 To declare a major, a student must have:
Academic difficulty: Students whose GPA is under 2.0 may not declare. It can be surprising how long some students can continue in classes without reaching the 2.0. Frequently these students have completed all the Core courses and have questions that need to be answered by a major advisor. Being undecided: Students who enter with no clear academic program in mind often take longer to declare, and are sometimes reluctant to try courses in major areas. They often express a desire to "just take courses in the Core". Changing major intentions: Some students sound very decided each semester, but it is always a different choice. They usually are pretty capable at most things and really have a hard time focusing on one area for any length of time. Planning to transfer: Some students plan to transfer and don’t want to declare here. Being explorers: Some students get very excited
about the course descriptions they see in the General Bulletin
and look at college as a smorgasbord of learning. They take many classes,
but in a random fashion that doesn’t really fit with any major.
A student may pursue two majors. If the majors award the same degree (such as a B.A. in English and a B.A. in Psychology), the student is pursuing a double major. If the majors award two different degrees (such as a B.A. in Anthropology and a B.S.B.A. in Management), the student is pursuing a double degree. A student can earn a double degree at the time of initial graduation if he/she completes a minimum of 152 semester hours and all catalog requirements stipulated for both degrees. A student can pursue a double major under the same degree
by completing a minimum of 122 semester hours and all catalog requirements
for both majors. Often, if one or both majors have quite a few hours reserved
for electives or a minor, a double major can be earned without increasing
the time required to complete the degree.
DID YOU KNOW?
Generally, if a student is not in good standing academically, he/she cannot take courses elsewhere and have them transfer to Appalachian.
A full-time student takes between 12 and 18 hours each semester. A student can request to take an overload if the cumulative GPA is as follows:
Overload permission is granted by the office of the Dean of the college in which the student’s records are kept (students who have not yet declared a major will go to the Office of General Studies). General Studies advisors should get an Overload Permission form from the General Studies front desk and return the completed form to the receptionist. He or she will code the overload permission into the computer so the student will be cleared to register for an overload. A copy of the form is given to the student. Occasionally a student will register for fewer than 12 hours or will drop to fewer than 12 hours once the semester is underway. The student will be considered part-time and should be aware of the following potential consequences:
An undergraduate student who wishes to withdraw from the university for any reason must make arrangements with the Registrar’s Office prior to withdrawal. Students who withdraw before the end of the nine-week drop period will receive grades of W (withdrawal). Students who withdraw after the end of the drop period will receive grades of WF (withdrawal/failing) in each course taken. Students who withdraw because of medical or psychological problems or due to extreme emergencies after the drop period has ended may be able to receive grades of W. Students seeking a medical withdrawal must contact Student Health Services; those seeking a psychological withdrawal must contact the Counseling and Psychological Services Center. Supporting documentation will be required. Students can petition for withdrawal without academic penalty for extenuating reasons. This should be initiated in the Registrar’s Office and may require supporting documentation. Students who withdraw must move out of the residence hall. Any refunds involved are made in keeping with the refund policy on the basis of the date of withdrawal. Retroactive withdrawal is the process by which the University allows a student to withdraw from an academic term after the academic term has ended. All grades assigned during the academic term are changed to W (withdrawal). A retroactive withdrawal for a previous term should be requested in the next regular semester of enrollment. Students seeking a retroactive withdrawal should contact the office of the dean of his or her college. In certain special unusual circumstances, a student may be allowed to drop a course(s) after the free drop period while remaining enrolled in other courses. The student must be able to demonstrate a compelling reason for granting such a request for reduction in class load. Students seeking a reduction in class load after the nine-week drop period or a retroactive reduction in class load should contact the office of the dean of his or her college. Anyone who gets a psychological withdrawal must remain out of school for a minimum of six months and receive treatment during that time from a licensed or certified mental health professional. When the student is ready to return to school, they must get the therapist to send a letter to the Director of the Counseling Center documenting that he or she received treatment and how much treatment was received. The therapist needs to make a statement that the student is now ready to return to school and must provide a diagnosis and prognosis in the letter. The student must also participate in a face-to-face interview with either the Director or Assistant Director of the Counseling Center before being readmitted. If a student decides not to return to Appalachian after completing a semester, no action is necessary, although it is helpful if the student makes this known to the Registrar’s Office. All student information at Appalachian State University is protected by federal statute--The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974--sometimes known as the Buckley Amendment or FERPA. With the exception of so-called ‘directory information’, student data can be released only with the written permission of the student (a student is defined as an applicant for admission, or an individual who either is or was enrolled at the University). "Directory information" consists of the following: "the student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, class schedule, and previous educational agency or institution attended by the student".
