Computing Residence Credit

A very important Graduate School requirement that could slip past your attention is the required "residence credit" which is sometimes referred to as "semesters in residence." Described below are the details for calculating the semesters in residence for both M.S. and Ph.D. students:

In the calculation, enrolled credit hours are converted to residence credit as follows:

Credits earned in any summer session count toward residence credit on the same basis as courses taken in fall and spring semesters.

Requirement for M.S. students
M.S. candidates are required to complete a minimum residence credit of two full semesters, either by full-time registration (9+ hours), or by part-time registration (3-8.5 hours) over a larger number of semesters. the residence credit requirement requires UNC-Chapel Hill registration (i.e., transferred credit is not included in the residence credit calculation).

Requirement for Ph.D. students
Doctoral students are required to complete a minimum residency credit of four full semesters, either by full-time registration (9+ hours), or by part-time registration (3-8.5 hours) over a larger number of semesters AND at least two of the required four semesters of residence must be earned in contiguous registration (e.g., fall '98 and spring '99 OR spring '99 and fall '99) of no fewer than six credit hours on this campus. While summer session registration is not required to maintain contiguous registration, any credit of three to six hours per session will be computed on the usual basis as part of the required two-semester contiguity. The residence credit hour requirement requires UNC-Chapel Hill registration (i.e., transferred credit is not included in the residence credit calculation).