/College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics and Astronomy

Registering for Classes and Credits

Registration Deadlines and Add/Drop

You must be registered for at least one course by the first day of classes; exact dates are published each year in the academic calendar. A few important extensions and limits:

  • You can still register during the first 15 days of the semester, but a $40 late fee applies.
  • You may add classes through day 15.
  • You may drop classes through day 10 without a tuition charge or a W (withdrawal) on your record.
  • From days 11-15, you may only drop a course if you add an equal number of credits in the same transaction (use the “swap” feature in Solar). You can also withdraw from a class after day 10, but a W will be recorded and tuition charged according to the Tuition Liability schedule – if you withdraw, make sure your remaining credits still meet your required minimum.

If something goes wrong with your registration after these windows close, a retroactive add/drop petition is possible, but it requires approval from both the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate School, and the Registrar’s Office will not process it until a fee is paid.

For course descriptions and prerequisites, see the Graduate Bulletin; for instructors and meeting times, see the Departmental Course Schedule or the Solar System.

Taking Courses Outside the Department

Courses from other departments (for example, the Math Department) can be worthwhile if closely related to your specialty, but they will not count toward breadth or any other degree requirement, and you need prior permission from your program before registering for them.

Your tuition scholarship only covers courses that count toward your own degree requirements. If you want to take a course in a secondary program, it must be in addition to your required 9 credits in your primary program, and you will be responsible for the cost. The same applies to foreign language courses, unless you pay the tuition yourself. English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are the exception – if you are a G1 or G3 student, they are covered by your tuition waiver, as long as your total credit load does not exceed 18 credits and you remain registered for 12 credits within the Department.

Talk to the Graduate Program Director before registering for anything outside the Department.

Registering During Your Research Years

Once you are doing research, register for the course that matches your status and work:

  • G4 students: PHY 580 (experiment) or PHY 585 (theory) – register for the section taught by your advisor.
  • G5 students: PHY 699 if most of your research is on campus, at Brookhaven Lab, or at Cold Spring Harbor; PHY 700 if you’re working elsewhere in the US (e.g. Argonne); PHY 701 if you’re working outside the US (e.g. CERN).

All degree candidates must register for nine credits of thesis or dissertation research in the semester their degree is awarded, even if most of the work happens off campus or at a national lab. Approved leaves of absence excuse you from registering during the leave, but you still must register for the semester you graduate in. A special Summer course, PHY 800, can satisfy this requirement.

If your advisor’s name isn’t listed as an option for your research course, talk to the Graduate Program Director – they will either have you register under their own name or appoint a Departmental co-advisor (often the chair of your Oral Exam Committee).

If you’re an international student and travel home for the summer, keep in mind you won’t be paid during that time, and you’ll miss the chance to work with your research group.