Getting into the major/minor:
Just for transfer students:
Advising in Communication:
SECTION 1: GETTING INTO THE MAJOR

How do I declare a Communication major or minor?

You can make an appointment to declare a Communication major or minor in the Communication office (CAC 225). The office staff will set an appointment with the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator (UAC), who will meet with you to discuss your decision and to fill out the necessary paperwork.

(back to top of page)

What are the requirements for declaring a Communication major?

All new majors begin as Communication "Premajors." This status tells us that you intend to declare a Communication major but have not yet met the requirements for doing so. At a minimum, Premajors must complete Comm 100, as well as one core course from 171, 271, or 273 and one introductory course from 160, 190, 192, 230, 240, or 280. After a student completes between 7 and 13 credits of UWSP Communication courses, if she or he has a Communication GPA of 2.75 or higher, the student is eligible to apply to the major. A student can have completed NO MORE THAN 13 CREDITS of UWSP Communication courses at the time of application.

(back to top of page)

When do I apply?

Applications are due at the end of the 9th week of class each full semester. No applications will be accepted during Winterim, Interim, or Summer sessions. You are eligible to apply as soon as you COMPLETE all requirements for the Premajor. If your final required course is Comm 100, you may apply to the major as soon as you pass that course. If your final required course is a full-semester course, you will be eligible to apply the following semester, provided your GPA is high enough.

(back to top of page)

How do transfer credits count?

Transfer courses, credits, and grades will EVENTUALLY count toward your major if you are accepted. HOWEVER, you must take between 7 and 13 credits of required Communication courses AT UWSP in order to establish your GPA during the Premajor process. Your DPR might read that a requirement has been completed, but if the course being counted is a transfer course (it says something like Comm 160T), you will need to take a UWSP course from that category in order to meet minimum eligibility requirements.

When do I declare an emphasis?

When you apply to the major, you will actually be applying into a particular emphasis area.

(back to top of page)

Am I guaranteed a spot if I'm eligible to apply?

Since Fall 2005, enrollment caps have been in effect for all emphasis areas. It is possible that you might meet minimum requirements but not be accepted into your desired emphasis area. Acceptance into emphasis areas will be determined primarily by GPA in the major.

(back to top of page)

What if I apply and I don't get in?

A student who is not accepted into the emphasis of his or her choice may re-apply once more. However, that student cannot have completed more than 13 UWSP Communication credits at the time of the second application.

(back to top of page)

How do I register for classes if I don't know whether I'll be accepted into the major?

Very, very carefully. Your advisor will help, but it is up to you to keep an eye on your total number of credits. Just remember that you will not be accepted into the major if you have completed more than 13 credits of UWSP Communication courses. So, if you are completing your last requirement this semester and it will be your 13th credit, do not sign up for any Comm courses for next semester. If that last requirement will be your 10th credit, sign up for only one Comm course for next semester. If it will be your 7th credit, you can sign up for two courses.

(back to top of page)

What if I've taken 13 Comm credits and my Comm GPA isn't a 2.75 or higher?

In that case, you would be ineligible to apply to the major, and you would need to select a different major. The Division will remove you from the Communication Premajor, delete your assigned Communication advisor, AND drop you from any Communication courses for which you are registered for the following semester. If you do not have a different major in mind, the Student Academic Advising Center would then become your temporary advisor. The Center advises "Students in Transition" (what UWSP calls students between majors)."

(back to top of page)

SECTION 2: JUST FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS

2A: Transferring from the UW Colleges (the 2-year schools)

Will I get credit for all my courses?

Most courses taken at one or more of the thirteen 2-year campuses (such as UW-Marathon County or UW-Marshfield) will count toward UWSP and Division of Communication requirements, up to a maximum of 72 credits. However, UWSP will not grant upper-level credit (300+) for courses taken at 2-year campuses, even if the course was considered an upper-level course at the campus where it was taken.

(back to top of page)

What if I take a course at a 2-year campus for which the Division does not have a direct equivalent?

In many cases, that course would transfer in as a Communication elective. It would be listed as Comm 1XX or Comm 2XX on your Degree Progress Report. Those will count as elective credits toward the major, but cannot be counted to complete specific major or emphasis requirements.

(back to top of page)

What if I come in with a completed Associates degree?

It makes registering for courses your first semester a little trickier, because our courses close quickly. Since you will not need many of the General Degree Requirements that most other transfer students need, finding a full schedule of classes can be difficult. Look to minor requirements and those few GDR categories that an Associates degree does not fulfill automatically (Writing Emphasis, Minority Studies, etc.). Once all your transfer credits get processed, you'll start registering at a more normal time (with everyone else at the same credit level).

(back to top of page)

2B: Transferring from the Wisconsin Technical College System

Will I get credit for all my courses?

