Registration

Course Prefix and Numbering

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has developed the following standards regarding the prefix and numbering used in the student information system and academic catalogs for all courses.

Course Prefix

Course prefixes used in the student information system are named in a manner as to identify the primary subject of course with three or four letters. This responsibility will be on the Office of the Registrar to determine which prefix to utilize. (ex. Emergency Medicine = EMED)

Course Numbering

All courses are numbered using three and four digits. A suffix denoted with a letter is used if a special means of delivery is used for that course (####X). The additional letter is only used for courses that are not taught traditionally in the classroom or clinical setting, face-to-face.

Suffix	Definition
H	Hybrid (online and in-person)
W	Online (web-delivered content)

The three or four digits differ between each of the schools at UTSW and are controlled by the Office of the Registrar.

In order to eliminate confusion regarding individual courses, all discontinued courses are eliminated from future use for 10 years. For example, if FBS 1000 is used and it is decided to discontinue that specific course, for the next 10 years no other course created will be allowed to be named FBS 1000. The only time a course prefix and number is used is if all other available combinations have been exhausted under that prefix.

UT Southwestern Medical School: Courses are numbered based on different factors associated with the course. The first two digits for four digits and the first digit for three digits are level-specific:

Level	Acronym	Numbering
Enrichment Elective	ENRH	1xx
Strive - Personal & Professional Development	STRV	5xx
Body Structure Foundation	BSF	10xx
Fundamentals of Biomedical Science	FBS	11xx
Integrated Medicine	IM	12xx
Academic Colleges	COLL	13xx
Foundation for Clinical Reasoning	FCR	14xx
Transitions to Clerkship	TTC	15xx
USMLE Step 1 Preparation	STP	16xx
Scholarly Activity	SCH	17xx
Clerkship	Based on Subject	18xx
Selective	Based on Subject	19xx
Elective	Based on Subject	20xx (2 weeks) - 21xx (4 weeks)
Frontiers in Medicine	FIM	22xx
Physicians and Society	PAS	23xx
Residency Essentials	RES	24xx

The third and fourth digits are used as a unique sequential identifier within the subject area. Credit units are not reflected in the course number, but will be individually reported with the course.

UT Southwestern School of Health Professions and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences: utilize a 4-digit course numbering system. The first digit indicates the general level of the course: 5 - Graduate. The second digit specifies the number of semester credit hours the course carries (a "0" identifies variable credit). The third and fourth digits are used as a unique sequential identifier within the subject area.

Class Attendance

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has developed the following standards regarding class attendance to ensure students obtain the appropriate instruction needed to meet the objectives of the course. This policy will allow Financial Aid and the Veteran's Administration Certifying Official the ability to respond to federal guidance requiring timely confirmation of student attendance. Students and Faculty will use this policy for all courses at UT Southwestern Medical Center. This policy applies to both professional and graduate students.

Students in Non-Professional Programs

Students admitted to the Graduate School, School of Health Professions, and the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health in a program that is not considered a professional program (list below) are classified as graduate students. A graduate student must officially be enrolled in a minimum of 9 semester credit hours in the fall or spring terms to be classified as full-time and 6 semester credit hours in the summer term. A graduate student enrolled for less than this amount is considered to be classified as part-time.

The maximum course load for a graduate student is 16 semester credit hours for the fall and spring terms and 12 credit hours for the summer terms. Students registering for more than this maximum course load must have consent of the Office of the Dean or applicable program director. (Postdoctoral Certification Training Program is excluded.)

Students in Professional Programs

Students admitted to the Medical School and some programs within the School of Health Professions are considered professional students. A professional student will follow the lock-step curriculum set forth by the applicable Program Director or Dean and will be considered full-time if actively enrolled in the program for the applicable term regardless of credits associated with the course load. These courses are clinical in nature and/or the program dictates a lock-step curriculum and the courses are not the traditionally delivered three-semester-credit-hour courses. All registration is controlled by the applicable program administration and are assigned to the students. By nature of the process and the application of the curriculum, approval is granted based on the registration of the students by the administering officials.

Professional Programs:

Medical School
Physical Therapy Doctorate Program
Physician Assistant Studies Masters Program
Prosthetics & Orthotics Masters Program
Clinical Nutrition Coordinated Masters Program

Student Responsibilities

Upon registration, students accept the responsibility to attend regularly and punctually all classes and learning events designated as 'attendance required' in which they are enrolled and as further defined by the school, program, and course policies and procedures. Failure to do so may jeopardize a student's scholastic standing and may lead to suspension from the School or University. As a University policy, a course instructor may recommend to the student's academic dean that a student be withdrawn from the rolls of the class if the student amasses excessive unexcused absences (as defined by the applicable academic Dean).

The student is responsible for making arrangements satisfactory to the instructor regarding absences including prior notification of planned absences, providing documentation if needed, and making up of examinations and work as required. For other emergency absences, the student shall submit excuses for class absences to the appropriate instructor via communications identified by the instructor within a maximum of three class days following the student's return to his/her respective class (this can be more restrictive based on the school, program, class rules and policies). For classes, which meet once a week, the excuse shall be presented no later than one calendar week following the student's return. The Registrar's Office does not issue excuses.

The Learning Specialist may approve a student to be absent or to make up missed work as a reasonable accommodation due to disability in accordance with EDU-103 Reasonable Accommodations for Qualified Applicants and Learners with Disabilities, and such absences or missed work will not be counted against a student.

