Advising & Course Registration

Academic Advising

Your academic advisor is the Program Coordinator for your major. Your advisor will help you:

  • Select appropriate courses for registration and navigate SPIRE
  • Make important academic decisions, such as adding/dropping courses, or withdrawing from a course
  • Discuss problems that impact academic success
  • Guide you in finding and completing an internship

Registering for Classes

It is the responsibility of all students to select their next semester's courses with the assistance of their program coordinator.

All students register for classes though SPIRE (at spire.umass.edu). Students will receive an appointment window in which to register.  It is highly recommended that students register early in their appointments to avoid course over-enrollment and/or course conflicts.

Incoming students register for their first semester classes during the summer orientation period.

Currently enrolled students receive appointment times for course registration. At that time, students should check whether they need to clear any holds on their records or if they need a Registration Approval Code (RAC), which they will receive from their program coordinator. Students on internship during the second semester receive their registration materials in the mail prior to the beginning of the continuous registration period.

Adding/Dropping Courses

Director's Signature Required: Stockbridge students must have the Director's signature before courses can be added or dropped.

Add/Drop Period: Students may add or drop a course continuously beginning with their individual starting times through the 14th calendar day of the semester. A course dropped during this period will not be recorded on the student's transcript.

Add/Drop Period for Spring Semester Seven-Week Courses: In the four majors requiring five-month internship, the second semester is shortened to seven weeks. Students may drop a seven-week course through the seventh day of the semester. There will be no record of the course on the student's transcript.

Withdrawal Period: Students may withdraw from a course, with signatures from both the instructor and Stockbridge Director, from the 15th calendar day of the semester through the mid-semester date published in the academic calendar. Students who drop courses during this period will receive a grade of W (Withdrawn) for the course.

Withdrawal Periods for Spring Semester Seven-Week Courses: Students may withdraw from a seven-week course from the eighth day through the 21st day of the semester. Signatures are required from the instructor and Stockbridge Director. A grade of W will be recorded for the course.

Late Withdrawal Period: After the mid-semester date, the student is responsible for completing the course. Only if the Stockbridge Director grants a late withdrawal for extenuating circumstances may the student withdraw from a course after the mid-semester date. Only in such cases will a grade of W will be recorded for the course.

Late Withdrawal Period for Spring Semester Seven-Week Courses: After the 21st day, students may drop courses only for circumstances deemed extenuating by the Stockbridge Director. Only in such cases will a grade of W will be recorded for the course.

Incompletes & Repeats

The Stockbridge School follows the general University guidelines for Incompletes, which are found on the University Academic Regulations page. Please note that when courses are recorded as Incomplete, the addition of credits without points will result in a lowering of the grade point average, which might result in a student being suspended or dismissed. In other words, getting an Incomplete can place a student in jeopardy; it should not be viewed simply as a way to avoid getting a failing grade.

Incompletes: Students who are unable to complete course requirements within the allotted time due to significant extenuating circumstances may request a grade of Incomplete (INC) from the instructor of the course. Normally, an Incomplete is warranted only if a student is passing the course at the time the request is made. An Incomplete is averaged in the cumulative average as an "F", and must be resolved by the student as soon as possible, and no later than the last week of classes of the following semester.

Course Repeats: Courses listed as Required within each of the majors must have a minimum grade of C to count toward graduation. Required courses which receive a grade of C- or lower must be repeated.