Current students>Registration Memo

Registration Memo

Dear New Maryland School of Public Policy Students:

With great pleasure we again welcome you to the Maryland School of Public Policy this coming Fall semester (earlier for those of you taking the Math Refresher Course).  Here you will find information on registering for courses, orientation activities, and other things you might need to know to begin your journey here

Course Registration

Orientation
Getting your Student ID Card
Getting your "Mail@umd" e-mail Account
Housing
Parking
Health Center
Student with Financial Aid
Students Looking for non-MSPP Financial Aid
Campus Map

Course Registration:

Step 1: Determine which courses you are required to take while at MSPP

Ph.D. students should consult with their advisor or the PhD Director, Carol Graham , about which courses they should take to prepare for their exams.  Master’s students are required to take six CORE courses:

PUAF 610“Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy” OR  PUAF 611 “Quantitative Analysis of Social Policy Issues”  (LI = Prof. Bento)

PUAF 620“Political Institutions and Leadership”  (LI = Prof. Foreman)

PUAF 640“Microeconomics and Policy Analysis” OR (with permission of Prof. Bento) PUAF 698x “Microeconomic Applications of Government Policy”  (LI = Prof. Pintoff)

PUAF 641“Macroeconomics and Policy Analysis” (required for students specializing in ISEP or IDEV) OR PUAF 670“Finance” (required for students specializing in M&L, PSFM or Social Policy) (LI = Your specialization director)

PUAF 650“Moral Dimensions of Public Policy” OR PUAF 698x “Proseminar in Politics, Philosophy and Public Policy” (LI = Prof. Crocker)

PUAF 711“Public Management and Leadership”  (LI = Dean Powers)

If you believe your prior coursework and/or career experiences have already provided you with the essence of a CORE course, you may request to be waived from that course requirement by demonstrating your knowledge to the current “lead instructor” of that core course (designated by LI in the above list).  A waiver will not result in the student receiving credit, only the ability to substitute another course for the CORE requirement.

In addition to their core courses, master’s students will have 4 or 5 specialization course requirements.  The rest of your courses may be general electives, which may consist of any other graduate-level, non-overlapping public policy course offered in MSPP, elsewhere at the University, or through the Washington, D.C. consortium of universities. 

PhD students with questions about which courses to take should consult their faculty advisor or the PhD Director,Carol Graham.  Master’s students should consult with Executive Dean Powers, through email, by phone (301-405-6336), or in person (email ahead to suggest possible times).  Master’s students will also be assigned a faculty advisor who can, in addition to advising on career development and other matters, advise them on their course selections.  (Not all faculty advisors though are fully knowledgeable of degree requirements, so please confirm any understandings with Dean Powers.  Faculty advisors may not, explicitly or implicitly, waive degree requirements.)

Master’s students’ initial advisor will be the director of their specialization (as noted on the students’ admission letters). Near the end of their first semester though, they will be assigned a faculty advisor who is perhaps more specifically aligned with their career interests.  Master’s students may change their faculty advisor at any time simply by securing the consent of the person they would like to be their advisor and notifying the former advisor, the new advisor, and Taryn Faulkner in the Student Affairs office of the change.

Rather than just rely on your formal academic advisor, you should feel free to use the entire faculty for both career and academic advice. If you have questions regarding registering for classes, graduate school deadlines, records and registration, scholarships, fellowships, internships, job searches or any other process-related issues, please feel free to contact any member of the Student Affairs staff.  

Step 2: Decide how many courses you will take in your first semester

Unlike many programs, the School does not have separate full- and part-time programs.  A student’s full-time/part-time status may change from semester to semester.  Formally (e.g., for some visa, financial aid, and fee purposes), full-time graduate student enrollment is usually considered to be 9 or more credit hours per semester while part-time enrollment is defined as fewer than 9 credit hours per semester.   Most full-time master's and beginning PhD students in MSPP take 12 credits per semester.  Master’s' students are free to take as many courses from 1 to 5 courses each fall/spring semester (1-3 across the summer, and 1 in the one-month winter term), without obtaining special permission.  (Watch out again though: visas and some financial aid are conditioned on full-time status.)  Ph.D. students are strongly encouraged to attend full-time.  PhD students who wish to attend less than full-time should obtain the prior approval of the PhD Director, Carol Graham.

The University requires that all degree students register for at least one credit each semester unless they have both the School’s and the University’s permission.  Likewise, master’s students must complete all degree requirements within 5 years of entering their degree program.  Master’s students should consult with Ms. Karen Logan (301-405-8230) if for any reason they are unable to register for at least one class in a given semester, or wish to take more than 5 courses in the fall or spring semesters (or 3 in the summer or 1 in the one-month winter semester). PhD rules are more complex.  PhD students who wish to take a semester off or are concerned about how much time they have to meet requirements should contact their advisor or PhD Director Carol Graham if they have concerns about them.

Step 3: Understand the Schedule of Classes

The University's schedule of classes is located on-line at http://www.testudo.umd.edu/. Since the schedule shows courses for several semesters, be sure to select the right semester.

The prefix for all Maryland School of Public Policy courses is PUAF. Each course is assigned a number or a number/letter combination (example: PUAF 610, PUAF 698G).

