To request a waiver of a curriculum requirement or a course substitution, write a letter of petition addressed to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, and attach the Petition Request Form with the appropriate endorsements.

Your letter should contain:

  • The reason(s) for your petition.
  • What action you are requesting the Associate Chair take.
  • Detailed information about why the request should be approved.

Supplementary materials such as course descriptions or syllabi may also be included. The Petition Request Form is completed here.

You need to have your letter of petition and any attachments, ready for upload before you click on the link and begin the petition process.

Contact information on the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies and the Focus Area leads is available on the forms page.

Note: This petition process is for departmental matters only. Petitions involving university rules and regulations are decided by the Dean of the Graduate School. These petitions are in the form of business letters addressed to the Dean of the Graduate School, signed by the student, endorsed by the faculty advisor and submitted through the Graduate Advisor. They are not to be forwarded directly to the Graduate School as they will not be accepted.