Courses and Registration

Please visit the Weitzman Academic Calendar here. 

Health Insurance Requirement
All full-time and dissertation-status students, exchange students here for a semester or more and all students on a J-1 visa, must carry comprehensive health insurance as a condition of student enrollment at the University of Pennsylvania. The University makes available a group policy, the Penn Student Insurance Plan, for eligible students without medical insurance. Students who have their own health insurance may waive enrollment in the PSIP by submitting a waiver request. Failure to comply with the health insurance requirements will prevent registration for the upcoming semester.

Immunization Requirement
The University of Pennsylvania requires that all full-time students and all students living in campus housing meet the immunization requirements. Any student not complying with these requirements will have a hold placed on their registration. Detailed information about the immunization requirement is available through Student Health Services.

Each student is assigned an academic advisor by their department. Dual-degree students have two academic advisors, one for each of their programs. Advisor assignments are visible to students when logged into Path. Advisors are the principal source of assistance to students in planning their academic program, seeking advice, and dealing with challenges as they arise. Students should plan to meet with their advisor at least once per term and are strongly encouraged to maintain consistent communication with their advisor throughout their degree program.

All Weitzman students must register during the fall and spring terms until all degree requirements have been met unless a leave of absence has been granted. To satisfy the continuous registration requirement, students must be registered for coursework, master’s thesis, or dissertation supervision for the fall and spring terms. Students are not required to register for summer term(s) unless their program of study requires summer coursework. A degree student who has not maintained active status by registering each fall and spring term and who has not been granted an official leave of absence will be withdrawn. Students who are withdrawn from the Weitzman School for inactivity are not eligible for readmission.

Path@Penn is the landing page for Weitzman students to access resources pertaining to courses and registration, degree mapping and progress tracking, viewing transcripts, updating bio and contact information, and more. All students register for courses by logging into Penn's online registration system, accessible through the "Search and Register for Classes" link in Path@Penn.

A PennKey and password is required to login to Path.

Before selecting classes, students should review the information in their student profile to confirm the following information is correct on the student record:

• Degree program(s)
• Expected graduation date
• Emergency Contact Information

Students who find errors in their information should contact the Office of Student Services at des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu.

For more information on using Path@Penn, visit the University's Pennant Resources page.

Students are responsible for their own course registration. Continuing students receive registration materials via email one week prior to the start of Advance Registration. New students receive registration instructions in late Spring after they have submitted their acceptance deposit.

Students whose programs require enrollment in the summer, and those who choose to enroll in summer courses, can do so during the advance registration period (the same time at which students register for fall courses). Unlike fall and spring registration, summer registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor prior to registering for the next term. This is an opportunity for students and their advisor to ensure that their plan of study and planned course registration meets their degree requirements. Students with questions regarding the registration process may contact the Weitzman School Office of Student Services: des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu or 110 Meyerson Hall.

Advance registration is a two-week period in which students enter requests for the courses in which they would like to enroll. Students enter their course preferences in priority order anytime during the advance registration period. This is not a first-come, first-served process, so there is no advantage to registering early and no guarantee that students will be enrolled in all of their requested courses. At the end of the advance registration period, the system will then schedule all students’ requests based on designated priorities and seat availability. Course demand impacts whether students are enrolled in all of the courses they requested. Approximately two weeks after the advance registration period closes, student schedules are posted in Path. If a student does not receive a full schedule, or if they wish to change their course selections, they may begin revising their schedule when the Registration system opens and the Add/Drop/Swap period begins. The Add/Drop/Swap period begins about three weeks after the close of the advanced registration period and runs through the second week of the term for which a student is registering. Term-specific registration dates can be found on the Weitzman Academic Calendar.

All continuing Weitzman students are required to request courses during the advance registration period. Students who have an active status, even if they have not yet registered for classes for the upcoming term, will be be billed for the full-time tuition rate in accordance with the university billing schedule.

Advance Registration Tips:

• Since Fall and Spring terms utilize the advance registration system, which is a priority registration system (not first-come, first-served), students should give highest priority to the courses in which they are competing for a seat (popular and/or elective courses).
• Multi-activity courses require registration for all co-requisites (i.e., lecture and recitation). Register for the credit-bearing portion first, and the non-credit bearing portion next.

Students who have an active hold on their account will not be permitted to register for the upcoming term. Active holds are displayed when students are logged into Path or their Student Profile. The Weitzman Registrar and Weitzman Student Services cannot clear student holds that are placed by another department at the university, such as Student Health Services or Billing. It is critical that students follow up with the department placing the hold (usually SRFS or SHS) as soon as possible to rectify the situation.

