Academic Regulations

Graduate School Catalog

It is the responsibility of the graduate student to become informed and to observe all regulations and procedures required by the program the student is pursuing. Ignorance of a rule does not constitute a basis for waiving that rule. The current Graduate Catalog when a graduate student first enrolls, gives the academic requirements the student must meet to graduate. However, with department or program consent, a student can change to the requirements in a later catalog published while the student is enrolled in graduate school. Changes to administrative policies and procedures become effective for all students as soon as the campus community is notified of the changes.

The Graduate Catalog is available to students in both print and electronic forms. Print catalogs are updated annually. Electronic versions of the Graduate Catalog may be updated more frequently to reflect changes approved by the campus community. As such, students are encouraged to refer to the most recently available electronic version of the Graduate Catalog. This version is available at the Mines website. The electronic version of the Graduate Catalog is considered the official version of this document. In case of disagreement between the electronic and print versions, the electronic version takes precedence.

Curriculum Changes

The Mines Board of Trustees reserves the right to change any course of study or any part of the curriculum to respond to educational and scientific developments. No statement in this Catalog or in the registration of any student shall be considered as a contract between Colorado School of Mines and the student.

Making up Undergraduate Deficiencies

If the department or program decides that new students do not have the necessary background to complete an advanced degree, they will be required to enroll in courses for which they will receive no credit toward their graduate degree, or complete supervised readings, or both. Students are notified of their apparent deficiency areas in their acceptance letter from the Graduate School or in their first interview with their department advisor. Departments will provide the list of deficiencies to the students no later than one week after the start of classes of their first semester in order to allow them to add/drop courses, as necessary. Grades for these deficiency courses are recorded on the student’s undergraduate transcript and could impact a student's academic standing in their graduate program. 

Graduate Students in Undergraduate Courses

A student may apply toward graduate degree requirements (Master’s or PhD) a maximum of nine (9.0) credits of program-approved 400-level coursework not taken to remove deficiencies and not taken as a degree requirement for the student's bachelor's degree.  A maximum of three (3.0) credits of approved 400-level coursework will be accepted for a graduate certificate.

Withdrawing from School

To officially withdraw from Mines, a graduate student must submit a Withdrawal from Graduate School form to the Office of Graduate Studies. If the form is submitted by Census Day, the student will be dropped from all credits and receive a full refund. If the form is submitted after Census Day, the student will receive grades of W in courses in progress and will be charged the full tuition and fees (see the Payment and Refund section). If the student does not officially withdraw, the course grades are recorded as F’s and the student will be responsible for the tuition and fees due. Leaving school without having paid tuition and fees will result in the encumbrance of the transcript. Federal aid recipients should check with the Financial Aid office to determine what impact a withdrawal may have on current or future aid.

Students who leave school without submitting a Withdrawal from Graduate School form, but decide to return at a later date, will need to apply for admission and be re-admitted.

PhD students planning to voluntarily withdraw from their doctoral program may potentially depart Mines with an earned Master’s Degree. Approval is subject to review of student academic performance, including earned credit for coursework and/or research. For more information on this potential pathway, students should speak with their faculty advisor or the Office of Graduate Studies. The Office of Graduate Studies is responsible for oversight and administration of this pathway. While the Graduate Dean ultimately approves the student request, all relevant parties including the faculty advisor and departmental or program leadership will be included. This option is not applicable to those seeking temporary leave from Mines.