Courses

Students' Procedures for Cross-Registration and Credit Transfer at GCWS Member Institutions

The specific cross-registration procedures for each member institution are listed below. Click on your univeristy's name below to find the procedures relevant to you.

Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Insititute of Technology
Northeastern University
Simmons College
Tufts University
University of Massachusetts Boston

MIT Course Numbers for GCWS Seminars

Workshop for Dissertation Writers in Women’s and Gender Studies WGS.600
Feminist Inquiry WGS.615
Topic-based seminar 1 (contact GCWS for the specific course number) WGS.640
Topic-based seminar 2 (contact GCWS for the specific course number) WGS.645
Topic-based seminar 3 ((contact GCWS for the specific course number) WGS.700

 

BOSTON COLLEGE

  1. Consult with your graduate director/s in advance regarding credit.
  2. Final decision for credit at BC rests with the chairs of the graduate committee in the student’s department.
  3. Pick up the BC cross-registration form at Student Services (Lyon’s Hall, First Floor).  Complete the BC cross-registration form, which requires signatures of relevant departments and deans at BC and the GCWS.   The GCWS Program Manager will sign for the course instructors and the host institution registrar.
  4. Copies of the BC cross-registration form will be shared between the BC registrar and the GCWS Program Manager.
  5. After the close of the course, grades will be sent to the BC registrar for those students who will be seeking BC credit for the course.
  6. Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

  1. With the approval of the faculty of a student’s BU graduate program, she/he can receive a grade and graduate credit for completing a GCWS course that has been established on the MIT inventory.  That approval is confirmed by the signatures obtained on the BU Cross Registration Petition which is available at the BU Registrar’s Office or online here. An MIT twelve unit course is equivalent to a BU four-credit course. Note: Students can only take one GCWS course per semester.
  2. The student must complete this petition by obtaining the following signatures for the BU Cross Registration Petition: the BU registrar, the student’s advisor or dean, and the GCWS Program Manager, who will sign for the course instructors and as the host institution registrar.  Students should contact gcws@mit.edu to obtain the MIT course number for their GCWS class.  Return the form to the BU registrar once it is completed, leave a copy with the GCWS Program Manager, and follow BU’s registration deadlines.
  3. Once the course has been completed and graded, a grade will be sent by the GCWS Program Manager to the BU registrar.  The grade and course title will be added to the BU transcript.
  4. Standard BU tuition charges will apply; BU financial aid may be used for these courses.
  5. Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

  1. Credits earned for GCWS seminars will count towards Brandeis program requirements provided the program in question approves.
  2. Brandeis departmental signatures are required on a course enrollment card on which the GCWS course should be listed. Students should pick up a Brandeis Graduate Cross-Registration GCWS Form at their Registrar's Office (Kutz Building, Room 121), complete it, and get signatures of Brandeis registrar and the GCWS Program Manager (Andi Sutton). The Brandeis deadline to add a class is Sept. 10th, 2015 (Fall) and January 27th (Spring). Leave a copy of this form with the GCWS Program Manager.
  3. After the close of the course, the grade for the GCWS course will be sent by the GCWS Program Manager to the Brandeis registrar for those students who will be seeking Brandeis credit for the course.
  4. Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

  1. Harvard students enrolling in GCWS courses should follow the cross-registration procedures on Harvard’s Cross-Registration website which gives step by step instructions for filling out a non-Harvard cross-registration petition form. The host school to which students will be cross-registering is MIT.
  2. Contact the GCWS for the MIT course number for the course for which you are registering. Make an appointment with the GCWS Program Manager who can sign for the course instructor.  To obtain a signature from the host institution registrar, visit the MIT registrar’s office in building E34-400 (link to: http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=E34).  Peter Hayes, Associate Registrar at MIT or Shirley Thompson, Coordinator of Registration Services will sign as the Host Institution Registrar. (If they cannot provide a signature, they will direct you to someone in that office who can.)
  3. Once the form is completed, scan and email a copy to the GCWS Program Manager(arsutton@mit.edu), and follow the instructions on the Harvard cross-registration web site for how to submit an online cross-registration petition form.
  4. Students who have questions about this cross-registration process should contact their home school’s registrar.  Please direct questions about the MIT/GCWS sections of the form to GCWS Program Manager.
  5. Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

  1. Though GCWS courses are assigned MIT course numbers, students still must complete a GCWS course application and submit it by the application deadline.  Course applications are available online.
  2. Once accepted, MIT students may register through MIT for the course. MIT registration includes verification of status in good standing and the signature of the faculty advisor.
  3. Students should get consent of their departmental registration officer for graduate level credit at MIT. The GCWS graduate credit transcript stamped with the MIT seal will be sent to the MIT Registrar upon completion of the course in order to verify completion of the course and record grades.

