Many frequently requested student records and special course registration processes are managed through the Graduate School Academic Affairs office. Students and directors of graduate studies (DGS) and directors of graduate studies assistants (DGSAs) should consult this page and contact Graduate School Registrar Helene McAdams (helene.mcadams@duke.edu) for additional information and assistance with the processes described below.
Graduate School Registrar
Helene McAdams
919-681-3248
helene.mcadams@duke.edu
During assigned registration windows for each academic term, graduate students enroll in most Duke graduate-level courses through DukeHub, the student self-service application accessed via NetID and password. General information about the registration process is available on the University Registrar’s website (https://registrar.duke.edu/registration/about-registration). A student’s record must be free of all holds (including admissions documentation, financial/bursar account, immunization, and student information verification holds) for registration to proceed in DukeHub.
Help guides for first-time registration are found at https://registrar.duke.edu/registration/registration-guides. The Schedule Builder in DukeHub is a feature designed for use by undergraduate students. Graduate students should consult their departments for program of study and course registration guidance.
Academic calendars for Duke’s ten schools and Duke Kunshan University are available at: https://registrar.duke.edu/calendars-key-dates/academic-calendar. Please note that professional schools, such as Duke Law, the Divinity School, and the Fuqua School of Business, operate on specialized academic calendars.
Students may drop courses on their own in DukeHub during the designated drop/add period for each semester. To discontinue a course after drop/add ends, a course withdrawal request form must be submitted to the Graduate School (gradacademics@duke.edu) for approval and processing. Course withdrawal request forms must be received no later than the last day of graduate classes to be processed prior to the start of final examination period for the term. A grade of “W” posts to the transcript for any graded course discontinued after drop/add ends. A grade of “WA” posts to the transcript for a discontinued audit.
Special course withdrawal considerations for F-1 master’s students: Master’s students studying at Duke on a visa must maintain full-time enrollment status in every spring and fall semester except their final/graduating term. 9.0 credits is the minimum requirement for full-time master’s enrollment. If withdrawing from a course will drop an F-1 master’s student below 9.0 credits, counterbalancing registration in Research credits must be requested in order for the student to maintain full-time status.
With the approval of their Director of Graduate Studies, full-time enrolled graduate students may request enrollment in courses below the 500-level, which are intended for undergraduate students. Such courses do not count toward the credits required for post-baccalaureate degree and are not included in GPA calculation. The grading basis for these courses is A*, B*, C*, F*.
If a student wishes to audit a course below the 500-level, an email from the instructor of the course to be audited must be submitted along with the registration form. Students must complete and submit the request form to the Graduate School (gradacademics@duke.edu) for approval and processing at least 24 hours before the end of drop/add for each semester.
Special requirements to request enrollment in Music lessons courses: Students wishing to enroll in Music lessons courses are charged a lessons course fee that is not covered by standard PhD or master’s tuition. In addition, students must obtain an enrollment permission number from the instructor of the Music lessons course and submit it with the completed registration request form.
Full-time students may enroll in up to 15 credits of coursework each semester. After completion of at least one graduate semester in good academic standing, a student may, with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, request an overload to enroll in more than 15.0 credits in a semester. Courses occupy credit space in the registration record regardless of their grading basis. Students must complete and submit the request form to the Graduate School (gradacademics@duke.edu) for approval and processing at least 48 hours before the end of drop/add for each semester.
To audit a graduate-level course (500 level and up): Students should complete the Graduate Course audit form and submit it directly to the Office of the University Registrar (registrar@duke.edu).
To audit a course primarily intended for undergraduates (below the 500 level): Students should complete the undergraduate course registration form, accompany it with an email from the instructor granting the student permission to audit the course, and submit both items to gradacademics@duke.edu.
The course auditing fee is waived if a graduate student is enrolled full-time. For master’s students, full-time enrollment is 9.0 or more credits.
Duke graduate school students may request enrollment in graduate-level courses at UNC (Chapel Hill, Charlotte, and Greensboro), NC State, or NC Central through the interinstitutional course registration process. Students must be registered for the same number or more credits at Duke (“home” school) as they are requesting to take at the “host” school (UNC, NC State or NC Central). Not more than 6.0 interinstitutional credits may be taken in one semester. All interinstitutional courses must be taken for graded credit (auditing is not permitted), and online (distance learning) courses are not included in the interinstitutional registration agreement.
Students must complete and submit the request form to the Graduate School (gradacademics@duke.edu) for approval and processing at least 48 hours before the end of drop/add for each semester. The Graduate School will submit all approved interinstituional registration requests to the Duke University Registrar for final processing with the host school’s registrar.
