Registration
University Policy
School of Public Health Policy
Students in all degree programs must be registered in every fall and spring term in which they are enrolled at the School of Public Health. Students may elect to register for the summer term, though in most cases, this registration is not required. International students graduating in August must follow the requirements of the International Students & Scholars Office regarding summer registration in the summer immediately prior to their graduation. Students are urged to meet with their advisor a month before registration begins to plan a schedule and to enter this schedule into the “Planner” function on the MyBU Student Portal.
Most continuing students in good academic standing with an active Boston University email address may register online via the MyBU Student Portal. The University Registrar’s office establishes dates for SPH registration. Students should watch for notices regarding registration for upcoming terms.
Students are urged to register early on the first morning of the registration period to avoid being closed out of courses. Students are also encouraged to fill out a waitlist form if they do not get into a desired class. Add/drop forms, directed study/research forms, and waitlist forms are available on the SPH Forms page. After registering, students should verify their registration and account charges on the MyBU Student Portal. If changes are needed, students may add or drop courses prior to the beginning of the term using web registration.
Other Populations
Online MPH students must submit an Intent to Register form every term to indicate their plans for the upcoming term (continuing to the next module or taking a leave of absence). OL MPH students who wish to drop a course need to submit a leave of absence/withdrawal form (available on the SPH Forms page) by the relevant deadlines to sphregr@bu.edu.
Doctoral candidates must submit a Doctoral Continuing Study Status form (available on the SPH Forms page) when they enter continuing study. The SPH Registrar’s office registers these students for continuing study every fall and spring term until graduation.
Undergraduate junior and senior students may use the registration function on the MyBU Student Portal to enroll in 700-level SPH courses according to the University Registrar’s registration timetable. Students must meet course prerequisites and have at least a 3.00 grade point average to register. Sophomores may enroll in 500-level classes. Freshmen may not register in SPH classes.
Enrollment Options
Most degree candidates in general may enroll as either full-time or part-time students. The Online MPH program is part-time only. Domestic students may change their status as their circumstances dictate, bearing in mind that students must be registered for at least 6 new units each term to be eligible for federal financial aid or loan deferment of existing loans. International students on F1/J1 visas are required to maintain full-time status except in their final term, when they may request permission from the SPH Registrar’s office and the International Students & Scholars Office for Reduced Course Load status.
Full-time status is a registration category assigned to students enrolled in 12–18 units per term. Part-time status is a registration category assigned to students enrolled in fewer than 12 units per term.
Each program specifies a time frame within which all program requirements must be met. Students who do not meet their degree requirements within the specified time frame may petition for an extension of their degree program duration.