Since advisors maintain educational records--records of advisees’ grades
and other academic information--they must understand the provisions of
the Buckley Amendment. This Act also provides students with access to information
placed in their advising files. Furthermore, it ensures that only school
officials with a legitimate educational interest may see the student’s
file. Advisors, upon request, must allow students access to their advising
file. This fact, however, does exclude a student’s right of access to personal
notes that the advisor may have made during the advising sessions. Under
this Act, these notes constitute records made by educational personnel
and kept solely in their possession.
If the parent knows the student’s grades already and/or already knows that the student is "Placed on Warning", it would be all right to discuss the options available for that particular student and your recommendations. If the parent is not aware of the student’s grades or academic status, you can provide general information about the options available to all students. These would include such options as using the Repeat Policy, the Three Year Return Policy, Readmission with credit hours, Summer School at Appalachian and having two semesters of Academic Probation in which to get back into good standing. It is usually best to discuss the student’s academic progress and the options available to him/her with the parent and student together. That way, the student can volunteer the information about grades and academic status and together you can discuss choices the student can make.
A baccalaureate degree at Appalachian requires approximately
122-128 semester hours of course work. Students who satisfactorily complete
an average of 15-16 hours per semester can complete the degree in four
years (eight semesters). Factors that may increase the length of time to
complete a degree in four years include: (1) averaging fewer than 15-16
credit hours per semester, (2) changing majors, (3) dropping, failing,
and repeating courses, (4) failing to meet course prerequisites, (5) taking
unnecessary or inappropriate courses, (6) transferring from one institution
to another, (7) adding a second major or minor, (8) having delayed acceptance
into limited access programs, (9) withdrawing from school, and (10) placing
into compensatory or developmental courses. In some cases, participation
in internships, practica, cooperative education, and study abroad programs
may extend the length of time to graduation beyond four years. As mandated
by the legislature of the State of North Carolina, students will be assessed
a 25% tuition surcharge for enrolling in more than 140 semester hours or,
for first baccalaureate degrees in excess of 128 hours, there will be a
surcharge for all hours that exceed 110% of the hours required for the
degree.
Fifteen hour requirement In order to encourage timely completion of degree requirements, each institution in the UNC system must meet the 15 hour average/per student by December of 1997. The fifteen hour requirement:
This new regulation will have a great impact on the advising process. Attention will need to be paid to long-range planning and students will need to take care in making course selections. Students should be advised to enroll in a minimum of 15 hours per semester and must be encouraged to carefully assess the appropriateness of their choices and their potential for success in these courses. It will be difficult for students to shop around for classes since registering for extra courses in order to be able to drop one may now cost them financially. Because this financial consequence of dropping courses may not be evident to the student until much later when they are nearing the 140 semester hours allowed without a surcharge, it is important for you as the advisor to point out to the students the impact of their actions.
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After
declaring a major, a student can change that major by going to the office
of the Dean of the college in which the new major is located. The dean
will recommend that the student talk to the chairperson of the department
in which the new major is located. Upon approval of the change of major,
the advising record is requested from the Dean’s Office of the previous
college. If the change is within the same college, the record will move
from the previous department to the new one.
While
it is technically permissible to release the above directory information,
it is requested that all inquiries for student data be directed to the
Registrar’s Office because students have the right to restrict even directory
information, and some choose to do so. SIS screen 007 will have an Info
Release Flag of D if the student has requested to restrict access
to directory information.
The
things you can discuss with the parents are the policies at Appalachian
and the options available to students. Many parents merely need to know
what their options are at Appalachian.
In
response to legislation enacted by the General Assembly in 1992, the Board
of Governors has adopted a Plan to Improve Graduation Rates in the University
of North Carolina. The plan includes policies that are aimed at decreasing
the average time taken for completion of degrees.
