Academic Policies, Procedures and Regulations

Academic Calendar

The Academic Calendar is available electronically on the Registrar’s Office website. Basic dates, detailed dates, as well as instructions on how to subscribe to the Academic Calendar through Google are available. The academic year consists of Fall and Spring semesters and a mandatory Wintersession term. Note that some programs start in the summer prior to their first Fall enrollment.

Academic Year and Course/Credit Load

For most students, the academic year consists of two semesters (Fall and Spring), and a mandatory Wintersession term. The normal credit load is 12 to 15 credits per semester, and 3 credits during Wintersession.  Twelve (12) credits per semester is the minimum requirement for full-time enrollment (successfully completing 12 credit each semester is the minimum requirement, along with meeting a minimum GPA standard, to remain in good academic standing).    

Registering for less than 12 credits in a semester (and less than 3 credits in Wintersession) is not permitted. Students who do not complete at least 12 credits in a semester (or 3 credits during Wintersession) will be placed on academic probation and run the risk of jeopardizing their financial aid.

International students on an F-1 Visa must enroll in at least 12 credits (and 3 credits in Wintersession) to maintain their visa status. Any internships done in the United States must be credit bearing and require Curricular Practical Training (CPT) work authorization. Please see the International Student & Scholar Affairs (ISSA) Office for more information.

Requests to enroll for less than 12 credits (referred to as “reduced load”) are considered according to the policy described in the section entitled “Full-time Enrollment Requirement” in the Registration Policies. Requests for reduced load must be made in writing to the Academic Standing Committee using the ‘Request for Exception to Academic Policy’ form and submitted to the Registrar’s Office no later than one month prior to the start of classes. Refer to the next section for the policy on maximum semester credits.

Undergraduate students may take credit bearing courses at RISD in the Summer under limited circumstances. These circumstances include internships (for which registration is completed prior to beginning the internship), Summer Travel courses through RISD Global, and enrollment in the Summer Experimental & Foundation Studies Program, which offers up to nine credits to incoming students, as well as continuing students, seeking to make up coursework in Foundation Studies. RISD Continuing Education offers credit bearing courses.

Graduate students may take credit bearing courses at RISD in the Summer under limited circumstances. These circumstances include internships (for which registration is completed prior to beginning the internship), Summer Travel courses through RISD Global, and enrollment in the Summer Experimental & Foundation Studies Program which offers up to nine credits to incoming graduate students seeking to make up coursework in Foundation Studies to meet a condition of admission. In addition, select graduate programs have Summer credit requirements, such as the MLA in Landscape Architecture, the MAT program in Art Education, the MDes program in Interior Studies (Adaptive Reuse), the MDes program in Interior Studies (Exhibition and Narrative Environments) and the MA in Interior Architecture.

Credit Load Definition

For undergraduate courses, as well as most graduate courses, a semester hour of credit typically represents an average of three hours of work each week (60-minute hours) in a 15 week semester. A three-credit course represents 135 hours of work. This is the sum of contact time in class and out of class work. For RISD’s 13 week semester a three-credit class should represent approximately 10.5 hours a week of work, in Wintersession’s 5-week term this is equal to 27 hours per week.

Examples:

• 3-credit lecture/discussion course that meets 3 hours per week would typically expect students have an additional 7.5 hours of outside work to complete.

• 3-credit studio/laboratory courses that meet 5 hours per week would typically expect students have an additional 5.5 hours of outside work to complete.

• 6-credit studio/laboratory courses may still meet 5 hours per week but would then typically expect students have an additional 16 hours of outside work to complete.

• 3-credit EFS foundational studio courses meet 7.5 hours per week would typically expect students have an additional 3 hours of outside work to complete.

• 3-credit Wintersession courses meet 12 times in 5 weeks, the contact time for a studio class is 5 hours, 60 in class hours in total, and 75 out of class hours spent on work (average is 15 hours per week)

Courses and credits are approved by Department Heads and Divisional Deans, then by the College Curriculum Committee or Wintersession Curriculum Committee as needed and called for by the rules of the Committee. The Deans, Department Heads, and applicable Curriculum Committee are responsible for ensuring accurate and reliable application of credit hour policies.

Maximum Semester/Wintersession Term Credits

The normal credit load is 12-15 credits per semester, and 3 credits in the Wintersession term. The maximum credit load for Fall and Spring semesters is 16 credits and 6 credits during Wintersession. The semester credit limit includes any courses taken simultaneously at another institution, including Brown University.

Students may register for no more than two (2) Liberal Arts courses (6 total credits) during the Fall and Spring semesters.

During Fall and Spring, students wishing to exceed this maximum should use the ‘Request for Exception to Academic Policy’ form, available from the Registrar’s Office to seek approval from their Department Head and Academic Advisor. During Fall and Spring Semester, students may not exceed 18 credits. Requests for exceptions must be received by the Registrar’s Office by the Add/Drop deadline.

During Wintersession, no exceptions to the 6-credit maximum rule are allowed.

At RISD, many academic departments pre-register students into major-required classes and students then choose electives and Liberal Arts on their own using Workday, the online web registration system. In addition to this pre-registration, certain academic departments, mainly Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design, and Interior Architecture, hold presentations for each Advanced Studio section just before classes begin.

Registration for Fall and Spring courses is available via Workday, except for travel classes, ISP/CSP, and Internships (see each section for how to register for these particular classes). Please refer to the Academic Calendar for dates of registration.

Web registration appointment times are randomly assigned within the appropriate cohort/class level group. Workday allows students to register only after their assigned time begins. Information on registration procedures is available on the Registrar's Office website.

Wintersession Meeting Times/On-Campus Course Format

Courses in Wintersession generally span five to six weeks in January and early February.  While maintaining the same total contact hours, Wintersession courses are not limited to standardized meeting times. Instead, courses may be designed in formats that best support learning opportunities and goals. Classes typically meet twice per week and additionally on alternating Wednesdays.

Wintersession course formats and meeting times are clearly communicated at registration to ensure student understanding and alignment with learning outcomes prior to enrollment.

Note: There are no scheduled days set aside for Wintersession Crits/Exams. All Wintersession Crits/Exams must take place during scheduled course time.

Class Standing

The following defines the number of credits which must be earned for each level of class standing. The number of credits completed indicates a student’s class standing. RISD does not differentiate class standing at the Graduate level; there is only one class standing for Graduate Students (class standing of Graduate).