Frequently Asked Questions about Advising Issues

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Your academic department assigns an advisor to you. If you are a first time freshman and attend SOAR, you should receive an email informing you who your advisor is. If you do not have an advisor, contact your major department. If you are an undeclared major, an advisor in the Academic Advising and Transfer Center will be assigned to you. Refer to our guide on finding your advisor.

It is important that you have an advisor with whom you are comfortable and confident. If you are a declared major, talk with someone in your departmental office. If you are using one of the Advisement Centers, speak with the administrative professional there.

Anytime you have academic questions you should feel free to contact your academic advisor. For specific course advisement, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your advisor as soon as semester class schedules become available. Your advisor's time is very limited and will fill up quickly as registration approaches.

Generally speaking, you are assigned a registration time based on the number of credit hours you have completed (does not include current semester). The more credit hours you have completed, the earlier your registration time will be. This information can be found by logging in to your My Missouri State account, selecting the Registration tab, then Registration Status link.

You are required to discuss your plans for future semesters and obtain an advisor's release if you meet the following criteria:

• You have completed less than 75 credit hours
• You are on academic probation
• You are a graduate student
• You are a new transfer student
• You have completed more than 75 hours, but you have not met with an advisor at least three times

All students are encouraged to consult with an advisor.

Most students are eligible to register online.

Many majors have specific general education course requirements (Elementary Education, science majors, and business majors, to name a few). Discuss your ideas with your advisor. This may help prevent taking extra courses, which could delay graduation. If you are undeclared but considering particular majors, it is an excellent idea to take introductory courses in those majors to help you make a decision. There may also be courses you wish to take for your own enjoyment, or simply to build skills. You must complete the Basic Required Courses with the exception of Writing II by the time you reach 75 hours. The rest of your general education courses may be completed at anytime throughout your degree program.

Review the General Education Work Sheet to help you decide which courses to take.

Because some degree programs require certain courses that are also within the general education curriculum, those specific courses may often meet requirements for both. Consult your advisor and the Undergraduate Catalog to make sure. For more information check the General Education Program.

12 credit hours in the fall or spring are considered a full load. You may take up to 18 hours without special permission from your academic dean, but should consult your advisor before doing so. In the summer 6 hours is considered full-time, but up to 10 may be taken.

Non-comprehensive majors require a minor. Comprehensive majors do not require a minor because more courses within the major are required. Consult the Undergraduate Catalog for a list of major options or check the Undergraduate Catalog online.

Declaring your major simply means that you have told us what you want to do, which allows you to have an assigned advisor in that area. There are a few majors on campus that allow declaration of majors only through a selection process, such as theatre performance and musical theatre. To declare your major, come by the Academic Advising and Transfer Center in University Hall, Suite 109. You may change your major at any time.

A degree program is a formalized plan that enables you to graduate with a degree in your major. It means that you will be allowed to take upper division courses and that the department will not add to or take away courses from your plan. (Education majors are an exception because some of the requirements are controlled by the Missouri Department of Education.) Each academic program has different criteria for admission. All students must be admitted to a degree program by the time 75 semester hours have been earned to continue studies at Missouri State University.

Being admitted to your degree program means that you have completed your basic required courses (GEP 101/UHC 110, COM 115, ENG 110, MTH 135 or higher), met any specific departmental admission criteria for your major (which can be found in the catalog), and have obtained the necessary releases. This step takes action on your part-it won't happen automatically. Discuss this with your advisor to decide when it is appropriate for you to start this process. If you are not admitted into a degree program by the time you complete 75 credit hours your record will be encumbered, and you may not be allowed to register.

Satisfactory completion of the requirements listed in the program assures your eligibility for graduation. Any exceptions to the stated degree program requirements must be approved in writing by the academic department head and received in the Degree Check Office. For more information see Degree Program.

When the University receives your official transcript, a transcript analyst in the Admissions Office will evaluate it. This process may take several weeks. If your transfer work has been evaluated, you may view the results at My Missouri State.

Checking the Transfer Center may answer many of your questions regarding transfer credits.

Missouri State University maintains a transfer course equivalency web site.

