non-Credit designation to replace a previously earned grade. Contact the School of Graduate Studies for more information.

An Independent Study is an individual study for course credit under the supervision of a professor.

To register for an independent study course for MA, MFA, MMus, MSc, or PhD program, please complete the online form.

Three important regulations when registering for Independent Studies are:

1) No more than one (1) Independent Study course may be taught by your supervisor.

2) No more than two (2) Independent Study courses may by taught by the same instructor.

3) When an Independent Study course is taught by a Supervisory Committee member, a second reader must be named who is not on the committee.

You must obtain approval from your supervisor and adhere to the specific rules outlined in the applicable program policies and procedures manual. Once the form is complete, return the signed form to the School of Graduate Studies. For further information, please contact sgs@uleth.ca or the relevant Graduate Program Office.

To register for an independent study course for the MC, MEd, MN, or MSc (Mgt) program, contact the relevant Graduate Program Office.

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MA, MFA, MMus, MSc, and PhD programs:
If you need to extend your program beyond the maximum time limit for program completion, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies may approve an extension to your time limit for up to 12 months. To request a program extension, you must submit a completed Statement of Progress and Standing (Student) form in the SGS Portal with an attached rationale for the request, including a detailed timeline for program completion.

MC, MEd, MHSMgt, MN, MSc Health Sciences (all majors), MSc (Mgt), Graduate Diploma (AMHP), and Graduate Certificate (HSMgt, ACSA) programs:
If you need to extend your program beyond the maximum time limit for program completion, contact the relevant Graduate Program Office for advice on how to proceed with your extension request and registration.

Readmission after Withdrawal:
Students who withdraw or who are required to withdraw must successfully apply for readmission by the appropriate deadline.

Faculty of Arts & Science Faculty of Education Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty of Health Sciences Dhillon School of Business

In most Master's and Doctoral programs, graduate students may take senior undergraduate courses (section numbered 3xxx or 4xxxx) for graduate course credit. However, to receive credit for an undergraduate course, you must submit the Taking a Senior Undergraduate Course at the Graduate Level Request in the SGS Portal.

SGS Portal

On the form, you will need to submit the title, term, course, number, and CRN of the undergraduate course as well as a rationale for taking the course. Consult with your supervisor prior to submitting this form to ensure the course supports your graduate degree and your rationale is adequate.

If you do not submit this form, the undergraduate course will show up on your academic transcript, but you will not receive any credit for your work.

If you need to register for a course but are restricted because you do not have the correct prerequisite (the correct program, prior course work, or admission status), you must submit a Prerequisite Waiver form. This form is found in the SGS Portal.

SGS Portal

*If you want to take a Fine Arts course but lack the prerequisite, please contact finearts.advising@uleth.ca.

When submitting a Prerequisite Waiver form, you will need to identify the Title, Term, Course, Number, CRN, and Instructor for the course, as well as a rationale justifying why the course is relevant to your graduate work. Please consult with your supervisor prior to submitting a prerequisite waiver to ensure that the proposed course adequately supports your graduate work.

The Western Dean's Agreement allows students to take coursework for credit at participating institutions. To be eligible, courses must be an integral part of your graduate degree program, meaning that they must directly relate to your graduate work.

Also, the proposed course cannot be already offered at your home institution. However, there may be exceptions to this rule. For example, a course may be listed in the catalogue but not offered during the duration of the student’s degree program or within the timeline the student needs to take a class in order to progress through their program.

Participating institutions are:​

In order to qualify for a Western Dean's Agreement, you must:

1. be in good standing in a graduate program at the home institution;
2. have paid all current and back fees at the home institution;
3. complete the Western Deans' Agreement authorization form to your home institution by the appropriate deadline. This is a fillable form. Please complete it on your computer before printing the form. Hand-written forms can be illegible and illegible forms will result in delays in enrollment processing.

To register for a course through the Western Dean's Agreement, you must submit the form found here.

Western Dean's Agreement Form

When registering for coursework under the Western Dean's Agreement, students will be granted an automatic tuition fee waiver for the host institution. However, you will still pay tuition at your home institution. You may also be required to pay student, activity, application, or other ancillary fees to the host institution, according to general policies in effect at the host institution. Some of these fees may have an opt-out procedure (such as health insurance). If you are wondering about a particular fee, please consult the host institution's website and follow the instructions on opt-out procedures.

Late registration happens when you need to register for a course after the add/drop deadline. The Important Dates and Deadlines for the current academic term can be found here.

For instance, you forgot to register for your thesis course for the Summer Term and did not realize it until July.

Pro tip: Register in your thesis course for the Summer and Fall Term at the same time.

If you need to register for a course late, contact your Graduate Program Office as well as student.records@uleth.ca.

Faculty of Arts & Science Faculty of Education Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty of Health Sciences Dhillon School of Business

Late registration is generally a very simple process; however, there is an associated $100 processing fee that will be applied to your student fees for that term.

