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Some Hints for Preparing a Student Petition
to the Georgia Tech Institute Graduate Committee
1. Deadlines: The dates printed in the Schedule of Classes are the dates on
which graduate student petitions are acted upon by the Graduate Curriculum Committee and not the petition
deadline. Student petitions should be deposited in the Office of the Registrar one week in advance of the
scheduled Graduate Curriculum Committee Petition Meeting. For example, if October 12 is the first GCC
meeting at which student petitions will be considered, completed petitions, including all signatures and
supporting documentation, should be in the Registrar's Office by noon on October 5.
2. Reason for the Petition: The first sentence of a petition should state the
action for which Committee approval is sought, e.g., exception to the 7-year rule for Ph.D. completion,
withdrawal from all courses after the deadline, change of the basis of a course from pass-fail to
letter-grade, transfer of more than 6 semester hours toward the master's degree, etc. The petitioner should
follow this statement with a brief explanation of why she/he is making this request and any special circumstances
leading up to this request.
3. Petitions to withdraw from courses for medical reasons: If the student
experienced medical problems of sufficient magnitude to request a withdrawal, it follows that the request
should be to withdraw from all courses for which the student was registered, including GRA and thesis
research hours. A supporting statement from a physician or other health care professional should be
attached to the petition.
4. Requests to Waive the 7-year Rule for PhD Students: Since the clock starts
with completion of the Comprehensive Examination, the student should include the date on which the
Comprehensive Examination was passed in the petition. In addition, the petition should include a projected
completion date, i.e. the defense of the thesis. The student's PhD Advisor should submit a brief statement
in support of the petition. This statement should indicate the advisor's support/non-support of the student's
proposed thesis completion date, including whether the student is making timely progress towards degree
completion and any extenuating circumstances which have delayed the student progress.
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