Course equivalencies for most Missouri and many out-of-state institutions are included. If the institution you wish to attend is not listed, phone 417-836-5517 or toll-free 1-800-492-7900.

If you believe a course you took elsewhere should meet one of the general education requirements at Missouri State University, speak with your advisor. Also, consult the online transfer equivalency guide to see if the course in question has already been evaluated for what you are wanting.

If it is determined that a course should be re-evaluated, access the online transfer credit reevaluation system through My Missouri State. Follow the directions on the screen to complete the process. You will be asked to provide a detailed course description and syllabus information.

If you took a course elsewhere that appears similar to a course required for your major, but transferred in as an elective, you have the opportunity to appeal that decision. First, obtain a course syllabus and/or a course description of the class you took. Then, access the online transfer credit reevaluation system through My Missouri State. Follow the directions on the screen to complete the process.

If you would like to participate in the Cooperative Education Program, make sure you meet the following requirements:

• your GPA at Missouri State University is 2.0 or higher (not combined with any transfer GPA)
• you were enrolled full-time during the previous semester at Missouri State University, or you were enrolled at least part-time at Missouri State University for the past two semesters

• you are willing to comply with the credit requirements of your academic department.
  
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You may want to consider dropping a course if, after consulting with your instructor, you have little or no chance of passing the course. If you realize you cannot regularly attend a class due to unforeseen circumstances, you should drop the course. However, there may be ramifications with dropping classes. Financial aid, scholarships, health insurance, and residence hall eligibility may be affected. Drops appear on your transcript permanently so you do not want to establish a pattern.

The last day to drop or withdraw from full semester or block course and receive an "W" grade can be accessed through your My Missouri State account. Click on the Registration Tab, and under My Schedule, click Refund and Drop Deadlines.

All drops should be processed before that date if possible. After that date, if you are failing a class at the time you drop, the instructor may record an "F" rather than an "W" on your record. After the deadline, it would be wise to discuss dropping a course with your instructor prior to taking action. There is a Grade Verification form that you may have signed by the instructor. The instructor fills in the intended grade for the class and signs it and you may keep it for your records.

No! If you stop attending classes you will NOT automatically be withdrawn from those classes, but must officially withdraw from the university. If not, your grades will be recorded as Fs, which will affect your chances of being readmitted here or at another institution in the future. Never assume your instructor will drop you.

To drop a class you may do so online through My Missouri State. If you want to withdraw from all of your classes, go to the Office of the Registrar in Carrington 320 or call 417-836-6894 for instructions. For more information see Dropping a Course.

You may repeat a course as often as needed. The most recent repeat replaces your previous grade(s) in the calculation of your GPA. This works with transfer coursework as well, as long as the courses are evaluated as an exact match. However, your original grade(s) remains on your transcript. For more information see Repeating a Course.

Generally speaking, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in each area including your major, minor, general education, and all three combined. However, many majors require higher GPAs than a 2.0.

For most majors 120 hours are needed to graduate, though some require more. You must have at least 43-51 hours of required general education courses, at least 40 hours of upper-division credit, (upper division is designated by a course number 300 or higher), the required courses for your major, and (usually) a minimum of 18 credit hours in a minor, if required. The remaining credit hours may be made up of electives for a total of 120. For more information see Degree Requirements.

No. There are degrees that require more than 120 credits without minors or electives, such as Art and Special Education.

Because the average degree program consists of 120 credit hours, you must complete at least 30 hours per year, to finish in four years. If you change your major or are undeclared for a period of time, your graduation may be delayed due to a change in degree requirements. Taking summer courses, or having college credit prior to high school graduation may reduce this time.

A Bachelor of Arts degree denotes a broad background in liberal arts. For this reason, additional liberal arts courses are required including: six hours of fine arts chosen from specific options (above the three hours required for general education), three hours of philosophy (may count toward general education), six hours of World History, HST103 and 104 (3 hrs. may count toward general education), and twelve hours in one foreign language (must include the 202 course in that language). For more information see the Academic Policies & University Information page in the current undergraduate catalog.

A Bachelor of Science degree does not require these additional courses, but is designed to offer specialization in one area.