A special registration process is required for Graduate School students to request enrollment in Fuqua MBA courses. Students cannot directly enroll themselves in MBA courses in DukeHub. General information about the Fuqua course registration process is available on the Fuqua website (https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/registration-non-fuqua), but all documentation must be submitted to the Graduate School first for processing.
A summary of the process is as follows: Each semester, Fuqua shares with The Graduate School an updated list of courses for which non-Fuqua students may request enrollment. Only courses included on this official list may be requested. This list, along with instructions and a link to the Fuqua Cross-School Registration Form are distributed to departments and degree programs to be disseminated to students for completion by the established deadline. Completed registration forms and supporting documentation (including an email from the course instructor granting a student permission to request enrollment) are then submitted to gradacademics@duke.edu for processing at The Graduate School.
If approved, students are automatically wait listed for the requested Fuqua course(s). Students should check DukeHub periodically to determine if/when they move from the wait list into active enrollment for a Fuqua course. Note that Fuqua operates on a unique academic calendar in which there are two, six-week modules each semester (M01 and M02 in fall; M03 and M04 in spring). Students will not learn if they have a seat in a requested Fuqua course until after the Fuqua drop/add deadline for each module closes.
Students do not have access in DukeHub to drop a Fuqua MBA course during drop/add. To drop a Fuqua MBA course during drop/add, students should contact the Graduate School Registrar, who will execute the drop for the student. Standard course withdrawal policies apply to discontinue a Fuqua MBA course after the drop/add period concludes.
After successful completion of a minimum of 12 graduate course credits at Duke, and with the approval of their Director of Graduate Studies, master’s students may request the transfer of up to six (6) post-baccalaureate course credits to the Duke transcript. To be eligible for transfer, the courses must be at the graduate-level, be not more than six years old, and have been graded B- or better. Grades earned for transferred courses are not factored into the Duke GPA, and the grade notation for all transferred credits is “TR.”
Transferring course work does not reduce the minimum of 30 units at Duke required for a master's degree, nor does it reduce the number of semesters master’s students must pay full-time tuition (3). Students are required to register for units at Duke equivalent to the number of transferred units. This registration may consist of additional coursework or it may be "Ungraded Research" in preparation for their thesis or final exam.
Students in good academic standing may apply for a total of two semesters of leave. Those who have been on a leave of absence and who intend to resume a degree program must give the department and the academic dean notice of this intention one month before the first day of the semester of their return. A request for a medical leave of absence must be supported by a letter stating the necessity for leave from the student’s current treating medical practitioner.
Students who do not wish to be registered for summer to engage in experiential activities and opportunities away from their program of study until the start of fall semester may submit, with permission from their advisor and DGS, a voluntary request to The Graduate School to be unenrolled from summer Continuation.
Unenrollment will result in cancelation of the summer stipend, tuition, and fees. Student medical insurance coverage will be maintained. Students on Summer Experiential Leave (SEL) will maintain active, unenrolled status, and as such, summer experiential leave will not be noted on a student’s transcript and will not count against the maximum number of official fall/spring Leave of Absence (LOA) semesters permitted (2).
SEL is applicable only to students who will be away from their program of study for the entire summer. The existing time off policy applies for students seeking short-term time away
Doctoral students enrolled at Duke University can pursue one master’s degree en route to the PhD, without paying for an additional 30 units of graduate credit. This includes master’s degrees in the same department as the PhD, or in a different department, as long as that department offers an admitting master's degree. Note that PhD students who wish to receive a second master's degree en route to the PhD will be charged tuition for the additional 30 course credits required. For those interested in pursuing a concurrent master’s in another discipline en route to the PhD, such degrees will only be awarded after their final doctoral term. Note that students who fail to complete their PhDs, but wish to receive the concurrent master’s in another discipline nonetheless, will be charged tuition for the master’s degree. There is a two-part application process.
Ph.D.
Ph.D. students may, with the approval of both departments or degree programs, request a transfer from one Ph.D. program to another within The Graduate School. Requests for transfers should occur before students take the preliminary examination in their current program. Students are generally not eligible for transfers to new departments or programs after the preliminary exam.
Policy | Ph.D. Transfer Request Form (PDF)
Master's
Before the conclusion of the first year of study, master’s students may, with the approval of both departments or degree programs, request a transfer from one master’s program to another within The Graduate School.
Policy | Master's Transfer Request Form (PDF)