About the GCAP Program

The following webpage includes general information about the Graduate Career Advancement Program (GCAP), as well as information on registration, tuition, and auditing courses.

There are many benefits to participating in the Graduate Career Advancement Program. Students are able to:

Demonstrate their abilities and skills in preparation for graduate school.
Get a head start on their graduate degree program by taking courses they can later transfer.
Prepare for career advancement or career change.
Return to school with minimal commitment after years away from an academic setting.
Become acquainted with specific graduate programs at Tufts.
Satisfy their intellectual curiosity.

A Smooth Transition
Tufts courses are widely accepted at other institutions. If you intend to transfer credit from Tufts to a degree program elsewhere, please check with your home institution for approval. The Graduate Career Advancement Program also offers a smooth transition to graduate study at Tufts. Courses taken through the program (excepting remedial or prerequisite courses) are often transferable into applicable graduate programs within the Graduate School of Arts and the Sciences and the School of Engineering. Once accepted, students are permitted to transfer a maximum of two applicable courses into a graduate program.

More Information on the Web
Need more details on the courses that interest you? Go to AS&E Bulletin and click on 'Areas of Study'. From here you can go to departmental web pages that list course descriptions, faculty information, and other useful information.

Read the complete listing of course titles, times, and classroom locations for a given semester at the Student Services web site. This site also contains up-to-date information on courses that are already closed out, and the academic year calendar.

Tufts is steadily building its evening course offerings to meet the growing demands by working people for accessible, high quality courses that promote professional development and career advancement. To learn more about evening courses, visit the website(s) of the academic department that you are interested in. To view a listing of courses offered after 4:00 p.m., visit the Student Services Course Offerings page.

Registration and Payment
Registration materials will be mailed to you within two weeks of receipt and approval of your application. You may register for the courses of your choice on a space-available basis during the first two weeks of each semester. Download the academic calendar.

A student handbook is available online at: http://gradstudy.tufts.edu/graduatestudenthandbook

Your student handbook is a valuable resource that contains information on the facilities and services available to you. Many of your questions (about registration deadlines, late fees, drop dates, campus facilities, parking, etc.) are answered in the handbook. A handbook will also be mailed to you after you register.

Payment is due with course registration. You can pay by VISA, Mastercard, Discover, or check (payable to Trustees of Tufts College). If your company offers tuition reimbursement, you can request that Tufts bill the company for the cost of tuition. Tufts will not bill a company that reimburses students only upon completion of a course with a particular grade.

Registration takes place during the first two weeks of each semester. Completed registration forms can be mailed or students can drop by to register in person. Students taking courses through the School of Engineering may be required to provide a copy of their transcript to the instructor before obtaining signature/s for registration.

A Tufts course is worth one course credit, which is equivalent to four semester hours at other universities. Certain courses have an added laboratory fee.

Tuition
Fall and Spring, 2012-2013, tuition for most courses is $3,430 per course for credit and $600 per course for audit. Tuition payment entitles students in the Graduate Career Advancement Program to many campus privileges including the use of the libraries, athletic facilities, and computer labs. A valid student ID is all a student needs to take full advantage of the Tufts community benefits.

Audit Status
Only lecture courses can be audited. It is not possible to audit courses with labs, such as science, language, computer, dance, or studio art courses. Additionally, you may not audit courses through the Gordon Institute, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, or courses on other Tufts campuses. If you enroll in a course as an auditor, your Tufts transcript will reflect the title of the course, but you will not receive course credit or a letter grade. Students will need to discuss with the instructor how much participation will be expected in the audited course.

Community Audit Option
As a community service, Tufts offers a low-cost audit option during the fall and spring for senior citizens, residents of Somerville and Medford, Tufts alumni, and Medford and Somerville teachers. Community auditors may register for one lecture course per semester for only $300 (it is not possible to audit a course with a laboratory). See a listing under the above "audit status" on possible restrictions for audited courses.

Summer Session Tuition
Students in the Graduate Career Advancement Program who enroll in summer courses pay the summer tuition rate and a summer registration fee. Contact the Summer Session Office at 617-627-3454 for a catalog and current summer tuition rates.

The Trustees of Tufts College reserve the right to change the tuition or to establish additional fees or charges for special features or services whenever such action is deemed advisable. The earliest possible notification of changes in tuition and other fees will be given.