2003-2004 Academic Catalog

Academic Information 24 Registration for Classes Registration dates for each session are listed in the annual academic calendar. Early registration periods may be desig- nated for currently enrolled students. During early registration, the University allows students to register for courses for the upcoming academic term. Students register for courses by academic classification and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this early registration opportunity, rather than registering after the start of an academic term. Students who register early for a term but do not return the following semester must notify the Academic Services Office of their change in status. Registration information, including printed registration instruc- tions and course schedules for the semester, is distributed by the Academic Services Office prior to the respective registration periods. Additionally, registration information, including available course offerings and sections, is available on the University website. Prior to processing a registration, each student meets with an academic advisor to discuss career direction, course options, and class schedules. While selecting courses, students and advisors should discuss alternative courses as a contingency for course closings and cancellations. Although each student has an academic advisor to help with scheduling, the student is ultimately responsible for the chosen class schedule and course of study. Students should become very familiar with the course requirements for their chosen major. Class schedules are selected using the online registration process on the university website. The online registration process may be completed from the academic advisor's computer or from any other computer through which the student has internet access. Instructions for using the online registration program are available on the Academic Services webpage or from the Academic Services Office. A registration access code is required to complete the online registration process. This code is assigned by the Computer Services Office prior to each registration period and is given to the student's academic advisor. The registration access code may be utilized by the academic advisor to complete the student's registration during the advising process, or the advisor may give the code to the student to enable the student to complete the registration process from another computer. After the online registration process has been completed, the student's confirmed schedule becomes an active registration in the administrative computer system. To finalize their registration, students must make financial arrangements for payment of the amount due listed on their billing invoice (see the financial section of the catalog for information concerning costs and payment plans). Adding and Withdrawing from a Course It is the student's responsibility to verify the accuracy of his/her course registration at the beginning of each semester. All registrations must be finalized by the end of the second week of the semester. No classes may be added after this time unless approval is granted from the course instructor, chair of the department that offers the course, and the dean of the respective school. In the absence of the dean, the academic vice president may approve a late registration. A late registration fee of $50.00 will be charged to process a registration or add a class after the deadline. Changes in a student's course schedule must be made through the drop/add process. This may be completed online through seven calendar days after classes begin. After this time, a drop/ add form is required to complete a schedule change. Forms for course changes are available in the Academic Services Office and must be signed by both the course instructor and the student's academic advisor. The student is required to make up any work missed due to late entrance. Changes in a schedule caused by cancellation of courses will not result in financial penalty. When a course is dropped, the action is recorded as follows: Week Course Is Dropped Action Before the end of the 1st full No record on transcript calendar week During 2nd full calendar week W – Withdrawn through 9th calendar week 10th and 11th calendar weeks WP – Withdrawn Passing or WF – Withdrawn Failing Week 12 through the end of the Drops not Permitted semester Course changes are complete when the Academic Services Office receives the completed drop/add form. The effective date of the course change is the date the Academic Services Office receives the completed form. Failure to properly drop a class will result in a grade of Z which counts the same as an F. Refund information is listed in the financial information section of the catalog. This information is also available on the Academic Services webpage. Faculty advisors play an important role in guiding students toward their educational goals.