Not necessarily. While some departments have agreements with the WTCS for direct transfer of certain courses, others do not. For example, the Division will not normally give credit for Comm 101: Fundamentals of Public Speaking to a public speaking course taken at the Midstate Technical College campus here in Stevens Point. Check with the appropriate department if you have questions about whether a particular course will transfer.

(back to top of page)

Can I get experiential credit?

Only in very rare circumstances will the Division award experiential credits to a student transferring from the WCTS system. Those arrangements must be made with the Division Head at the time of your transfer.

(back to top of page)

What if I come in with a completed Associates degree?

This is where things get really tricky. Currently, UW System has an arrangement to accept Associates degrees from only 3 schools in the WTCS: Madison Area Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and Nicolet Area Technical College. AND, only the Associate of Arts degree will count (it will have a substantial Liberal Arts component). If you've completed an Applied Associates degree of any sort, you will not get to waive the GDR requirements normally associated with completing an Associates degree from a 2-year campus or one of the approved WCTS schools.

(back to top of page)

SECTION 3: ADVISING IN COMMUNICATION

Who is the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator? What does she do?

Currently, the advising coordinator is Rhonda Sprague, a faculty member in the Division of Communication. Her primary duties related to this position involve teaching Comm 100 (Introduction to Communication Study) and meeting with all people considering declaring Communication as a major or minor.

(back to top of page)

Is the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator my full-time advisor?

Not necessarily. At your initial meeting with the UAC, you will be assigned a faculty advisor.

(back to top of page)

Who is my advisor?

If you have had your initial meeting, your advisor's name will appear on the declaration form you completed at that meeting. Your advisor's name will also be at the top of your Degree Progress Report. If all else fails, you can find it by signing in to your "My UWSP" page from the Registration and Records menu of the UWSP home page.

(back to top of page)

What do academic advisors do?

Most often, academic advisors do some or all of the following:

  • Help students formulate academic plans of study. These plans are based upon students’ interests, goals, and academic strengths.
  • Help students interpret Degree Progress Reports (DPRs) provided by UWSP.
  • Explain General Degree Requirements (GDRs) as well as major requirements, and monitor student progress toward fulfilling them.
  • Help students interpret various University procedures, including information about dropping or adding courses, changing majors or minors, or withdrawing from the University.
  • Refer students to various campus resources when necessary. Such resources might include Registration and Records, Financial Aid, Services for Students with Disabilities, or the Tutoring-Learning Center.
  • Encourage students to develop relationships with their professors, and to seek assistance from instructors if they are having difficulty in courses.
  • Help students understand various career opportunities available to them.
  • Encourage students to engage in activities that will enhance both the academic and social experience while at UWSP.

Notice that most of these tasks state that an advisor’s role is to help or assist the student in making decisions or in finding out answers. That’s because the most important ingredient in a successful advisor-student relationship is YOU! YOU are the person most responsible for your college education! Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be! Any advisor – even the most incredible one – can only work with what he or she is given. It is your responsibility to know and follow the rules.

(back to top of page)

When should I see my advisor?

You must receive clearance from your advisor before you can register for classes each semester. Although we do not recommend it, some of you might see your advisor only when registration scheduling time comes around. While many of our advisors make it a point to contact their advisees before registration (usually via e-mail), others do not. You are responsible for contacting your advisor, finding out when he or she is available, and showing up for your assigned appointment.

Many of our students seek out their advisors much more regularly. Your advisor can be a great source of information about campus affairs and activities, as well as a listening post and job contact. When it comes time to start applying for jobs, you’ll need references, and your advisor can be a valuable reference for you if you take the time to get to know him or her. Grades are important, but so are contacts. The more your advisor knows about you, the more he or she can say about your abilities to a potential employer.

(back to top of page)

What am I supposed to do in the advising process?

The University Handbook points to the following advising-related tasks that students should perform:

  • Determine a course of study that satisfies the requirements defined for the appropriate degree in the UWSP catalog.
  • Schedule and appear promptly for appointments with the adviser when necessary (at least once each semester).
  • Prepare for an advising session by having the necessary forms available and a list of questions and courses (and alternatives) needed.
  • Know about policies, procedures, and requirements as published.
  • Be prepared to discuss personal values and goals as they relate to academic and career-related needs.
  • Follow through with appropriate action after the advising meeting.
  • Accept responsibility for the academic decisions to be made.

As you can see, being a good student takes work! You should rely upon other students, your parents, and (especially) your academic advisor to help you have the best college experience possible.

(back to top of page)

How do I get ready for my advising appointment?

First, you'll need to pick up your registration materials from Records and Registration (bring your student ID). In those materials, you’ll receive a data sheet with all of your personal information (address, phone, etc.) and an assigned registration time. You need to meet with your advisor before your registration time, or you won’t be able to sign up for any classes! You’ll also receive two copies of your Degree Progress Report (one to keep, one for your advisor), which is a complete list of courses you’ve taken or are currently taking, grades you’ve received, and the GDR and major/minor requirements that those courses satisfy. The DPR also lists your major and minor, and your assigned advisor or advisors. You should look over the DPR and see which requirements you need to fulfill. Any requirement that is not complete will have either a "NO" or a minus sign (-) next to it. Begin with those.

