Student Course Load - Graduate

Permissible Loads: Nine credit hours per semester constitute a minimum full load for a graduate student. During the Summer Semester, six hours is considered full-time for a graduate student. The maximum permissible load is 16 hours of credit during the Fall Semester and Spring Semester and 12 hours of credit during the Summer Semester (these are inclusive totals and includes all credit earned at all institutions). An overload of graduate credit is not permitted in these semesters. Exceptions may be made when a student audits courses or is taking undergraduate courses concurrently with graduate courses. Students who are serving as graduate assistants are limited to course loads appropriate to the extent of their service; however, in no case will a student appointed to a full assistantship be permitted to take more than 12 hours per semester.

An international student must be a full-time student at Tennessee Technological University August through May. Each semester except summer, an international student must earn a minimum of 9 credit hours if a Master's candidate and 6 credit hours if a Ph.D. candidate.