Frequently Asked Questions
The first step is to meet with the Director of Graduate Studies,
Dr. Ernst Leiss. You should plan to see him during his office hours in
room 501B Philip G. Hoffman Hall (501B PGH). During this meeting,
Dr. Leiss will indicate if you need to take any prerequisite
courses. Also, together you will determine whether you will be
pursuing the M.S. thesis plan, the M.S. non-thesis plan, or the Ph.D.
program. Some students take all of their prerequisite courses as a
post-baccalaureate student. However, some students may be
admitted as a graduate student and are just deficient in a few
areas. In either case, all prerequisite courses must be completed
before taking any graduate courses. The only exception is that a
student may take a graduate course in the semester in which his
prerequisites are being completed. The UH website gives information on how to register by phone or on-line.
Also, you can access a complete
listing of courses available in that semester. The most
up-to-date information about classes, times, instructors, locations,
and the number of seats available can be accessed from this listing. This information is available on the
UH website. It is your responsibility to pay by the
university deadlines. If you do not, the university will drop you
from your classes. Students may change their address by logging on to the Enrollment
Services Online and accessing the 'Address Change' screen,
available under RECORDS, or they may file changes of address with the
Office of Registration and Academic Services, 108 ECullen. For
your convenience, you may also call (713)743-1010 and press 4 and 5 and
a service representative will help you change your address upon proper
identification. Go to the Academic Records Office in 108 ECullen and complete a Change of Name and/or
Student Identification Form. You will need to show them your
Social Security card. This is especially important if you are
employed or receive financial support from the university. Students may have a Cougar
1Card made at the University Center, room 279. Refer to UH’s Information
Technology website. Application forms are available in 501 PGH. It is important to
get an account because we e-mail information to all graduate students
having an account on the CS system to notify you of deadlines and other
useful information. You can also use another e-mail account and
subscribe to our mailing lists. There
are several strictly enforced deadlines for dropping courses.
The first deadline allows you to drop
on-line and receive a full
tuition refund as long as you do not withdraw from all of your classes.
Between the first and second deadline, you can drop a
course on-line. There will be no refund and no
record of the course on your transcript. Between the second and
third deadline, you must get a Registration Add/Drop Form from 108
ECullen or 501 PGH. You fill out the form, have the instructor
sign and give you a grade of "W" or "F", and turn the form into 108
ECullen. It takes prior planning to process a drop by the
deadline. Remember that instructors are not necessarily here
everyday. If the last day to drop is approaching, plan to get the
instructor’s signature no later than the last day the class meets
before the drop deadline. Next you must turn the form into 108
ECullen. Even if you have the instructor’s signature on the form,
the drop cannot be processed until the form is submitted to Academic
Records. After the third deadline, you may not drop the
course. You will be assigned whatever grade you earn for the
course. The instructor usually gives a syllabus during the first week of class
with this information. Sometimes he posts it on his web
page. The Computer Science Department located in 501 PGH
maintains office hour charts for instructors and TA’s. About five working days after the final exam, your grade should be
available through VIP or on-line. There are two separate calculations you must satisfy to graduate from
our program. One is the cumulative graduate GPA and the other is
the Computer Science GPA. Both must be a minimum of 3.00.
To obtain the cumulative graduate GPA, everything you take at the
3000-level or higher once you are admitted to graduate school at UH
will be counted. Retaking a course does not eliminate the lower
grade in that course. To obtain the Computer Science GPA, every
Computer Science course you take at the 4000-level or higher will be
counted once you are admitted to the Computer Science graduate program. Graduate students are required to be enrolled in fall and spring
semesters (not summers) until the degree program is completed and the
degree is awarded. Students who cannot enroll must use a General Petition Form
to apply for a leave of absence prior to the beginning of the semester.
A satisfactory rate of progress toward the degree is required
throughout a student’s enrollment. Some reasons for termination
can be: not taking required prerequisites, failure to complete
the prerequisite courses successfully, not maintaining a 3.0 GPA,
failing to maintain continuous enrollment in the Computer Science
Department, and violating the Four C Rule. A graduate student who receives a grade of C+ or lower or an
Unsatisfactory in 12 semester hours of credit attempted at this
institution for graduate credit or for application toward the graduate
degree, whether or nor in repeated courses, is ineligible for any
advanced degree at this institution and will not be permitted to
re-enroll for graduate study. Please visit http://www2.cs.uh.edu/cgi-bin/listsub.pl.I have been admitted.
What do I do next?
When do I take my prerequisite courses?
I have finished my course
advising. How do I register?
I have registered. Where, when and how
can I pay?
I have just moved. How do I change my
address?
I was assigned a student number when I
was admitted. How do I change that number to my Social Security
number?
How do I get a student ID card?
How do I get a UH computer account?
How do I get a Computer Science
Department computer account?
I need to drop a course. How do I
do this?
How can I find the instructor or TA for
the course outside of class time?
How do I find out my grades?
How is my GPA calculated?
Am I required to be enrolled every
semester?
Can I be removed from the graduate
program?
What is the Four C Rule?
I am a current student. How do I subscribe/unsubscribe to the
departmental mailing lists for graduate and undergraduate students?
