Leadership and Decision-Making Course Registration Process

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Course Registration Process

The LEAD Program Office staff, in consultation with the Program Director/Advisor, will facilitate the advisement and registration process for all LEAD courses. Once the participant has received registration clearance from the Program Director/Advisor, the Program Office will remove any advisement holds, will enter any registration overrides, and will distribute specific LEAD registration instructions via official university email prior to the start of each term. Upon receipt of the registration email from the Program Office, the participant may move forward in registering online using the information provided. Any questions regarding advisement or registration should be directed to the Program Office at [email protected].

It is the participant's responsibility to make financial arrangements for the doctoral program and to remove any financial holds in a timely manner. Each participant is responsible for registering online for doctoral coursework by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
All elective courses (LEAD and non-LEAD) must meet minimum eligibility requirements (link: Elective Credit Policy) and must be pre-approved by the Program Director/Advisor. If an approved non-LEAD elective course is closed, the participant should contact the academic program office/department offering the course to confirm eligibility and to request any applicable registration overrides (details provided below).
Registration clearance may be “on hold” for specific transitional courses (examples: LEAD 7450, LEAD 7995, LEAD 7700, LEAD 7999, etc.) due to pre-requisite requirements or other factors.
Year-round continuous enrollment (Fall, Spring, and Summer) is required. Additional information regarding continuous enrollment standards is provided in the Maintaining Continuous Enrollment section (link: Maintaining Continuous Enrollment).

Once a participant has registered, the participant is considered to be enrolled, is liable for fee payment, and is expected to attend all classes until or unless s/he completes the appropriate official withdrawal process with the UTC Registrar. A participant who drops out of classes without officially withdrawing will receive a grade of F.

Core Course Enrollment (6 graduate credits)

Enrollment in 6 graduate credit hours is required during the core program of study (link: PhD Program of Study). Due to the rigorous nature of the core program in addition to the participant’s professional practice, enrollment in additional credit hours during the core program of study requires pre-approval by the Program Director/Advisor. Additionally, due to the cohort nature of the program, enrollment in fewer than 6 graduate credit hours (at UTC or other institution) during the core program of study requires pre-approval by the Program Director/Advisor.

Minimum Degree Credit Hours

The Leadership and Decision-Making doctoral degree requires a minimum of 76 total graduate credit hours. Each Ph.D. candidate is required to successfully complete a minimum of 15 Dissertation credit hours and defend the Dissertation. Candidates who do not complete the Dissertation hours within the 15 credit hour time frame must take an additional 2 Dissertation credit hours each semester through graduation. The candidate must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 Dissertation credits (LEAD 7999) during the semester in which the Final Dissertation Defense is held.

To Request Elective Approval During Coursework (UTC Courses)

Review the LEAD elective credit policy (link: Elective Credit Policy).
Review the UTC course offerings from other departments to determine whether a particular course may be appropriate for your doctoral Program of Study and professional practice.
Contact the academic program office/department offering the course to confirm eligibility.
Contact the instructor of record (or the academic department offering the course) to request a copy of the most recent version of the course syllabus (no more than one year old).
Review the syllabus for applicability to the LEAD elective credit policy criteria.
Submit the syllabus to the LEAD Program Office at [email protected]. The syllabus will be forwarded to the Program Director/Advisor for review.

If the elective course is approved by the Program Director/Advisor:

The LEAD Program Office will remove your advisement hold and you will register for the course. If additional overrides are needed (examples: closed class, pre-requisite, co-requisite, etc.), contact the academic program office/department offering the course for assistance. The LEAD Program Office will facilitate the addition of the course to your doctoral Program of Study following successful completion of the course.

If the elective course is not approved by the Program Director/Advisor:

Consider proposing an alternate elective course (repeat steps outlined above).

To Request Elective Approval During Coursework (Non-UTC Courses)

Review the institution’s class offerings to determine whether a particular course may be appropriate for your doctoral Program of Study and professional practice.
Contact the instructor of record (or academic department) to request a copy of the most recent version of the course syllabus (no more than one year old).
Review the syllabus for applicability to the LEAD elective credit policy criteria (link: Elective Credit Policy).
Submit the syllabus to the LEAD Program Office at [email protected]. The syllabus will be forwarded to the Program Director/Advisor for review.

If the elective course is approved by the Program Director/Advisor:

Apply for non-degree/transient seeking status at the institution.
Register for the approved elective course(s) during the registration period.
Provide the LEAD Program Office with official enrollment verification by the end of the UTC registration period in order to maintain continuous enrollment standards.
Upon completion of the course(s), request an official transcript be sent directly from the institution to the UTC Graduate School:

Transcript Mailing Address:
UTC Graduate School
Attn: Mark Fairchild
615 McCallie Avenue
103 Race Hall, Dept. 5305
Chattanooga, TN 37403

Transcript Email Address:
[email protected]

The LEAD Program Office will facilitate the addition of the course to your doctoral Program of Study following successful completion of the course.