Students are responsible for registering for the correct courses required by their program in the term in which they offered. When selecting courses, students should refer to their degree requirements as noted in the Catalog, Degree Audit in Path, and relevant department communications and materials. Students with questions about degree requirements should consult their academic advisor.

The registration system will not permit students to register in two classes that meet at the same time. Time conflicts are generally approved only in extenuating circumstances, when the amount of scheduling overlap is minimal and one of the courses contributing to the time conflict uses in-class time flexibly (such as studio sessions). Permission from both instructors is required for a time conflict override and must be forwarded to the Weitzman Registrar for processing.

Students wishing to drop a course after the end of the course selection period and the late add/drop deadlines must submit the Withdraw From a Course form through Path Forms. The deadline to withdraw from a course is around the middle of the semester; the specific course withdrawal deadline for each term can be found on the Weitzman Academic Calendar.

Students who have a serious and compelling extenuating circumstance may submit a written petition to the Weitzman School Office of Student Services to grant a late withdrawal for a course after the mid-semester withdrawal deadline has passed. Students petitioning for an exception must obtain support from the course instructor and their department chair. After the last day of classes, withdrawals are not permitted.

If the withdrawal request is approved, the registration for the course remains on the student’s record and the notation of “W” is placed as a permanent entry in the grade section of the student’s transcript. The “W” does not affect the student’s grade point average. There is no refund for course withdrawals.

Changes in a student’s registration may affect financial aid, billing, and academic standing. Students are strongly encouraged to review the tuition refund policies, meet with Student Financial Services, and consult the Office of Student Services before withdrawing from a course.

Withdrawal (W) grades do not count towards international student’s full-time status requirements. International students are strongly encouraged to consult International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) before completing paperwork to withdraw from a course.

In some instances, students with a specialized background in a subject will be given permission by their academic department to waive a required course. A course waiver only waives the course requirement; it does not reduce the total course units needed to complete the degree. The course unit(s) must be completed by registering for a substitute course. Course waivers are handled at the department level. Students seeking course waivers should seek assistance from their academic department regarding the process to waive a course. The department will submit the appropriate paperwork to the Weitzman Registrar for processing. When the waiver has been formally applied to the student’s record, the student will receive confirmation by email that the waiver has been processed. Students with pending waiver requests should enroll in their required courses and then update their course schedule after their waiver request(s) has been approved, processed, and confirmed.

Weitzman students may complete their elective coursework in their academic department, another discipline at the Weitzman School, or (with approval) in another school at the University. Students are strongly encouraged to review their elective course selections with their academic advisor to ensure that those courses will count toward the degree requirements. Courses that a student wishes to count towards degree requirements must be numbered 5000 or higher (which indicates graduate level), or receive advance permission from the department chair that the undergraduate course will fulfill a degree requirement.

For Weitzman students enrolled in a graduate degree and a certificate program, the student’s certificate coursework usually fulfills elective course requirements. As a result, certificate courses are double counted towards both programs.

Courses cannot be triple counted to simultaneously fulfill requirements in three programs (degree or certificate programs). Students completing dual-degree or certificate programs may encounter scheduling conflicts between competing program requirements. Time conflict overrides are not guaranteed and students may not be able to complete all of the programs in the initial time allotted. Program extensions are not granted for certificate studies, but dual-degree students who cannot complete the required coursework in the designated number of semesters should contact the Weitzman Registrar.

Students interested in pursuing an individual study project need to formalize the independent study on the Request for Independent Study form, which requires the signature of the supervising faculty member and the department chair. The completed form, with all required signatures, should be emailed to the Weitzman Registrar at des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu. It is the responsibility of the student to define the individualized project and find a supervising faculty member. Departments may require Independent Studies to be supervised by a standing faculty member. Faculty are not required to supervise Independent Studies.  Independent Study courses may not duplicate other courses offered during the semester.

If a student’s program allows for elective courses, the student may fulfill those courses by taking a course at another graduate or professional school at the University. Graduate level courses have a course number of 5000 or higher. Courses with numbers below 5000 are undergraduate courses and DO NOT count towards a student’s Weitzman degree requirements without written approval from the department chair. Students should always check with their department before enrolling in a course in another school to ensure the course will count towards their degree program. Students are required to follow the registration policies and procedures of the home school to enroll in a course outside Weitzman. If a student isn't able to request permission for a course in Path, they should contact the Weitzman Registrar at des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu.