Once you’ve picked up your materials and looked over what you still need to take, you’ll need to find courses that fit your schedule. To do that, you’ll need to consult the Timetable. The easiest way (and soon the only way) to do that is online. Start from the UWSP home page (www.uwsp.edu), select “Registration and Records”, and then select “UWSP Timetable.” You'll get a screen like this.

You can use the pull-down menus to select a particular term (Fall, Spring, Winterim, or Summer), a specific curriculum (such as Biology or Communication), or a specific type of course (such as GDR-Humanities Area 1 or Natural Science, or only 300-level courses). Once you’ve made your selections, you’ll get a screen that looks like this. 

From this screen, you can see the course number and title, any GDR categories that this course fulfills (Comm 160, for example, satisfies the Humanities Area 1 requirement), section numbers, the days and times the course meets, the instructor, and (most importantly) the number of seats available in the course. In this example, you can see that the first course is full (or “closed”) and that the second course has 2 seats. You can even see when your exam would be if you took this course, by looking at the exam group number in the far right column and checking that against the online exam schedule. Take a look at the second course again, because it’s got some special information that you might need to know. First, notice the first line. It says, “Prereq: 250 and 253.” That means to take this course, you need to have ALREADY taken and passed Comm 250 and Comm 253. Second, see the “PR” in front of the section number? That stands for “Permission Required,” and that means you have to see the instructor to get his or her permission BEFORE you try to register for the course. Most of the time, he or she will ask you about whether you’ve taken the prerequisites, but other issues (like your year in school) might also come up. The last thing you need to notice is the “Special Fee.” Some courses have a fee attached to them. These fees cover expenses encountered when students use video or audio recording equipment, laboratory space, and studio time. These will always be marked clearly in the timetable.

You’ll search the Timetable for the courses you need to satisfy your GDR, major, and/or minor requirements and find ones that fit together into a schedule. Then you’ll want to find ALTERNATE courses that you can take in case the ones you want fill up before your registration time, always checking to see which requirements they satisfy. Use your Catalog to check about requirements that don’t show up on your DPR (if you’re considering adding a minor, for example). AFTER YOU’VE DONE THIS WORK, you’re ready to see your advisor!

(back to top of page)

How do I find my advisor?

The Communication office always has a list of faculty members’ office numbers, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and posted office hours available. Stop in and pick one up when you get to campus (while you’re there, introduce yourself to the office staff!). Registration advising time gets busy, so many faculty members put up lists of times they are available for advising. Often, you can stop by and sign up for an appointment whenever you happen to be in the building. 

(back to top of page)

What happens if I don't like my advisor?

It happens. Sometimes students switch to another emphasis area, so the advisor they had as a Premajor will no longer be the best source of information. Other times, student and advisor personalities just don’t mesh. You are free to change advisors at any time. You should talk to the person you want as your new advisor first, to make certain he or she has room to take on another advisee. Then, after you have permission from your desired advisor, stop in the Communication office or see the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator to request an advisor change.

(back to top of page)

How else can I prepare to have a great advising experience in Communication?

Here are some good ways to get the best advice possible:

  • Talk to your parents, relatives, and friends about their college experiences. Find out what they liked, didn’t like, and learned about being in college.
  • Read the entire University Catalog (not just the section for your major). It contains valuable information about University policies and resources, as well as details about majors and minors.
  • Review all information you receive about student rights and responsibilities. Pay special attention to items related to academic misconduct (such as plagiarism and other forms of cheating). Talk to your advisor if you do not understand what constitutes academic misconduct, or if you need information about the various consequences that can result from committing it.
  • Buy a day planner from the bookstore or from another source. Use it to record due dates for readings and other assignments, meetings with other students, and anything else you might otherwise forget.
  • Make contact with your advisor early. You don’t need to schedule a formal appointment. Just stop in and say hello if you see his or her door open.
  • Talk to important people (especially parents and friends back home) about a typical day. This will help them understand the kinds of issues you face on a regular basis.
  • Consider showing your parents a course syllabus and talking with them about your instructors.
  • Find out where important offices are located on campus: Financial Aid, Student Employment, Student Activities, the Student Health Center, and Registration and Records are all places you might need to visit.  
  • Remember that your educational record is private. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act guarantees that information about your academic performance cannot be shared with anyone without your permission. If you would like your parents or someone else to speak with a professor or administrator on your behalf, you need to authorize them to do so. Your advisor can help you complete a waiver form to give them that permission.

(back to top of page)

 Have a different question? Send it to the Undergraduate Advising Coordinator.