Each degree program has a policy that describes the residency requirement for candidates for doctoral degrees. The college/departmental committee in charge of each degree program defines residency and specifies the method by which any residence requirement is satisfied. You should check with your adviser and graduate school for the criteria that applies to you.

Each degree program has its own policy that defines degree candidacy. Students in this classification have completed 30 semester hours of acceptable graduate work beyond the bachelor's degree, or have received a master's degree in the same or related field from an accredited college or university, and have satisfied all other requirements for candidacy set by the committee in charge of the degree program. You should check with your advisor and graduate school office for the criteria that applies to you.

Course credits earned in the program of graduate study, or accepted by transfer credit, are valid for a maximum of 7 years unless an extension is granted by your graduate school.

A graduate student is considered full-time if enrolled in a minimum of 8 semester hours of credit per semester. Students will only be considered full-time if they are continuously enrolled for at least 2 consecutive semesters annually.

The following considerations also apply:

• Students for whom English is a second language, at the discretion of their academic department, will be considered full-time if enrolled in a minimum of 3 courses or are carrying 8 semester hours of credit per semester;
• Students who hold graduate assistantships (TA or RA) will be considered full-time if enrolled for a minimum of 6 semester hours of credit per semester;
• During the summer session, graduate students will be considered full-time if enrolled for a minimum of 4 semester hours of credit;
• Students enrolled in doctoral research are considered full-time;
• All graduate students who are in continuation status may be considered full-time at the discretion of their academic department. It is ordinarily assumed that such students will be in residence, but exceptions are permissible.
• Students who are engaged in a practicum experience as part of their degree requirements may be considered full-time at the discretion of their academic department.

Yes. You can purchase a campus parking permit online.

You must maintain required health coverage while being a graduate student by either purchasing health coverage through the university provided heath plan or by providing evidence of alternative insurance that is adequate according to regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The burden of proof that the alternative insurance is adequate falls upon the student choosing to waive. By submitting the waiver form the student will be accepting responsibility for all medical expenses incurred, and neither Northeastern University nor its student health plan will be responsible for these expenses. Each academic year, eligible students may waive NUSHP via myNEU once they have been billed for NUSHP. In addition, to be eligible to waive, comparable coverage must be effective from the beginning of the term the student meets Student Health Program requirements.

Since September 1989, Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c.15A, § 18) has required every full-time and part-time student enrolled in a certificate, diploma or degree granting program in a Massachusetts institution of higher learning to participate in a Student Health Program or in a health benefit plan with comparable coverage.

Massachussetts law has been revised to include the following important clarifications.

1. A health plan that provides coverage through a closed network of providers (for example, coverage by an HMO) and which is accessible only for emergency services where the student is studying is not comparable coverage. Students may not waive the NUSHP based on such a plan.
3. Students studying in the United States may not waive insurance based on coverage through insurance carriers owned and operated outside the United States, nor with coverage through foreign National Health Service programs. Students sponsored by foreign embassies, agencies and organizations are no longer excluded from the requirement for U.S.-based health insurance.
4. Students with Commonwealth Care plans cannot waive out of NUSHP. Students who are subject to Student Health Program requirements are not eligible for Commonwealth Care. Students may obtain health insurance through their parents' health insurance offered by their employer or enroll in a Commonwealth Choice plan.

The on-campus housing for graduate students at Northeastern is very limited. Below are two websites that you may find useful in looking for housing. The Department of Residential Life will be able to tell you what type of housing is available, both on and off campus, for graduate students. Off Campus Student Services provides resources to assist you in your search for off-campus housing.

• Department of Residential Life,
• Off Campus Student Services,

Yes, that is possible. The individually –designed program is for the student who wishes to pursue graduate study in an area that substantially overlaps two or more academic disciplines. In such cases, an interdisciplinary program may be designed by the student in conjunction with appropriate faculty at Northeastern. The program must correspond in scope and depth to regular degree standards, but need not agree exactly with the regulations of individual programs.

Application for admission to an interdisciplinary program consists of the admissions material required for graduate study plus a carefully thought out written proposal describing the areas of proposed study and research as well as the qualifying and comprehensive examinations to be used. The proposal may be part of the initial application for admission to graduate study at Northeastern, or it may be submitted by a student already enrolled. In either case, the admission material should be prepared in consultation with the program's graduate coordinator or the faculty advisor.

In the case of master's programs and certificates of advanced graduate study, the admissions material and proposal may be directed to a graduate degree-granting unit or to the director of the graduate school, who will direct it to the appropriate academic unit. In either case, admission to interdisciplinary study requires favorable recommendation by all units involved, one of which must be chosen by the applicant as the registration base.

In the case of doctoral study, the admissions material and proposal may be directed to a doctoral degree-granting unit or to the director of the graduate school, who will direct it to the appropriate academic unit. In either case, admission to interdisciplinary doctoral study requires favorable recommendation by all units involved. The doctoral degree-granting unit becomes the registration base of the student.

A maximum of 9 semester hours (or 12 quarter hours) of credit obtained at another institution may be accepted towards the degree IF the credits:

• consist of work taken at the graduate level for graduate credit;
• have been earned at an accredited institution;
• carry a grade of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale;
• have not been applied toward any other degree;
• are approved by the departmental/college graduate admissions committee as being appropriate to the degree program to which you are applying at Northeastern.

Go to the Graduate Website and in the upper right hand corner, underneath the "Apply Now" button, you will see the link to my N-you page. Click on the link.

You can track the progress of your application by going to your personal N-You page. On that page you will see the following list on the left side of the page: Info Requested; Submit Application; App Materials Received; My Decision is Ready. Next to each of these items is a colored button. A red color indicates that a particular step is not completed. A green color indicates that the step is completed.

