Policies/Procedures

The following information applies to all ISE Graduate Students – both MS and PhD. You should also view the MS and PhD specific pages for further policies and information as they relate to each program.

Courseload/Full-Time Status

It is our anticipation that all ISE graduate students will take a full course load of 12 credit hours for each fall and spring term. In addition, students typically have an additional 10-20 hours of research/teaching per week if they hold an appointment. Summer registration is not required unless it is a student's first term, they are taking their prelim, or taking their final exam.

There are a few exceptions to taking 12 credit hours. Students who meet the following exceptions will still be considered "full time." Please note that the Grainger College of Engineering has criteria that supersedes the University Code (Article 3, Part 3) and Graduate College (Chapter 2, Section 2.2). It is always a good idea to reference the ISSS website for additional information on F-1/J-1 regulations on maintaining a full course of study. 

Below is a flow-chart that will help you determine the number of credit hours you must sign up for, based on University, Grainger, and ISSS regulations: 

ISE Internal Petitions

There may be times you want to request a change in your degree requirements, take a course credit/no credit, or similar. In order to make this request, you will need to submit an internal petition. Please note that this is your chance to include any relevant information that supports your petition, so make sure you submit as much information as possible. We will review this petition internally and will let you know the decision via email. Depending on your request, there may be additional steps that need to be taken. Here are a few examples:

• Taking a course credit/no credit – if approved, must also complete the Credit/No Credit Form through the Graduate Student Portal with student & advisor signature. Please email this form to ise-grad@illinois.edu. 
• Requesting an advisor outside of ISE – if approved, must also complete the Advisor Agreement with advisor/co-advisor signatures. Please email this form to ise-grad@illinois.edu
  
• Taking courses outside of major – includes IE if you're an SE student, SE if you're an IE student, courses in Grainger Engineering, or any other department on campus
• Breadth requirement for PhD students – must include the 3 courses you wish to take as a part of your Breadth Requirement before you take them. 

If you are unsure whether you should submit an internal petition, please reach out to ise-grad@illinois.edu. 

Course Registration

All course registration is done through Student Self-Service. Visit the Office of the Registrar's page for Instructions on how to register. Please note that we prefer "enhanced" registration over classic registration -- either option will ultimately let you register, though. 

Seminar Registration

All ISE MS & PhD students are required to register for IE/SE 590 every fall and spring semester while they are a student in the department. MS Industrial Engineering students must register for IE 590. MS Systems & Entrepreneurial Engineering students must register for SE 590. This course meets as “arranged”. ISE seminars will be scheduled weekly throughout the semester. All graduate students must attend 6 seminars to pass the course–more information can be found in the syllabus once the course begins. 

Independent Study Registration

To sign up for independent study, please request approval from the professor and then email ise-grad@illinois.edu to request the professor's CRN. Each professor has their own section of SE and IE 597. To change the credit hours you are enrolled for, click the hyperlinked credit hours in Student Self-Service. 

If you are signing up for an independent study section with a faculty member who is outside of the ISE Department, you should follow the procedures in their home department. If you want this external independent study to count toward your degree, you should obtain approval before registering by submitting a departmental petition. 

Thesis Credit (599) Registration

To register for your advisor’s section, you must have an advising agreement on file between you and the advisor you are wanting to register for thesis hours with. Each professor has their own section of IE/SE 599.  Once your advising agreement has been approved by your advisor, please email ise-grad@illinois.edu to obtain your advisor's CRN (course registration number). To change the credit hours you are enrolled for, click the hyperlinked credit hours in Student Self-Service. More detailed instructions on how to change the # of credit hours can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Please note that all students who have a thesis advising agreement on file must sign up for thesis credit for each semester you're enrolled as a student (excluding summer if not a required semester; see Courseload/Full-Time Status above for more information on whether or not summer is a required term for you). 

CPT (Curricular Practical Training)

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) may be authorized under certain circumstances to allow F-1 students temporary off-campus employment. Such employment must be directly related to a student's major field of study and an integral or important part of the program of study. This is offered during the Summer semester only for non-thesis MS students. CPT is available in the Fall or Spring semesters to PhD and thesis MS students only. There will be no exceptions made.

International Student and Scholars Services (ISSS) holds workshops and provides individual advising about F-1 work authorization. Click here for more information about CPT.

