Starting with the fall 07 academic year: course work, project and thesis options will all require a minimum of 30 credit hours. Course work students will have a minimum of 10 courses (dropping from 11 courses) This means one less elective. All other requirements remain in place. All students MUST be registered the semester of their graduation for a MINIMUM of 2 credit hours. NEW "Biomedical Systems" area of study The method of graduation for course work only students will be the inclusion in the required 30 credit hours of an approved "capstone" course. Health Insurance: The USF Graduate School will initiate a program whereby $600 will be given for students employed for .50 fte toward the university approved heath insurance program. Spring 2004: Students MUST give a draft copy of project/thesis/dissertation to their committee a MINIMUM of two weeks before the defense or the defense will be cancelled. REGISTRATION ISSUES: The FIRST week of the semester is drop/add. You can drop and add courses without academic penalty. After the second week of the Fall and Spring semester, students cannot ADD a graduate course (this includes independent study, thesis hours, etc.) Students have until the tenth (10th) week of the fall and spring semesters to drop a course through OASIS. LATE ARRIVAL for Continuing Students: Roll will be taken the first week of class. If a student does not attend, they will be dropped from the class. If they arrive the first week of class, students can register for classes through OASIS with the standard $100 late payment fee and $100.00 late registration fee. A petition is NOT needed the first week of class. If a student leaves for a semester break and did not register for classes before leaving town and arrives the second week of a semester, the graduate petition will not be approved by the graduate coordinator or the COE associate dean, even if the faculty member teaching agrees: Attention international students. If you do not register for classes before leaving the country for a semester break and then arrive at USF after the start of the semester, you have entered the country illegally and are NOT a legal USF student. Illegal students will have to face INS/ISSS hearings. Continuing students who are employed on a graduate contract and do not show proof of registration before leaving the country will have their contract terminated and any tution waiver cancelled. It is the responsibility of all students to remain in status.

Check out the Five-Year Dual Degree (BSEE/MSEE) Program in Electrical Engineering. Five-year students will be able to double count six graduate credit hours for their dual degrees by selecting 5000 or 6000 level courses for their undergraduate electives.