Remember: Graduate students enrolled in a thesis-based program are required to register for their thesis course every term.

If you have extenuating circumstances (e.g. illness or a family emergency) that interrupt or prevent your ability to continue your studies, you can submit a request for a Leave of Absence.

Students can formally request a Leave of Absence by submitting the Leave of Absence Request form in the SGS Portal.

SGS Portal

When submitting the Leave of Absence Request, you will need to provide the Start Term, End Term, Rationale, and any relevant supporting documents attached to your request form.

Typically, a Leave of Absence can be up to 12 months long. During this time:

- You are not required to register in your program.

- You are not assessed for any fees.

- You must request a deferral for any awards, scholarships, or bursaries that you are set to receive.

- The time granted for the Leave of Absence is not counted toward the residence requirement.

- You will not have access to University of Lethbridge resources and services (e.g., Library privileges) as a student.

- You do not have to be actively engaged in coursework or the research requirements of their degree program.

When you are returning from an approved Leave of Absence, contact your Graduate Program Office and let them know that you have completed your leave. You will then have to register for your courses prior to the Add/Drop deadline.

Faculty of Arts & Science Faculty of Education Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty of Health Sciences Dhillon School of Business

If you are a master's student, receiving a grade lower than a "B-" means that you have effectively failed the course. If you receive a grade less than a "B-", your official transcript will show a non-credit designation as this course will not count towards the completion of your degree requirements.

A student who receives two grades below a ‘B-’ may be required to withdraw from the program. Furthermore, a student must obtain a minimum cumulative program GPA of 3.00 in order to graduate from the program.

If you are in a doctoral program, receiving a grade lower than a "B" means that you have effectively failed the course. Doctoral students with unsatisfactory academic performance in the program may be put on probationary status or required to withdraw from the program entirely!

Doctoral students are also required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 for all letter-graded courses completed and included in GPA calculations to graduate.

If you have questions about retaking a course that you received below the minimum grade in, please contact your Graduate Program Office.

Faculty of Arts & Science Faculty of Education Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty of Health Sciences Dhillon School of Business

Currently, deferring the start date that you applied for is only available for international students who have not secured a study permit for their start term.

The deferral allows you to start at the beginning of the next available term. For instance, a student deferring their start in September would start in January instead.

To be eligible for a deferral of your start date:

1) You must have applied and been successfully offered admission into a graduate-level credential program which has multiple start dates throughout the academic year. Therefore, those programs with only one intake per year are unavailable for deferrals.

2) You must also be unable to successfully secure a Canadian study permit as issued by Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in time before the start of classes during their intended start term.

*NOTE: Domestic students (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) are NOT eligible to request an admission deferral. They must either accept the university's offer of admission for the designated term of intake or if not, cancel/reject the offer and subsequently re-apply again for the intended future semester of entry, whenever that may be.

If you would like to request a deferral of your start date, please contact your Graduate Program Office.

Faculty of Arts & Science Faculty of Education Faculty of Fine Arts Faculty of Health Sciences Dhillon School of Business

Students with documented disabilities can receive support through the Accessible Learning Centre. They provide a wide range of support services, including exam accommodations, assistive technologies, learning strategies, educational support staff and Schedule-4 funding assistance. For more information, visit the Accessible Learning Centre.

Career and Co-op Services (CCS) serves ULethbridge graduate students, who are registered in a graduate program, as they explore careers and search for work. CCS can provide you with support for career exploration, job searching, career preparation, and cooperative educational work experience. The cooperative educational work option is available for graduate students registered in either the Master of Arts program, the Master of Science program, or the Master of Science in Management program. For more information, visit Career and Co-op Services.

Career and Employment Services (CES) serves ULethbridge students as they explore careers and search for work. CES can provide you with support for career exploration, job searching, career preparation, and co-operative educational work experience. As an alumnus, you will continue to have access to these supports for up to two years following graduation. For more information, visit Career and Employment Services.

Counselling Services on the Lethbridge campus offers free, confidential personal, career, and academic counselling to all uLethbridge students. They can assist you with career/educational concerns, developing study skills, managing anxiety, and any other personal issues. For more information, visit Counselling Services.

International offers assistance and opportunities to both domestic and international uLethbridge students. The International Student Advisor provides international students with ongoing support and advice in all matters, including academic and personal concerns, immigration, on and off-campus employment regulations, cultural transition, housing, and financial issues. The International Centre also offers programs that will give uLethbridge students international experiences and opportunities. In addition to on-campus events and programming, they support study abroad and exchange opportunities, summer study tours and international internships. For more information, visit the University of Lethbridge International Student Services.

The Iikaisskini: Indigenous Student Centre offers free, confidential service for those students who self-identify as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit. The primary role of the office is to guide, encourage and empower students in the university environment so they achieve their highest potential. For more information, visit the Indigenous Student Affairs at Iikaisskini Gathering Place office located in Iikaisskini, (Low Horn) First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) Gathering Place in Paterson Centre.