Advising Handbook

Please report errors or direct questions to Nathan Talbot, University Advising Center.

Faculty Advisors

  • Help students plan their course schedules and provide information pertinent to the major
  • Help students monitor their progress in the major and toward graduation
  • Provide guidance on opportunities (e.g. internships, post-graduation employment, and graduate studies) and direct students to relevant support services when appropriate
  • Establish clear communication guidelines with each advisee, respond to their questions in a timely manner, and direct students to relevant support services when appropriate

FERPA

(The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as 鈥淭he Buckley Amendment,鈥� of 1974)

FERPA permits the University to make public only information deemed 鈥渄irectory information.鈥� More detailed information can be found at the website /registrar/student-records/ferpa

Class Standing

  • 0-25 earned credits - First-year/Freshman
  • 26-57 earned credit hours - Sophomore/TSAS second-year
  • 58-89 earned credit hours - Junior
  • 90+ earned credit hours -Senior

Course Load

  • Reduced Course Load
    -11 semester hours or fewer
    -More information at he Registrar's Office
  • Registration for Credits in Excess of 20
    -Must College or School Dean

Add/Drop Policies

Petitions

  • is used to request a variance in academic policy; (e.g., a suspension, an overload, an extension on an incomplete, etc.)
  • Discovery Program petitions go to the Discovery Program Committee;
  • Writing requirement petitions go to the Writing Committee.

Grading and Withdrawal Policies and Guidelines

       A        (4.00)   excellent
  A- (3.67) intermediate grade
  B+ (3.33) intermediate grade
  B (3.00) superior
  B- (2.67) intermediate grade
  C+ (2.33) intermediate grade
  C (2.00) satisfactory, competent
  C- (1.67) intermediate grade
  D+ (1.33) intermediate grade
  D (1.00) marginal grade
  D- (0.67) intermediate grade (passing grade)
  F (0.00) failure: academic performance so deficient in quality as to be unacceptable for credit
  • Pass/Fail
  • Incompletes
  • Auditing - A Change of Registration Form (also called 鈥渁dd/drop form鈥�) and instructor鈥檚 signature are required.

Withdrawal/Leave of Absence

Majors

Second major

  • When two different degrees are involved, student chooses which degree he/she wants and lists that degree's major as first major.
  • All degree requirements must be satisfied.
  • Courses of the second major can be used toward the Discovery requirements.
  • Students must meet the requirements for declaring each major. In addition, students must meet the 2.5 grade-point average requirement for all colleges. If the student's cumulative is below the required 2.5 for second (double) major candidates, the student may petition the dean for an exception.
  • 8 credits may overlap between the two majors, with the approval of the major departments.
  • A minimum of 128 credits are needed to graduate with a Baccalaureate degree.
  • Student must take one designated writing intensive (鈥淲I鈥�) class for each major.

Dual Majors   

  • To declare one of the three dual majors, students must satisfy same requirements as listed above for a second major.
  • Student must declare a major before adding one of the dual majors
  • Dual majors include:

Dual Degree

  • To earn both a BA and a BS, 160 credits are required to graduate and this usually takes an extra year.
  • Must complete both degree requirements (i.e. foreign language if one is B.A)
  • Minimum 2.5 grade-point average to declare dual degree.
  • Major courses may not be used to complete the Discovery requirements unless normally allowed
  • No more than 8 credits used to satisfy one major may be used for the other major in the second degree (if both major departments agree).
  • Students must complete one writing intensive course in each major.
  • Students can earn more than one B.S. degree, if each degree is in a different field.  One must be designated, as in a B.S. in Chemistry. Students cannot earn more than one B.A. degree from any institution or combination of institutions.
  • For example:   BS & BA:  Engineering and Spanish
  • BS & BS:  B.S. in Chemistry (designated) and B.S., Biology

Student Designed Major (SDM)

  • Proposals must be submitted before the middle of the junior year.
  • /provost/student-designed-majors-sdm

  • Guidelines are available in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, which is located in Thompson Hall.

Degree Evaluations/Degree Works

  • Available to students and advisers in My麻豆社/WebCat
  • Evaluations are run at least twice every semester for each student, just before registration and after grade reporting.
  • New evaluations are run throughout the semester for students who have academic record changes or who change programs. 

Graduation & Commencement