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

  1. Some GCWS courses will have corresponding course numbers in the NEU catalogue while students will register for others as a WGSS Directed Study (WMNS 7976) under the guidance of an NEU faculty member.  Please consult Kiki Samko, Program Coordinator for the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at NEU, for the current course numbers and/or information about pursuing the Directed Study option.
  2. NEU students need to complete a registration form specific to the GCWS by acquiring an advisor’s signature and the signature of Kiki Samko, Program Coordinator for WGSS.  The completed form will be scanned and emailed to the GCWS Program Manager once it is submitted.
  3. When the course is finished, grades will be sent by the GCWS Program Manager to Kiki.  She will provide the final grade via email to the NEU faculty member overseeing the course. The faculty member is responsible for reporting grades for the Directed Study/course to the NEU registrar via change-of-grade form. The grade is then posted on students’ NEU transcript. 
  4. GCWS courses will normally carry elective credit for graduate students, but details need to be determined in consultation with the students’ graduate committees.
  5.  Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

SIMMONS COLLEGE

  1. Students should discuss taking the course with their graduate advisor if they want it to count toward their degree requirements.
  2. Once you hear from the GCWS Program Manager of your acceptance to the course, visit or send an email to the Gender/Cultural Studies Program Director and to the GCWS Program Manager indicating that yes, you would like to be formally enrolled in the course.
  3. At the close of the course, your grade will be sent by the GCWS Program Manager to the GCS Director who will send them to the registrar.
  4. *Important*  If you’ve enrolled in a placeholder course in case you are not accepted to the GCWS seminar, you need to drop the placeholder course within 7 days of the start of the semester, otherwise you will be charged for that class. Please play close attention to Simmons semester start dates as they occasionally do not line up with the start dates of GCWS classes.
  5. Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

TUFTS UNIVERSITY GSAS

  1. Students should discuss taking the course with their graduate advisor if they want it to count toward their degree requirements.
  2. Download the GCWS registration form, acquiring the signature of Janet Frasier, Tufts Registrar, first. Course designation for the Tufts system is with a Tufts course number.  Since this course will be treated as other consortial courses, the grade sent to the Tufts registrar at the close of the course will appear on the Tufts transcript.   
  3. The form should then be scanned and emailed (or brought in person) to the GCWS Program Manager who will sign the form last.
  4. At the close of the course, grades will be sent to the Tufts registrar for those students seeking Tufts credit, submitted to Janet Frasier.  Note that because of the above process, GCWS seminar grades may not appear on Tufts transcripts until after other semester grades appear.  Students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course should contact the GCWS Program Manager. Grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors.

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON

  1. Students should get approval in advance from their graduate program director (or undergraduate advisor for advanced undergraduates) if they want a GCWS course to count toward their UMB degree requirements.
  2. Students then enroll in GCWS courses using the WOST rubric through the WISER system. Courses may include:  WGS 597: Special Topics: Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies, WGS 581: Special Topics: Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (Seminar in Gender, Power, Politics), WGS: 583: Special Topics: Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (Seminar in Gender, Culture, Society); WGS 599: Dissertation Workshop, and WGS 591: Feminist Inquiry. If the student has difficulty enrolling, s/he can contact Chris Bobel, the UMB faculty representative to the GCWS, who will provide assistance. The instructor listed will be Professor Bobel. She will input the grade provided by the GCWS Program Manager.
  3. Email the GCWS Program Manager to confirm your enrollment through the WISER system.
  4. Note that students who are planning to finish a degree the semester in which they are enrolled in a GCWS course have to contact the GCWS Program Manager and the course instructors at the beginning of the semester with their graduation and grade deadline date. The grade deadlines of both institutions may not coincide and, depending on the semester, these students may need to submit work for early evaluation by the instructors in order to graduate on time.

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Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 14N-211
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617-324-2085