Minimum Course Enrollment
Students are expected to follow their degree plan as outlined and should be continuously enrolled in the required courses for each term as their plan outlines unless they have been granted a leave of absence. Students who wish to divert from their approved degree plan must have approval from their advisor and the MSW program director and have a formal plan for completion outlined that is agreed upon by the advisor and the student.
In order to maintain active candidacy in the MSW program, students must be enrolled in a minimum of three credit hours of coursework, unless granted a leave of absence (described below).
Credit Loads and Limits
Nine credit hours in the fall or spring term and six credit hours in the summer term is the minimum load to be considered a full-time graduate student. Graduate students are not permitted to take more than 17 hours in a term without their college or school and by the Office of Graduate Education and Life. No overload requests will be considered for the summer term. Requests for more than 18 hours in the fall or spring term will not normally be approved. Although students may enroll for up to 17 hours in the summer term, they are strongly discouraged from enrolling in more than 12 hours.
Leaves of Absence
Graduate students in good standing who wish to be away from their academic endeavors at WVU for one or more semesters but intend to return at a later date may request a leave of absence from the SSW. Requests for leaves of absence must be submitted in writing to the MSW program director prior to the beginning of the semester during which leave is being requested. After reviewing the request, the MSW director will decide whether or not to approve the leave, the length of time granted, and any conditions required for the student to return. The student is then informed in writing of the decision, and a copy is retained in the student’s file. Students who are on a leave of absence typically have an advising hold placed on their account and need to contact their advisor for a meeting prior to returning to the program.
After 24 months of not being enrolled in courses (i.e., four consecutive semesters – not including summer semester), students may be made inactive by the WVU Registrar. In order to avoid becoming inactive in the system, students in the MSW program who are on leave must either:
- Have contacted their advisor and completed a signed degree plan that indicates their plan of continuance before the 24 months of inactivity has elapsed, or
- Be enrolled in a class the semester immediately after the end of their fourth semester (not including summers) of inactivity*
*Note: Students on leave will need to have an advising meeting in order to have the advising hold lifted from their account before they can register for classes
Students who are made inactive by the WVU Registrar must re-apply for admission to the MSW program by the standard deadlines.
Non-Degree Students
Non-degree students include those students’ taking courses for enrichment purposes, as part of an approved University certificate program, or for continuing education. Non- degree students can enroll in MSW courses pending availability and with departmental approval. If a non-degree student is later admitted to one of the MSW degree programs, a departmental decision will be made regarding whether previous credits earned can be applied to the MSW degree.
Withdrawal Policy
There are two types of withdrawals: withdrawal from individual courses for which a student has registered and a complete withdrawal from the University. Deadlines, procedures, and policies regarding withdrawals are available at the . Students are encouraged to discuss withdrawals with their advisor and to consider the impact of withdrawals on their required enrollment and degree progress as well as their eligibility for graduate assistantships, financial aid, or full-time international status. After a student withdraws in two consecutive semesters (excluding summer sessions), a student may not register for further work without the approval of the director of the SSW. Enrollment is subject to conditions set by the director.