There may be several offerings of a given course in a semester. Each offering is called a section and has its own instructor, classroom, timeslot, etc. Each section is also assigned a 4 digit number or letter/number combination. Section numbers that are truly numbers (0101, 0201, etc.) denote sections that are offered on campus and are open to any MSPP student. Section numbers beginning with letters (e.g., RB01) denote sections that are offered off-campus (usually in downtown D.C.).  Any off-campus sections beginning with RB are open to any MSPP student. (For the curious among you, the “RB” stands for the Reagan Building, where most D.C. courses used to be offered.) Section numbers beginning with any other letters (e.g., MD01) indicate sections that are only open to students belonging to a particular special cohort (often sponsored by a government agency).

If a specific instructor has yet to be identified, the term “Staff” will appear. The term “Dis” implies a discussion section has been provided to supplement the lecture. The days of the week are indicated as follows: M=Monday, Tu=Tuesday, W=Wednesday, Th=Thursday, F=Friday. Most MSPP courses meet only once a week for 2.5 hours. The room location of a course is indicated by a building code (usually “VMH” for Van Munching Hall) and a room number.  Room assignments are often changed at the start of each semester to reflect actual enrollment numbers, so be sure to check the posted signs for any changes that affect you.  A list of text books for each course can usually be found on-line by clicking on the “books” icon below the course description.

Sample Course Listing

PUAF610 Quantitative Methods in Policy Analysis; (3 credits) Grade Method: REG/AUD.

0101 [section number] 52131 [Index number] Fetter, S. [Instructor] (Seats=40, Open=40, Waitlist=0) Books

MW........ 10:40am-11:55am [Meeting day and time] ( VMH 1207) [location]

F......... 1:30pm- 4:00pm ( VMH 1207) Dis [Discussion session]


Step 4: Determine which courses you will take your first semester

Most non-CORE MSPP courses often assume knowledge of the materials covered in the CORE courses.  Moreover, financial aid for returning students is mostly based on the number of CORE courses you’ve completed, as well as your performance in the quantitative CORE courses (usually 610, 640, 641, 670) and the qualitative CORE courses (usually 620, 650, and 711), separately calculated.  Therefore, unless Dean Powers provides you a written waiver, master’s students may only take CORE courses in their first semester and at least one of these courses must be PUAF 6100, PUAF 611, or PUAF 640.

A typical full-time master’s student will take PUAF 610, 620, 640, and 650 in their first semester.  Some students with weaker quantitative backgrounds, however, have found it difficult to take both PUAF 610 (quantitative methods) and PUAF PUAF 640 (Microeconomics) in their first semester. When deciding whether to take both courses, keep in mind that, by graduation, most students have taken more than four quantitative courses (including specialization courses) which means that most full-time students will need to take at least two quantitative courses in at least one term.

Your choice of courses may be influenced by the day/time they are offered.  The School strives to make at least one section of each CORE course available in the 7-9:30 timeslot once an academic year (4:15-6:45pm otherwise).  Sections of the same course also vary based on the interests of the instructor teaching them (though they all aim to achieve similar ‘results’).

Step 5: Register for classes on-line

Registering for classes on-line at www.testudo.umd.edu is easy.  Again, be sure to select the right semester.  To avoid late fees, please remember to register for classes before the first day of classes. If you drop a course before the start of classes, you will not be charged for the course (or are eligible for a refund if you have already paid for the course). If you drop a course during the first five days of classes, you will only receive an 80% refund (or be charged 20% if you haven't already paid). Thereafter, you will not receive any refund for dropped courses. Exception: During the first ten days of classes, students will not be charged to drop and add equal credit courses on the same day.  After the first ten day grace period, courses dropped will receive no refund and courses added will be fully charged.

Step 6: Periodically check for schedule changes

Given both the faculty’s extensive involvement in real-time policy matters and complex scheduling considerations, MSPP’s offering of courses and sections in any given semester tends to crystallize only a few months before the start of the semester and even then is subject to modification.  While we attempt to notify affected students of these changes, it's wise to periodically check Testudo to verify your course schedule!

Orientation

Please refer to the tentative Orientation schedule. Please note that attendance at Orientation is mandatory.

Getting your Student ID Card

To be issued a Student ID Card, you must be registered for at least one class. Once you have registered, please go to the 1st floor of the Mitchell Building to the Student Services Counter, with a valid photo ID, between the hours of 8:30am - 4:30pm to get your UMD Student ID Card.

Getting your "mail@umd" email Account

The School relies on email (occasionally mailed info) for most official communications.  It is thus essential that the University Directory have your correct contact information at all times (including now).

1) Set up your University Directory Initial Password

2) Set up your Directory ID

3) Activate your email account

Housing

Graduate housing information can be found here

Parking

Parking information for graduate students can be found here

Health Center

Students looking for health insurance and medical and mental health care should visit the University Health Center, unless you are awarded a Public Policy Graduate Assistanship. In this case you are eligible for State benefits. Please refer to the Benefits section on the Financial Aid Memo.

Students with Financial Aid

If you have recieved a financial aid award with the School of Public Policy please refer to the Financial Aid Memo and carefully read ove rhte important information provided.

Students Looking for non-MSPP Financial Aid

  1. University Human Resources
  2. Finding a Part Time Job on Campus

Campus Map

The University has an interactive campus map. The Maryland School of Public Policy is located in Van Munching Hall.