Faculty Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the individual instructor/department/program to establish a specific policy regarding class attendance with guidance from their academic Dean. Faculty members are required to state in writing to the students their expectations in regards to class attendance at the beginning of the term (no later than the close of drop and add period). Each instructor is responsible to ensure their roster is correct and verified each day of class using a means left up to the instructor. If a student is not on the official roster obtained from the official student information system, the faculty member is required to have the student contact the Registrar's Office for guidance (STUINFO@UTSouthwestern.edu or 214-648-3606).

In accordance with the instructor's written policy, the course instructor will determine the validity of a student's reason(s) for absences and will assist those students who have valid reasons. Examples of valid reasons for consideration of absences include:

Illness
Serious family emergencies
Special curricular requirements
Court-imposed legal obligations such as subpoenas or jury duty
Military obligations
Serious weather conditions
Religious observances (Faculty are to assist students whose religious beliefs require their absence from class in order to exercise those beliefs so they are not penalized.)

University Excuse Appeals Process

If a student believes he/she has been treated unreasonably because of participation in a University-authorized activity, he/she can utilize the appeals process in place by each School applicable to the specific course taken.

Resigning/Dismissal from the University

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has developed the following standards regarding resignation and dismissal from the University.

Resigning from the University

At any time throughout the student's career at UT Southwestern, a student has the right to resign from their program and the University. A dated and signed letter or email stating the intent to resign will be required by the student. If a resignation is after the census date of the applicable term or course but before 75% of the classes has been completed, a withdrawal of courses will be executed and "W" grades will be recorded in the student's official student information system record. At the same time, the letter or email will be saved in the student's digital record.

If the resignation is before the census date, the student will be dropped from all applicable courses and the resignation will be documented in the student information system. The email or letter will be recorded in the student's digital record.

If the resignation is after 75% of the courses' duration and the student does not meet the objectives of the course, an "F" will be recorded for all courses in the student information system. The resignation will be recorded on the student's transcript. The letter or email will be recorded in the student's digital record.

For all resignations, the student is required to reapply to the University and the program if they would like to return at a later date.

Dismissal from the University

At any time throughout the student's career at UT Southwestern, the applicable committee can dismiss a student from their program and the University with the approval of the Dean of the School. If a dismissal is issued prior to census date, all registered courses will be dropped from the student's record. The dismissal will be recorded in the student information system by the Office of the Registrar and the documents stating the dismissal will be stored in the student's digital record. If a dismissal is issued after the census date but before 75% of the course is completed, a withdrawal for all registered courses will be recorded in the student information system. A grade of "W" will be recorded on the student's record. If a dismissal is issued after 75% of the course is complete and the student does not meet the objectives of the course, an "F" will be recorded for all applicable courses in the student information system and on the student's transcript.

If it is disciplinary in nature, as per Texas state law, Texas Education Code Section 51.9364, the disciplinary dismissal will be annotated on the student's transcript with the following statement: "Disciplinary Dismissal (ineligible to re-enroll)."

The dean of the applicable school retains the authority to issue a "W" instead of an "F" even after the 75% completion point.

Tuition and fees associated with a dismissal or resignation will follow EDU-303 Tuition and Fees policy.

Residency

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has developed the following standards to comply with State and Board regulations on identifying a student as being a Texas resident versus an out-of-state resident for tuition purposes.

UT Southwestern Medical Center will follow Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 21, Subchapter B to determine if a student is classified as a Texas resident for tuition purposes. This determination is also utilized by the Office of Financial Aid for purposes of determining eligibility for tuition set-aside funded programs, which are available only for Texas resident students.

UT Southwestern has designated the Registrar as the Residence Determination Official.

The student themselves or a parent of a dependent student must meet applicable conditions identified within Title 19, Chapter 21, Subchapter B to be considered a Texas resident prior to the applicable census date of the term in which a student enrolls.

The student will be required to answer the Core Residency Questions to help in the determination of residency.

All questions regarding residency will be addressed by the Residency Determination Official.

Auditing a Course

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has developed the following standards for a student auditing a course.

Auditing courses in the Medical School and the School of Health Professions is not permitted. The Graduate School permits limited auditing of courses in specific programs, with approval from the course director and the academic department. Upon approval, notification must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar prior to the start of the applicable term in which the course begins.

Graduate School students approved to audit courses will be charged a fee according to the current tuition/fee rate table. Graduate School students who are approved to audit one or more courses while concurrently enrolled in other courses for academic credit will pay regular tuition plus a discounted fee rate for the audit course(s). Hours taken for audit are not factored into a student's full-time load, are not used to verify full-time enrollment, and are not calculated into the GPA (term or cumulative).

The auditing student is not required to do the work of a regular student; however, a reasonable amount of class attendance is expected if the audited course is to appear on the student's permanent record. An audit may not be changed to credit, or vice versa, after registration closes.

Posthumous Degrees

UT Southwestern will award degrees posthumously when a student who has completed all degree requirements passes away before conferral and graduation. Posthumous degrees may also be awarded when a deceased student has substantially completed degree requirements prior to death and the student would have completed all requirements by the anticipated graduation date under normal circumstances. The decision of the Provost regarding whether a student has substantially completed all requirements necessary to award a posthumous degree is final in all respects and may not be appealed.

The Office of the Registrar will facilitate a request for a posthumous degree from the student’s family member, the Dean of the student’s school, or the student’s program director. If the request is approved by the Dean, Provost, and President, the Registrar will update the student’s records to reflect the award of a degree posthumously. The deceased student will be recognized at the graduation ceremony and the next-of-kin will receive the student’s diploma noting the degree was awarded posthumously. Next-of-kin who do not wish for the deceased student to be recognized at graduation should notify the Office of the Registrar and the Dean of the school in writing.

UT Southwestern may require appropriate documentation of the relationship between the deceased student and next-of-kin before releasing a diploma or other student records.