Petition for Registration Overload (19-21 credits) For Undergraduate Students Matriculating Fall 2016 (or after) Overview A registration overload for a full-time undergraduate student in good academic standing is a course load in excess of 18 semester hours. Students who wish to enroll for 19-21 hours must secure the approval from a designated advisor. Students who have not declared a major and are undecided must petition and secure approval from the Office of Academic Advising (OAA). Students who have decided their major(s) should officially declare their major(s) and petition and secure approval from their major advisor(s). Requests for approval to enroll for more than 21 hours, or petitions from first time freshman students, will not be considered. General Comments The Undergraduate Experience The undergraduate experience includes all academic and non-academic experiences in and out of the classroom. Rice offers a rich curriculum of courses that allow for mastery of knowledge and skills across disciplines. Such mastery cannot be achieved if students have excessive demands from too many courses. Furthermore, a student s undergraduate experience should be holistic in nature, encouraging a broad co-curricular experience. However, under certain circumstances, it may be beneficial and appropriate for a student to enroll in 19-21 credit hours. This form is intended to provide important information to the advisor reviewing the petition for registration overload and to provide a starting point for discussion about your academic plan. Questions to Consider 1) What are your goals for your academic experience? 2) For students with two or more majors (or multiple minors/certificate programs): What led you to pursue these majors? What is the benefit of multiple majors? How do the majors (and minors) relate to each other? How do they contribute to the achievement of your personal and academic goals? 3) Why do you want to take this slate of courses? 4) Do you plan to study abroad? What options are you considering? 5) What are your commitments outside of class in the coming semester? (e.g., co- and extracurricular activities at Rice, including research projects, as well as jobs, internships, and family obligations) 6) Have you considered other options or alternative academic-plans for accomplishing your academic goals? 7) Is this the first time you ve petitioned to take more than 18 hours? Were your other petitions approved? Did you complete the hours approved? If not, why? 8) After the Week 2 Add deadline, did you drop courses last year? Which courses/why? Last Updated: January 2017 Page 1 of 9
Petition Submission, Review, and Approval Process If you have neither declared a major nor yet decided on a major, please print and complete the attached document electronically (email attachment), and send it to aadv@rice.edu inclusive of the completed four-year plan. Petitions that do not include a four-year plan will not be reviewed. Petitions must include thorough explanations, reasoning, and descriptions where necessary. You are also required to make an appointment to meet with an advisor in OAA. Please note that most petitions are submitted during our busiest advising periods, so students are encouraged to submit petitions and make appointments well in advance of deadlines. If you have declared a major, please print and complete the Petition for Registration Overload Form, submit the form to the major advisor in your academic department, and make an appointment to meet with the advisor. A list of major advisors can be found on the Office of Academic Advising website under the tab Rice Advising Network. If your petition is approved, the advisor will notify the Office of the Registrar (OTR) of the approved course overload (total hours). After processing, you will receive notification from the OTR to your Rice email address that you are now able to register for the additional credit hours. Circumstances or reasons that would lead to rejection of a petition to exceed 18 hours: In general, an advisor will reject a petition when he/she concludes that the student will not be able to successfully balance the proposed course-load with their other commitments, when the advisor concludes that the student has not adequately considered alternative paths to achieving his/her academic goals, or judges that the course-load proposed is unreasonable or unrealistic. The following circumstances or reasons automatically disqualify a student for a course overload: A student petitions to enroll for more than 18 hours for the purpose of improving the grade for a course already completed. Prior academic suspension or probation o University policy limits students returning from academic suspension to a maximum of 17 credit hours during their first semester back at Rice. o Students who have been suspended for academic performance during their time at Rice or who were on academic probation in the immediately preceding semester should be approved for more than 18 hours only in exceptional circumstances and with appropriate supporting documents. o University policy limits students on academic probation to a maximum of 17 credit hours. GPA is below 3.0 for the last two completed semesters o Petitions may be approved only in exceptional circumstances and with appropriate supporting documentation. Previous failure to complete 19-21 hours 1 o A student who has received approval for but failed to complete 19-21 hours once may receive approval again in exceptional circumstances and with appropriate supporting documentation. o A student who has received approval for but failed to complete 19-21 hours more than once should be prohibited from additional petitions. 1 Failed to complete means that the student failed to earn passing grades for all courses during the overload semester or dropped below 19 hours during the overload semester. Last Updated: January 2017 Page 2 of 9
Petition for Registration Overload Form All students should consult a faculty advisor (divisional or major) for advice before petitioning for a registration overload. Content submitted for each petition is bound by the Honor Code. Name Student ID Number Rice E-mail College Matriculation Year Major Code(s) Advisor(s) Minor(s): Current Cumulative GPA: Prior Two Semester GPAs: Have you previously requested a registration overload? Yes No If so, which semester? How many hours did you request? How many hours did you complete that semester? Do you have any incomplete (INC) grades outstanding from last semester? If so, what agreement do you have with the instructor as to when they will be resolved? What is/are the anticipated grade(s)? Student Rationale for overload: What is/are the reason(s) for your request for a registration overload? Please explain. Last Updated: January 2017 Page 3 of 9
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING Are you auditing any courses? If so, which course? Please describe the workload and assessment that you ve discussed with the professor of the course. How does this course contribute to your academic plan or future goals? Please list and describe your non-classroom commitments (e.g. job, research positions, extra-curricular involvement, etc.): Graduation Requirements When formulating your four-year plan below, be sure to double check the following graduation requirements and consult your relevant General Announcements for specific program details. Mark an X if your plan accounts for the following requirements (if appropriate): Be registered at Rice full time for at least four full fall and/or spring semesters Complete the requirements of at least one major degree program Complete at least 120 semester hours (some degrees programs require more) Complete at least 60 semester hours at Rice Complete at least 48 hours of 300+ level courses (there are also rules on the amount completed at Rice) Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in degree work at Rice Complete more than half of the upper-level courses in major work at Rice (certain departments may specify a higher proportion Complete all Rice courses satisfying degree requirements with a cumulative GPA of 1.67 or higher and cumulative GPA in major of 2.0 or higher Take the English Composition Examination and satisfy the Writing Communication Requirement, First Year Writing Intensive Seminar (FWIS) Satisfy the Lifetime Physical Activity Program (LPAP) requirement Complete courses to satisfy the distribution requirements Dual degree (not double major) consideration: 30 hours beyond the first degree Last Updated: January 2017 Page 4 of 9
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING Signatures Student, Printed Name Student, Signature Date Advisor #1, Printed Name Advisor #1, Signature Date (If required) Advisor #2, Printed Name Advisor #2, Signature Date (If required) Advisor #3, Printed Name Advisor #3, Signature Date (If required) Advisor #4, Printed Name Advisor #3, Signature Date Last Updated: January 2017 Page 5 of 9
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING Planning Your Time at Rice Student Name: Student ID Number: Major(s): Major Advisor(s): Minor(s): Minor Advisor(s): Has Your major(s) advisor(s) reviewed this academic plan? Yes No Date of Major Advisor Approval: In the following plan, I have hours of upper-level credit and TOTAL hours. AP/IB/Transfer Credits Earned Total AP/IB/Transfer Hours
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