A note about Law courses

The Law School uses a semester hour (SH) system, rather than a credit unit (CU) system. Law courses that are 2 SH are the equivalent of .67 CUs and 3 SH courses are the equivalent of 1 CU. Students should take note of the semester hours when registering for a Law course to ensure that it translates to enough CUs to meet the Weitzman degree requirements. In situations where students want to take a 2 SH course but need the equivalent of 1 CU, they can work with the instructor of the Law course to undertake additional assignments during the semester to increase the "weight" of the course. Notification of additional work and a change in SH value needs to be sent to the Registrar's Office at the Law School. For assistance in coordinating this process, students may contact Weitzman Student Services.

Courses with a course number lower than 5000 are considered undergraduate courses. If a Weitzman student registers for an undergraduate level course, credit will not be earned towards their graduate degree program unless prior approval was obtained from the student's department chair.

If an undergraduate level course is deemed essential to attaining specific skills or knowledge in order for a student to meet their academic goals, then credit may be granted. In order to receive credit for an undergraduate course, the student must submit a written request to their department chair outlining why the course is necessary for their studies. After reviewing the petition, the department chair will notify both the student and the Weitzman Registrar of the decision. If a student is enrolled in a dual-degree program, the student must receive permission from both department chairs to receive credit for an undergraduate course.

Masters students who wish to attend the class sessions for a course without completing the assignments or taking examinations may audit the course. Auditing a course requires permission of the instructor. To audit a course, complete the Overload and/or Audit Enrollment form and email it to the Weitzman Registrar after obtaining the necessary signatures from the instructor and department chair. If approved, the student will not receive credit for the course, but it will appear on the official transcript with “AUD” in the grade column.

• All Weitzman School courses require permission to enroll for an audit grade.
• Students interested in enrolling in a course for an audit grade must have the instructor’s permission. The student is responsible for requesting permission and forwarding the approval to the Registrar for processing.
• Instructors are not required to grant requests to take a course for an audit grade.
• Instructors may or may not require participation and course work for audit grades.
• Audit grades do NOT count towards degree requirements.
• Audit grades do NOT count towards full-time status for International Students.
• Audit grades do NOT fulfill course prerequisite requirements.
• Tuition/Fees for Audited Courses:
  • Full-Time (3-5 CUs): full-tuition and fees for audit coursework.
  • Part-Time (2 CUs or less): full-tuition and fees by course unit for audit coursework.
  • Overload (more than 5 CUs): no additional charge for audit coursework.

Doctoral students may audit a course at no additional cost if it is taken as a 5th CU in a term.

The Weitzman School places great emphasis on interdisciplinary study and offers a series of dual-degree options to enable students to take their creative and intellectual study and research across conventional departmental or program boundaries.

Students may pursue two Master's Degrees concurrently by participating in a dual-degree program. Dual degree options exist between programs within Weitzman and other schools in the University. Dual degree applicants must apply and be accepted to each program/school. Students who have been admitted to one program may apply for admission to a second program within the first year of beginning their studies. (These policies also apply for admission into certificate programs.) If admitted, students must work with the Chairs of the respective programs to agree upon the sequence and timing of courses to be taken.

Each department/program designates an advisor for its dual-degree programs. The dual-degree may involve joint courses, studios or independent studies in which the student can be expected to address issues that emerge from and engage both areas of study. Some of these cross-disciplinary opportunities are built into the dual-degree programs. However, others will be determined on an individual basis or according to the changing schedules of course and studio offerings.

All dual-degree students in programs offered with Weitzman are required to complete a study plan and have it approved by each department's chairperson. Dual-degree students in programs in other schools must file an approved study plan with the Office of Student Services, 110 Meyerson Hall, within the first term of matriculation into the dual-degree program.

Interdisciplinary requirement: In cases where dual-degree students are not required to complete a joint interdisciplinary thesis or final project, each student will be required to submit one upper level course or studio project, taken in either department (or program), to advisors in both departments as evidence of an investigation simultaneously broaching topics in both disciplines.

Credit earned in a course taken jointly may apply towards both degrees. A course cannot be used to fulfill more than two requirements.

For dual-degree programs offered within Weitzman, the amount of aid, both need- and merit-based, offered by one Department will be maintained by the second Department participating in a given dual-degree program.

Students completing a dual-degree within Weitzman complete both degrees in the same term and must submit a graduation application for each degree. Weitzman dual-degree students may not receive their degrees in separate terms. Weitzman students enrolled in a dual-degree program at another school at the University must comply with both school's policies and procedures regarding applying for graduation, degree eligibility, and commencement participation.

Review the dual-degree programs offered at Weitzman.