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Petition Process

Purpose of Petitions

By petition a student may be permitted to substitute one course for another in meeting a requirement, to waive a particular requirement or have it modified in some way, or to include in his/her program something that is not provided for in the published curriculum. Petitions are a shared responsibility between the advisor and the student. It is the student’s responsibility to seek out the syllabus and course description for the course being petitioned and with the advisor ensure that all of the proper documentation has been provided on the petition. Petitions must receive final approval from the general education committee, the related department head, and/or the director of student advising services depending on the type of petition.

General Education Petition

General Education petitions must be completed in their entirety and submitted to your primary advisor/college’s advising center. When petitioning courses to meet UT General Education requirements, the below petition must be reviewed by the general education committee. The process can take several weeks to complete since the requests require committee review.

Click here to complete the general education petition form. An example is provided below.

Example: General Education Petition

VolCore Petition (for catalog years 2022-Present)

VolCore petitions must be completed in their entirety and submitted to your primary advisor/college’s advising center. When petitioning courses to meet UT VolCore requirements, the below petition must be reviewed by the VolCore committee. The process can take several weeks to complete since the requests require committee review.

Click here to complete the VolCore petition form.

CEHHS Petition

For major or minor substitutions, please complete the appropriate form below in its entirety and submit to 332 Bailey Education Complex for initial review. Faculty and/or department head approval is often required. All petitions receive a final review from the director of student advising services and, if approved, are entered into DARs.

Click here to complete the CEHHS petition form. An example is provided below.

Example: College Petition

FAQ

If you no longer have the original syllabus for a course you wish to petition, you can 1.) try contacting the instructor for the course directly via phone or email, or 2.) contact your previous institution and ask to be connected to the department which housed the course. Many departments will keep copies of syllabi or a master syllabus for a class on file.

Your academic history can be accessed on the MyUTK homepage. You should see an option that says, “View Academic History” under the “Academic Resources” header.

No. Petitions are an internal process to adjust students’ DARs (degree audit) reports for graduation purposes, but are not on the permanent academic history.

For general education petitions, the student and college advising center will be notified via UT email of the general education committee’s decision.

For CEHHS major or minor petitions, the student and advisor will receive notification if the request is denied or needs modification/additional information. If the petition is approved, the student will be emailed a notification that a petition was approved and entered on their degree audit (DARs).

If you change your major, concentration, or catalog year, previously approved petitions may no longer pick up on your degree audit (DARs). Students should check with the advisor for their new major to determine if new petitions need to be submitted.