What are special permission numbers (SPN’s)
An SPN is a unique set of numbers that when entered into the course registration system allows you to register for a closed or restricted course. Several of our courses, including Genetic Analysis I and II, and all of the research and independent study courses, require SPNs to register.
Declared Genetics Majors
If you have completed all of the prerequisites and declared your major with Genetics, you will be able to register for any OPEN 447 course. You will still be required to obtain an SPN for Genetic Analysis I and II, Research or Independent Study, and Effective Communications or Thesis Writing.
If you have not yet completed the prerequisites for the major, you may still be able to obtain special permission for Genetic Analysis I or II. Please contact the Genetics Office for more information.
Non-Genetics Majors
If you are not a Genetics major and but need an SPN for Genetics 380 (01:447:380), or the Genetics Lab (01:447:382), please contact the Division of Life Sciences Office of Undergraduate Instruction. They handle the registration for these courses.
Electives with a Majors-Only Section
There are certain Genetics Electives that fill up very quickly. These courses will have two sections, one for general enrollment, and one that is majors only. SPN requests by non-majors for the majors-only section will not be reviewed until the add/drop period. You can still submit a request for the course, but please be aware that it may not be granted.
SPN Request Portal
We use an online SPN request portal for students to request all SPNs. Log in with your Net ID and password, and be sure to follow all instructions. You must submit separate requests for each course for which you are requesting an SPN (you do not have to use a separate request if selecting multiple sections of the same course).
By clicking on the link to access the SPN Application System, you are hereby acknowledging that you have read all of the instructions carefully, and that you accept the responsibility of ensuring that your request has been submitted in the appropriate manner
