Waiver of Course Visitor Policy
Michigan State University (MSU) has a process for Enrolling and Registering as a Visitor (Auditor) in a course. Course enrollment as an auditor is on a non-credit basis and requires appropriate approval and payment of tuition and fees as for a credit registration. Furthermore, auditors can be dropped from the class at the request of the instructor if they do not meet course requirements.
The College of Natural Science (NatSci) understands the need of its members to audit courses or parts of a course without formal registration to grow professionally. Granting a waiver of the class visitor policy for individuals to audit a NatSci class is a privilege and not a right. The college delegates on instructors and unit administrators the authority to evaluate professional needs of audit requestors and grant them auditing privileges provided they establish rules and regulations that ensure visitor’s compliance with MSU expectations of behavior and conduct. Such rules and regulations must be consistent with and include the following:
- Class visitors shall be MSU graduate students, postdocs, visiting scholars or other employees in good academic standing.
- They may only be permitted to audit lecture-based courses and recitations without
formal registration, on a space available basis.
- Laboratory courses require formal enrollment and tuition payment.
- Persons taking the course for credit or registering as class visitors (and, thus, paying tuition) receive priority.
- Unregistered visitors must demonstrate a reasonable need to audit the course and do not receive credit or formal academic recognition.
- The audit request must be approved by the instructor and unit administrator (department chair or program director).
- Approved class visitors must adhere to the course, unit and university regulations, including those related to academic behavior and conduct.
- The instructor and unit administrator reserve the right to drop the class visitor from the course at any time and without explanation.
The college delegates on instructors and unit administrators the authority to evaluate professional needs of audit requestors and grant them auditing privileges provided they establish rules and regulations that ensure visitor’s compliance with MSU expectations of behavior and conduct. Such rules and regulations must be consistent with and include the following:
- Class visitors shall be MSU graduate students, postdocs, visiting scholars or other employees in good academic standing.
- They may only be permitted to audit lecture-based courses and recitations without
formal registration, on a space available basis.
- Laboratory courses require formal enrollment and tuition payment.
- Persons taking the course for credit or registering as class visitors (and, thus, paying tuition) receive priority.
- Unregistered visitors must demonstrate a reasonable need to audit the course and do not receive credit or formal academic recognition.
- The audit request must be approved by the instructor and unit administrator (department chair or program director).
- Approved class visitors must adhere to the course, unit and university regulations, including those related to academic behavior and conduct.
- The instructor and unit administrator reserve the right to drop the class visitor from the course at any time and without explanation.
Use the Waiver of Course Visitor Policy Form to request an exception to the course visitor.