Click on the "Technical Support" button on the online application form. The click will take you to Hobson's help page where you will find assistance.

Sure. Each program has a graduate coordinator who would be glad to talk with you. You will find the graduate coordinator's name and contact information on the program/departmental website.

Each program has its own website that lists admission requirements, introduces you to departmental faculty, and describes the research and departmental activities.

Yes.

The deadlines vary by college and sometimes by program. The college and program application deadlines are listed by college on the "Apply Now" page of the Graduate Website.

Application requirements vary by college. A click on the "Apply Now" bar (see above) will take you to a page where you can select the college to which you would like to apply. Click on the name of the college and you will arrive at the admissions page for your college of interest. A complete list of application requirements will be listed there.

Go to the Graduate Graduate Website , click on the red bar that says "Apply Now" and complete your application online. We no longer accept paper applications.

The University Excellence Fellowship (UEF) is a $5,000 supplemental award given for up to five years to incoming PhD students.

The Vice-Provost for Graduate Education issues the award based on departmental recommendations during the admissions process. To qualify for a UEF, a student must be guaranteed up to five years of funding (through a Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant or Senior TA appointment), by his or her department. Because the UEF is a fellowship, there is no work requirement associated with it. If a student's departmental funding ceases at any point, so will his or her UEF.

About 20 awards are made each year and there are up to 100 award-holders on campus.

Northeastern University is investing $2 million to help post-9/11 veterans earn degrees through the federal government's new Yellow Ribbon Program. Qualifying veterans who enroll at Northeastern will receive grant aid that covers most to all of Northeastern's tuition and fee charges, depending on the selected degree program. Northeastern and the Department of Veterans Affairs will cover all or most of the expenses that exceed the cost of attending the University of Massachusetts. Allowances for housing, books and supplies are included.

The Yellow Ribbon Program became effective on August 1, 2009. To be eligible, veterans must have served at least three years of active duty beginning on or after September 11, 2001. Veterans from any state are eligible to attend Northeastern and receive Yellow Ribbon funding.

The Double Husky Scholarship program provides our current seniors and recent Northeastern alumni with a timely career-building opportunity during the economic downturn. Seniors graduating in 2009 and members of the class of 2005 or later who are admitted into any of more than 100 full-time master's degree and certificate programs will receive a 25 percent tuition reduction. And we will waive the application fee for you!

In order to be eligible for a Double Husky Scholarship, each applicant must:

• Have graduated with a Northeastern bachelor's degree in one of the following years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.
• Be accepted into a Northeastern master's or certificate program. Students must submit an application and all other required materials to the graduate program in which they would like to study. Acceptance is determined by each individual graduate program. PhD applicants are not eligible.
• Enroll in a graduate program between summer 2009 and fall 2010 as a full-time student.

Please Note: The following students are NOT eligible for the Double Husky Scholarship: students in BS/MS and BA/MA programs; degree-seeking students who enrolled in a master's or certificate program prior to summer 2009.

The 25% reduction is on tuition only and the student must finance the remaining costs of the degree. Huskies will receive the reduction during semesters they attend full-time as master's degree or certificate seeking candidates.

If a Husky receives other grant aid from Northeastern, then he or she will only receive one scholarship and will be given the award of higher value.

Please Note: The Double Husky Scholarship may not be deferred beyond fall semester 2010.

Dean's Scholarships are awarded to qualified students in master's degree programs. Students not otherwise supported by graduate assistantships, Graduate Student Scholarships, or Diversity Fellowships are eligible for Dean's Scholarships, which provide tuition support subject to the following guidelines:

• This award pays 33% of the full-time graduate student's tuition to a maximum dollar amount not to exceed the tuition charged for 4 semester hours in each term of full-time registration.
• The award pays 25% of the part-time graduate student's tuition to a maximum dollar amount not to exceed the tuition charged for 2 semester hours in each term of part-time registration.
• Provisional, special, and other students are not eligible to receive a Dean's Scholarship.
• Dean's Scholarships are awarded by the student's academic department/college.

A GSS is a competitive award to eligible graduate students by the academic department/college and covers up to 8 credit hours per semester. Students who have been awarded a GSS are not required to work in order to receive the award. The GSS cannot be for a larger number of credit hours than the number for which the student has registered. Students may hold only one GSS appointment at a time.

Students with a GSS must be registered as full-time students. A GSS is not subject to either Federal or State Income Tax because it is not received in exchange for services and is therefore not considered income by the IRS; no FICA is withheld due to full-time student status.

Students awarded GSSs that do not cover all the tuition costs for a specific term are required to cover the difference between the specified amount of tuition support awarded and applied to the student's account and the total amount of tuition charged. GSSs should not be used to cover costs associated with Ph.D. Dissertation, Ph.D. Continuation, Master's Continuation or other courses bearing zero-credit hours.

Northeastern offers a range of housing options including traditional residence halls and suites for undergraduate students; limited housing is available for graduate students (typically in apartment buildings), but is not guaranteed. Northeastern also offers resources to assist students in arranging off-campus housing and in adjusting to life in Boston.

Yes. International students MUST notify the International Student and Scholar Institute (ISSI) BEFORE beginning any type of employment in the United States, including work on campus, off campus, co-op, CPT, OPT, SGA, RA, TA, and internship. All international students should consult the ISSI websitefor additional information about employment in the United States

Teaching Assistantships (TA)
Research Assistantships (RA)
Graduate School Scholarships (GSS)
Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Diversity Fellowships
Dean's Scholarships
Double Husky Scholarships
Yellow Ribbon Scholarships