Get the "Inside Scoop" on Advising and Registration
To fully take advantage of Transfer Orientation it is critical that you are informed on the academic requirements and policies that impact your academic career. Check out the following information:
Advising
At Transfer Orientation you will meet with your academic adviser. Your adviser will be a representative from the department in which you intend to major, or from Career and Academic Planning if you are undeclared.
Come prepared to your advising meeting:
· Consider your academic interests and goals
· Bring transcripts from your previous college and/or university
· Review the online JMU Undergraduate catalog to learn more about academic requirements in your major and for your degree (you will receive a copy of your catalog at Orientation)
During your Transfer Orientation advising session, your adviser will:
· Review your transfer credit evaluation
· Discuss with you those courses for which you will receive JMU credit. If you have taken courses that are not listed on your transcript, please bring a copy of the course descriptions with you
· Discuss your academic and career goals
· Work with you to develop an academic plan with course recommendations including appropriate courses in general education and in your intended major.
Registration
When you attend Transfer Orientation you will register for spring 2009 classes. Except for Transfer Orientation's initial registration period, registration for the upcoming semester takes place over a two-and-a-half week period during the middle of the semester. Course offerings and pertinent registration times and procedures can be found on the Registrar's web site. You may also search for open classes on e-campus. Registration may be overwhelming your first semester. The following are commonly asked questions and answers to help you with your first registration session.
- How many classes should I register for?
- How do I decide which courses to take?
- What are my General Education requirements if I am entering with an approved Associate degree?
- How will my transfer credits be evaluated?
- What is a block course?
- What is credit/no-credit?
- Will I be able to change my schedule once classes start?
- What if I get into a class, and I don't like it?
- How do I receive credit for advanced placement courses I took in high school?
- What if I haven't decided on a major yet?
1. How many classes should I register for?
A normal class load is 15 credits each semester. You must take 12 credits to be considered a full-time student. You may want to take less than 15 credits your first semester to help ease the transition to college, especially if you play a sport or plan to get a job in addition to your studies. Keep in mind that extra credits may also be earned through AP credit from high school and summer session.
2. How do I decide which courses to take?
You will probably have several courses in mind that you want to take going into registration. Don't panic if those classes are closed. Talk with your adviser about your course selections and be flexible.
3. What are my General Education requirements if I am entering with an approved Associate degree?
Transfer students with an approved Associate degree from a Virginia Community College will have fulfilled their General Education requirements. Review the Virginia Community College Guide for important information, as well.
4. How will my transfer credits be evaluated?
Credit will be awarded for those courses in which the student has earned a grade of "C" or better and which are equivalent to courses offered at JMU. After the student has been approved for admission, the Office of the Registrar will evaluate the transcript(s) of each transfer student to show the credits accepted by the University. The director or head of the department or school in which the student is majoring will determine the department/school credits required for graduation.
Block courses are classes that meet for only half the semester during the first and second eight week sessions. Block classes are regular courses that meet for the same amount of class time as full-semester classes, but each class session is twice as long as usual. First and second block sessions are offered both in the fall and spring semesters.
Students are only eligible to take a course on a credit/no-credit basis if they have completed at least 28 hours at JMU and have a 2.25 cum GPA or higher. The credit/no-credit option allows you to take a course for credit only and not for a grade. If you earn a grade of "C" or higher, you will earn credit for the course, but the grade will not be computed into your grade point average or recorded on your transcript. This credit option is designed to foster student exploration of courses without academic penalty. Courses that fulfill major, minor (with the exception of physical education/dance), degree or general education requirements cannot be taken credit/no-credit. During your JMU career, you may take up to 15 credit hours under the credit/no-credit option with a maximum of four credit hours per semester or one course of more than four credit hours.
7. Will I be able to change my schedule once classes start?
During the first week of classes, students can adjust their schedules with their adviser's approval. If you don't get the courses you want during Orientation, you may be able to pick them up during add/drop, by asking the professor for an override or permission number, or by attending the first day of class and seeing if other students may have dropped the course.
8. What if I get into a class, and I don't like it?
Before you go dropping that class, you should first consult with your academic adviser! Chances are you may need that course to fulfill a major, degree or General Education requirement. If you drop the class before discussing it with your adviser, it may have an adverse impact on your progression to graduation. If, after consulting with your adviser, you decide to drop the course refer to the Registrar's Web sitefor add, drop and withdrawal deadlines.
