Students holding awards or scholarships for the purpose of pursuing full-time master's studies must remain registered full-time each session (3 credits minimum) for the duration of the award. The admission scholarship covers your tuition fees.
The responsibility to register, to re-register, or to withdraw prior to the published closing dates rests with the student.The fees accruing from registration remain due unless the student withdraws in writing by the deadline.
Students admitted to a full-time master's program, must register for each of the semester in which they intend to take courses or pursue research for credit. No retroactive registration will be accepted. Students may not be absent from their studies unless they are approved a leave of absence. Consequently, all students who remain unregistered for two consecutive sessions without having secured approval for the interruption of their program by means of a Request for Leave of Absence will be presumed to have withdrawn and their files will be closed without further notice.
Once they have begun work on a continuing activity such as the major research paper, students are required to maintain their registration in these activities for the three sessions of each year until completion of all requirements related to these activities. Students preparing a major paper or thesis must be registered when they submit their document officially.
For graduate students the academic year is divided into three sessions: fall session (September-December); winter session (January-April); spring session (May-August).
Additional Courses within a Program
Students cannot normally register in two programs at the same time.
Graduate students may register for courses in addition to the minimum normally required for the degree, provided they have the approval of the Program Coordinator and the FGPS.
Out-of-program Courses
In any given session, graduate students may, while enrolled in a program, register for a maximum of two courses (six credits) not required for their program, provided they have the approval of the Program Coordinator and the FGPS. These courses are identified as "out-of-program" at registration and cannot subsequently be credited towards the program. Additional fees apply.
Auditors
Students wishing to attend courses without completing assignments and writing examinations must register as auditors. Auditor status must be indicated at the time of registration, from the beginning of the session in which the course is offered. Changes from auditor to credit status, or vice versa, are not accepted after the closing date for course changes of the session concerned. For courses that have been audited, the student's official transcript will be marked "AUD". Auditors are subject to course attendance requirements.
Registration for special students
Except for students registered under an agreement, the category of special student is intended for those who wish to take certain graduate courses without intending to complete a graduate degree and without being subject to the requirements of a particular graduate program. Special students may enrol in graduate courses provided they obtain the approval of the academic unit concerned.
To register as a special student, you must send a request by e-mail in which you explain the reasons to register to one or two courses, to the Supervisor of Graduate Studies. It is important to attach a resume to the email.
To complete the registration, the student must then forward the permission email accompanied by the registration form (PDF, 244KB) to the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) to the general email address ([email protected]).
A student with the status of “special student” must comply with regulations pertaining to the courses for which they register, such as prerequisites, attendance requirements, assignments, examinations, passing grades and deadlines.
Special students may enrol in a maximum of two three-credit courses or the equivalent per session, and will be enrolled on a part-time basis.
In the event that special students later apply for admission to a graduate degree program, provided they meet the admission requirements, they may request and, if the request is approved, receive credits for a maximum of two three-credit graduate courses, taken at the University of Ottawa or elsewhere.
Students whose undergraduate qualifications do not meet the admission requirements for a graduate degree program, and who wish to obtain the required qualifications, must register at the undergraduate level.