Placeholders and Full-Time Status for Master's Students
The following dissertation policies detail how master's students should register as they approach the end of their program. LING 897 and LING 899 are for master’s students only. LING 997 and LING 999 are for PhD students only.
LING 895 Continuation of Master's Enrollment
Students who are not actively working on their degree requirements (such as during a period when relevant courses are not offered) and are enrolled solely to satisfy the continuous enrollment requirement should be registered for LING 895 Continuation of Master’s Enrollment.
This registration category is considered less than half-time enrollment for all reporting purposes. It does not satisfy the government requirement for F1 and J1 students to maintain full-time status and will require students to obtain advance permission for a Reduced Course Load, if eligible.
LING 895 has a fee/tuition attached to it that must be paid by the student regardless of where they are in their program or what their funding is. This registration category does not qualify students for federal student loans or university sponsored health insurance.
Though less than half time, this status does fulfill the program requirement of continuous enrollment.
LING 897 Master's Dissertation
Students who are completing their master’s program and are short of the required number of credits to maintain full-time status may register for LING 897 Master’s Dissertation.
Students should NOT be registering for graduate proseminar, master’s research, an independent study, supervised teaching, or any other course simply for the purpose of maintaining full-time status. Any course other than LING 897 or LING 899, should have a legitimate academic purpose.
This registration category serves to maintain full-time status for the student but does not carry an associated fee/tuition. (LING 897 doesn’t bear any credits, but it “automatically” gives a student full-time status.) It doesn’t count towards their required credits.
Students may only register ONCE for LING 897. It’s possible students may register for it a second time, but it requires permission of the Dean of GEPA through a petition form which can be provided upon request. A second registration is only for extenuating circumstances. Because of this, it’s not recommended for any student to use LING 897 before their final semester.
Under this registration category, students remain eligible for federal student loans.
LING 899 Master's Dissertation
If for any reason, a student has already used LING 897, but still hasn’t completed their degree requirements, then they must register for LING 899 Master’s Dissertation, which does the same thing as LING 897 (“automatically” gives them full-time status), but LING 899 has a fee attached. The fee as of AY23-24 is $1,070. If a student registers for LING 899 in their second year, the 50% master’s tuition scholarship applies; however, if a student registers for LING 899 after their second year, the dissertation fee is not covered because the tuition scholarship expires. Some departments cover this fee, and others don’t. As of AY23-24, the Department of Linguistics is not able to cover students’ dissertation fees.
Under this registration category, students remain eligible for federal student loans.
Frequently asked questions
Although it's not technically tuition, the dissertation fee—also sometimes called a continuation fee—is considered tuition in this instance.
If a student is registered for LING 899 in their second year, the dissertation fee is covered at 50% by GEPA as a part of the student's funding package, just as if the student were taking a normal course in their first year.
After a student's second year, the dissertation fee associated with LING 899 will not be covered by GEPA. Some departments take on this expense, and some don't. As of AY23-24, the Department of Linguistics is not able to pay students' dissertation fees.
Courses you'd register for with your advisor as the instructor include LING 591 PhD Reading in Linguistics and LING PhD Research in Linguistics.
The only courses you'd register for with the DGS as the instructor, regardless of who your advisor is are placeholder courses including LING 997 Doctoral Dissertation and LING 999 Doctoral Dissertation.
More information on placeholder policies can be found in the policies section above.