9. How do I receive credit for advanced placement courses I took in high school?
You receive AP credit based on your score on the AP exam. The minimum score you must receive on the exam to get college credit is determined by each individual academic area. See individual coordinators, department heads and directors for cut-off scores, or refer to your Undergraduate Catalog. You are responsible for having your AP scores sent to JMU.
10. What if I haven't decided on a major yet?
If you are transferring 30 or more credit hours to JMU, then you must choose a major. If you have fewer credits than that and are undecided about your major, then you may choose Undeclared. As an undeclared student you will be assigned an adviser in Career and Academic Planning. Your adviser is specially trained to work with you on the process of exploring academic and career options and selecting a major. The process will likely include involvement in academic and career decision-making programs and services. In the meantime, your adviser will work with you to select courses that will help you fulfill some of the more general requirements and keep you on track toward graduation.
If you are undecided about a major click here to learn more about choosing a major.
If you are interested in Business, select one of the majors in that college:
You must select an area of business in which you want to major (you cannot just select Business): Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Economics, Finance and Business Law, Hospitality and Tourism Management, International Business, Management, or Marketing.
If you are not sure which specific business major to select, then choose the one that seems most likely to be of interest to you. The core courses that you initially take are common to all the business majors, so you can change the specific major later if you want.
JMU Majors and Graduation Requirements
You will be assigned an academic adviser to plan your spring course schedule. You will meet with your adviser during Orientation. Click on the following links to learn more about:
If you are planning to pursue any of the pre-professional health programs, transfer students will be scheduled for an additional appointment to meet with the academic adviser for this area as well. These programs include: pre-dental, pre-medical, pre-optometry, pre-pharmacy, pre-physical therapy, or pre-veterinary.
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Students interested in early childhood, elementary, middle or special education should major in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies (IDLS). Click here to learn more.
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The total number of credit hours needed to graduate from JMU is a minimum of 120.
All students are required to complete the general education program, unless you are exempt through having received an approved associate's degree as a transfer student.All academic major, minor, pre-professional, and degree course requirements must be completed in order to earn a bachelor degree. Click here to learn more.
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General Education is the university's foundation program required of all students regardless of major or professional program. An appropriate associate's degree may exempt students from General Education courses.
Program course work is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences that form the foundation for study and lifelong learning.As a knowledge base connected across the disciplines, the General Education Program offers opportunities to understand how one field of study relates to another.
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Evaluation of transfer credit is performed by the Office of the Registrar, and is done on a course-by-course basis. Credit is awarded for those courses equivalent to courses offered at JMU in which you have earned a grade of "C" or better. Grades do not transfer, only the credit hours earned.
JMU has developed very specific educational goals and requirements it believes are vital to prepare its graduates for their careers and life-long citizenship. Therefore, it is important to note that not all transfer credit is necessarily applicable to your major, degree, or General Education requirements.
You will receive a copy of your transfer credit evaluation, and one will be placed in your student file for your adviser. Your adviser will help you to interpret your transfer credit evaluation and apply it to your major and other academic requirements. Together, you can plan a sound academic program that will help you reach your goals at JMU.
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The James Madison University Honor System
Do you know what constitutes cheating at JMU? It is time to learn. As a JMU student you are expected to know and abide by the Honor Code. Honor is taken seriously in every educational setting, and JMU is no exception. Cheating, copying, plagiarizing, improper citations, and buying papers written by someone else are just a few examples of Honor Code violations that have potential to jeopardize your status as a student. You could be suspended or expelled for violating the Honor Code.
· Honor Council Mission Statement: The James Madison University Honor Council is committed to instilling, upholding, and promoting individual and collective academic integrity.
· After enrollment, each JMU student is automatically subject to the provisions of the Honor System. Each student is responsible for becoming familiar with the provisions of the Honor Code and the Honor System procedures. Ignorance of what constitutes an honor code violation cannot be used as a defense in an honor hearing.
· All academic dishonesty is a violation of the honor code. Often students are surprised at what constitutes "cheating" at college. Cheating at college often has more serious consequences that it does in many high schools.
· It is the responsibility of each student to read and understand the provisions of the honor system. If there are questions, please contact the Honor Council office (568-6383 or 568-6371). More information about the Honor System may be found on the Honor System web site. The Honor Council offices are located in Chandler Hall room 133.
· In a university community there can be no doubt that honor and the pursuit of knowledge are inexorably intertwined. True knowledge can be gained only through honorable means. It is because of this belief that an Honor System exists here at James Madison University, and an Honor Council enforces its provisions.