Registration

Audit a class for academic enrichment

As a special privilege, Metropolitan College offers Boston University alumni the opportunity to audit a class for academic enrichment. The cost of this benefit is $40 per credit (plus a $60 student services fee). For computer science courses, the per-credit fee will be $115 (plus a $60 student services fee). Audited classes are neither graded nor offered for college credit. Students must meet all prerequisites of the course to be eligible to audit the course.

For detailed information about alumni auditing, visit the Alumni & Friends section of the Metropolitan College website.

Metropolitan College adheres to University Policy on auditing courses.

For Metropolitan College Students

Within Boston University

Metropolitan College students who wish to take a class offered by another school or college at Boston University must first seek the approval of their Metropolitan College advisor and then work with their advisor to seek the permission of the BU school or college offering the program. Both degree and non-degree students should be advised that the majority of their course load must be Metropolitan College courses.

Within the Consortium

Through a formal agreement with several local colleges and universities, Boston University students can attend courses at other institutions, and students from other institutions can attend courses at BU. For information about qualifying institutions and consortium guidelines, visit the Office of the University Registrar.

For Non-Metropolitan College Students

Non-Metropolitan College students are those enrolled in other Boston University schools and colleges.

Undergraduate Students

Full-time on-campus undergraduate students cannot earn units toward their degree from courses offered in Metropolitan College (MET) unless they are enrolled in a MET degree program. Individual exceptions to the above policy can be petitioned through the Undergraduate Academic Exceptions Committee. Exceptions may be warranted only in rare circumstances.

Graduate Students

In most graduate-level programs, seats are reserved for Metropolitan College graduate students. Boston University students who want to take a graduate-level Metropolitan College course should seek permission from the advisor at their BU school or college, and then seek permission from the Metropolitan College academic department or program office that offers the course they are interested in.

A Directed Study is a coherent, well-defined, and substantive research project supervised by a faculty member with expertise and research record in the given area of specialization, usually resulting in a major written report or publication. It is not a credit for work experience. Rather, it offers the student an opportunity to explore in detail a carefully defined area of special interest, as well as a chance to work under the close supervision of a faculty member with expertise in that area.

Students who wish to conduct research in a specific area of interest under the guidance of a faculty member may apply for a Directed Study. Only full-time faculty can work with a student in a Directed Study, and the proposed work needs to be directly related to the expertise and research area of the sponsoring faculty.

A Directed Study is considered an academic course. Therefore, upon completion of the Directed Study the student receives a grade from the sponsoring faculty member and appropriate tuition charges will be assessed. Directed Study is billed as a 4-credit course unless otherwise requested by the faculty member and approved by the Senior Associate Dean.

Directed Study may not substitute for a required course (core course) or duplicate an elective course. Students may do no more than one Directed Study course as part of a graduate program.  Students wishing to do more than one Directed Study during the course of their program must attach copies of any previous Directed Study applications to any subsequent applications, as well as the written report or publication that resulted from the previous Directed Study. The subsequent application will be subject to careful review to ensure that the studies are clearly non-overlapping, separate courses.  A student may not do more than one Directed Study in a given semester.

The fully completed and signed Directed Study application form needs to be submitted to the Dean’s Office at least two weeks before the beginning of a semester. Counting as a MET elective course, the Directed Study should be approved no later than the last day of the add/drop period.

Procedure for Directed Study

To arrange a Directed Study course, the student should:

• Obtain a Directed Study application form
• Select a full-time faculty member with expertise and research record in the area of interest
• Approach the appropriate faculty member and discuss plans for Directed Study
• Negotiate area of research, requirements, and evaluation criteria with the faculty member
• Complete the Directed Study application form, and have it signed by the faculty member, department chairman, and program director (as appropriate)
• Submit the completed application to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for approval not less than two weeks before the start of the semester
• Upon approval, the Senior Associate Dean will assign a course number for the class and process the registration for the course

Upon completion of the Directed Study a copy of the written document or paper resulting from the study should be submitted in electronic format by the sponsoring faculty to the Dean’s Office.

Students interested in completing a Master’s Thesis should review the Master’s Thesis Policy for more information about the approval process.

Metropolitan College’s policy on intra-university transfer is different than that of other undergraduate programs at the University.

Students seeking to transfer to a degree program in Boston University’s Metropolitan College must apply through Metropolitan College Admissions. Students seeking to transfer from Metropolitan College to a degree program in another Boston University school or college must apply as a transfer student through Boston University Undergraduate Admissions.

For more general information about IUT, review the University’s Intra-University Transfer (IUT) page.

Undergraduate Students

Course Overload Guidelines

Full-time tuition entitles an undergraduate student to register for 18 credit hours; credit hours over 18 (up to 20) are considered an overload. Students are charged a fee for each credit hour above 18. Metropolitan College students must see an advisor in the Enrollment & Student Success office, 1010 Commonwealth Avenue, 1st Floor, for permission to enroll in an overload and for a waiver of the fee for up to two (2) credit hours above 18 credit hours. Students must apply for a fee waiver no later than the fourth week of classes. Students applying after the fourth week of classes will be required to pay the extra tuition for 2 credit hours. Fees are not waived for over 20 credits.

The following students may qualify for a course overload fee waiver:

• Metropolitan College students who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3

Metropolitan College seniors (those who have completed 88 or more credits) do not need to apply for the fee waiver; it is granted automatically.
Students may be denied overload approval if they are:

• Enrolling in Metropolitan College for the first time
• On Academic Probation or in a warning status
• Using the semester to complete an “I” grade

All undergraduate students, especially those in the preceding categories, should consult with an academic advisor before attempting to overload. Students denied the course overload fee waiver may request a review of their criteria.

For more information, contact Enrollment & Student Success at 617-353-2980 or metess@bu.edu.

Graduate Students

Metropolitan College full-time graduate students who wish to take more than 16 credits must seek approval for the overload from the academic department or program office through which they are earning their degree.