Annual Review

The Graduate College requires departments to perform annual reviews on all students, both MS and PhD. Students are required to submit a self-evaluation early in the spring term. The advisor will then be required to submit an evaluation of the student. Any students needing special attention will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Students will be notified when the annual review is open, usually at the end of the fall or beginning of the spring term.

Conference Funding

Grainger Engineering has changed their policies regarding travel reimbursement. To be considered for reimbursement, you must complete a travel request in the my.Engr Travel Portal prior to your trip! 

ISE Graduate Programs Funding

ISE Graduate Programs will reimburse conference travel up to $500 per academic year to the students who are presenting their thesis research. The student will be reimbursed for funds they have individually paid. The department cannot reimburse faculty from the ISE account who have paid for costs of the students ahead of time. Requests for ISE Conference Funding are handled on a rolling basis with no deadline. Please follow the below steps any time you travel for a conference and wish to be reimbursed:

1. Before your trip: Complete a travel request in the my.Engr Travel Portal. 
   1. You will need the “CFOP” account number for your advisor (if receiving funding from them), and the ISE Graduate Studies Department. E-mail mbullok@illinois.edu for the department CFOP. (Note: these numbers change every semester, make sure you are using one that is up-to-date.) 
   2. IMPORTANT: This step must be completed any time you travel and wish to be reimbursed from any University account. Even if you have used up your ISE Department Funding for the year, if you are expecting reimbursement from your advisor's funding, this step must be completed. 
2. Before your trip: Complete an internal ISE Conference Funding Petition. 
3. Save all receipts from your trip; conference registration fees, airline tickets, hotel reservations, rideshare services, etc. 
4. After your trip: fill out a Travel Itinerary Reimbursement Form. 
5. After your trip: email your completed Travel Itinerary Reimbursement Form and all receipts to Miranda Bullok (mbullok@illinois.edu) - she will make sure you have completed all necessary steps and forward to the appropriate parties for reimbursement. 
6. Make sure you have Andrea Anderson-Holmes (semiche@illinois.edu) added as a delegate in Chrome River. (Steps to add a delegate here.) 

OPTIONAL: To be considered for nomination for the Graduate College Travel Award, fill out a Conference Travel Award Form. (This award is very limited funding, nominations are open for a specific time period in the Fall and Spring, and only awarded to a maximum of four students per semester.) 

Important notes: 

• Reimbursements are available to PhD students and thesis MS students who are presenting at conferences – poster sessions or presentations. Funding is not currently available to students who are only attending.  
• Non-thesis MS students are not eligible for any conference funding reimbursement.  
• The department cannot reimburse faculty for student conference travel costs.  
• Reimbursements can only be given to those who directly pay for services. For example, if you are splitting a hotel with another student, only the student whose credit card is used to pay for the hotel can be reimbursed. 
• Up to $500 can be reimbursed per academic year-- Fall through Summer. 
• For questions about the status of your reimbursement after it has been submitted, contact Andrea Anderson-Holmes (semiche@illinois.edu). 

Graduate College Funding

The Graduate College has Conference Presentation Awards twice per year (fall & spring). Please visit the Graduate College Travel Award page for more information. Departments must submit the documentation on your behalf, so in additional to the normal steps for conference funding above, please fill out a Graduate College Travel Award Form.

My.ISE Portal

Most of the forms you use as an ISE Grad Student can be found through the My.ISE Portal. We have linked to them where applicable, but you can become familiar with them by visiting the links below. Please note that some forms do require that you login with your NetID and password. 

• Advisor Agreement
• Conference Funding Request
• Annual Self-Evaluation
• Internal Petition
• Degree Audit
• Independent Study
• Planning Document

Graduate College Forms

There are several forms that the University of Illinois uses, and several places these forms must be submitted. The Graduate College also has an extensive list of forms on its Form Finder page. Please keep in mind that most situations will begin with an ISE Internal Petition, but feel free to reach out to ise-grad@illinois.edu if you are unsure. 

Health Insurance

For information on Health Insurance offered by the University of Illinois, please visit the Graduate College Healthcare Services page. It is important to keep in mind that there are certain dates for opting out of the plan and there are certain dates for enrolling (over the summer, for example). Also, if you carry an assistantship, there may be a partial or full waiver of the health insurance fee.