While most courses are usually taken for 3 credits, some (in particular seminars) can be taken for fewer credits, all the way down to 0 credits. The syllabus for the course should specify the workload per credit.

Examples of variable workload

Seminar

Here is a typical example for a seminar, but this can vary a lot across courses and instructors.

• 0 credits: regular attendance
• 1 credit: all of the above, plus doing all the readings and being an active and engaged participant in class
• 2 credits: all of the above, plus giving a presentation and writing it up as an abstract
• 3 credits: all of the above, plus writing up the presentation as a term paper

Introductory course

Here is an example for an introductory course, again with the caveat that this is just one of many different ways the workload may be distributed.

• 0 credits: regular attendance
• 1 credit: all of the above, plus all the readings
• 2 credits: all of the above, plus weekly homework assignments
• 3 credits: all of the above, plus a term paper

Is variable credit right for me?

You should always discuss your course selection with your academic advisor, and this includes whether you should take a course for less than 3 credits. It may be tempting to take 3 seminars for 2 credits each instead of 2 seminars for 3 credits as that will reduce the number of term papers you have to write. But a PhD is not about gaming the system, it is about doing the work that will help you achieve your career goals. One of the main advantages of a seminar is that you get to write a term paper under the instructor’s guidance, a term paper that may well turn into a peer-reviewed publication down the line. Don’t optimize your course selection towards minimum effort, optimize it towards maximum pay-off.

When to enroll for 0 credits

G3 and G4 students who want to audit an LIN course should enroll for 0 credits. There are many reasons for that, but here are the ones that matter for you:

1. You will be automatically added to the course website, receive course announcements, and so on. You won’t walk into an empty room for the first class because you didn’t get a message that the class has been moved to another room.
2. The course will show up on your transcript, which could be advantageous.