Students must discuss and have approval of the student's advisor to take a Leave of Absence.
When a student takes a Leave of Absence, CMU's official Leave of Absence form should be submitted to the ECE Graduate Program Office.
The 6-year time clock for the maximum time in the PhD program, measured from the successful completion of the PhD qualifying exam, is stopped during the Leave of Absence.
Upon return, the student is required to have an ECE faculty advisor and is not, necessarily, guaranteed a stipend and tuition support.
The Leave of Absence is limited to a total of 2 years. The student must enroll by the start of the first semester (spring or fall) following the date that is 2 years from the Leave of Absence application date.
If at the end of 2 years the student has not returned, the student must reapply for admission to the graduate program and will be judged competitively with other students applying at the same time. If the student is readmitted, he or she may, at the discretion of the department, be requested to pass the PhD qualifying exam and thesis prospectus.
A student may petition the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) for an extension of the 2-year Leave of Absence time limit under extenuating circumstances.
(Adopted Nov 28, 2006)