Advising FAQ's
Check out our Student Services blog to find out more about topics not covered here as well as ask questions and suggest topics relevant for all students! http://nucasadvising.blogspot.com/
FAQ PAGE CONTENTS
- Forms for the most common needs
- How do I...?
- How do I make an appointment with my Advisor?
- How do I calculate my GPA?
- How do I register for my courses?/ I don't know what courses to select.
- How do I register for or select my Study Abroad Courses?
- How do I change my Major or declare a Second Major?
- How do I declare a Minor?
- How do I change my Pattern of Attendance?
- How do I change my Graduation Year?
- How do I get credit for an Internship? a.k.a. What is a directed Study?
- How do I take a Leave of Absence?
- How do I withdraw from a course?
- How do I withdraw from the University?
- What/Where is...?
-
Other Practical matters
-
Policy Issues
- Program of Study Petition - To change majors or minors
- Change of Status Form
- Student Referral Form - For advisors to give referral info to students
- Registrar's Office Forms
- Schedule Grid - No Labs/Studios (easier to read)
- Schedule Grid With Labs/Studios (more complex, but complete)
- Summer Semester Schedule Grid
- Petition for Exception to Transfer Credit Policy
- Academic Planner.xls
- GPA Calculator.xls
How do I...?
- How do I make an appointment with my Advisor?
As a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, you have multiple advisors. The nature of your question will determine which advisor you should see.
Students in the General Studies Program have a separate set of advisors, for more information about the General Studies advisors, check out the GSP website.- Who Do I see?
- Registration questions should start with your Faculty Advisor (a.k.a. Major Advisor or Department Advisor).
- Questions regarding major/department specific requirements and registration should be directed to your Faculty Advisor.
- Questions regarding Co-op placement and division changes need to be directed to your Co-op Advisor.
- Questions regarding core requirements, general academic planning, study abroad, outstanding transfer credit issues, registration, or leaves of absence should be directed to your Academic Advisor. (a.k.a. Dean’s Office Advisor)
- Making appointments
- Faculty Advisor - Call them or stop by their department office.
Click here for a list of advisors - Co-op Advisor - Do this through your myNEU under the Co-op & Career Services tab.
- Academic Advisor - Call 617-373-3980 or stop by One Meserve
- If you're on co-op and can't come during regular business hours, you still have the option to make a phone appointment with your Academic Advisor during our regular office hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. In your phone appointment you will have a dedicated half hour to discuss your needs with your Academic Advisor.
Note: If possible, please make arrangements so that you can be at a computer view your degree audit or have a print out of your degree audit for your meeting.
- If you're on co-op and can't come during regular business hours, you still have the option to make a phone appointment with your Academic Advisor during our regular office hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. In your phone appointment you will have a dedicated half hour to discuss your needs with your Academic Advisor.
- Faculty Advisor - Call them or stop by their department office.
- Who Do I see?
- How do I calculate my GPA?
- Here are the Registrar's instructions to calculate your GPA
http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/gradecalc.html - You can also use our GPA Calculator.xls
- Here are the Registrar's instructions to calculate your GPA
- How do I register for my courses?/I don't know what courses to select.
- Check out the Registration Tip Sheet.
- How do I change my Major or declare a Second Major?
- First download and print the Program of Study Petition.
- Students in the General Studies Program have a different process. Please review the GSP website and contact your advisor to find out how to apply for sophomore standing and declare your major.
- Fill out your information in Part 1 and indicate your new major in Part 2.
- If you are declaring or changing your primary major, select the 2nd check box: "Change program to"
- If there is a concentration associated with the new major, you can declare the concentration by selecting the 6th check box: "Pursue a concentration in"
- If you are declaring a dual major, you will select the 2nd check box: "Change program to". Note: Dual majors are not two different majors, but a special "Hybrid" major between two other existing programs.
- If your current major is outside of the College of Arts and Sciences, select the third check box: "Transfer to another college at NU, majoring in" and indicate your new major that is in the College of Arts and Sciences.
- If you are declaring a second major, choose the 4th check box: "Pursue a second major in"
- If you are declaring or changing your primary major, select the 2nd check box: "Change program to"
- Go to the department that offers the major you are declaring. (The location and contact information is listed on the second page of the Program of Study Petition.) Meet with a Faculty Advisor, and when they approve you for the major, have them sign on the second line in Part 3.
- Return your Program of Study Petition to 1 Meserve Hall. We will complete the processing of petition. Once you have the signature from the Faculty Advisor, the major change is official. This last step is only clerical, so the major can be added to your record. You will know that this last process is complete when your MyPaws (DARS) Degree Audit defaults to the new major.
- First download and print the Program of Study Petition.
- How do I declare a Minor?
- First download and print the Program of Study Petition.
- Fill out your information in Part 1 and indicate your new minor in Part 2, by selecting the 5th check box: "Pursue a minor in"
- Go to the department that offers the minor you are declaring. (The location and contact information is listed on the second page of the Program of Study Petition.) Meet with a Faculty Advisor, and when they approve you for the minor, have them sign on the second line in Part 3.
- Return your Program of Study Petition to 1 Meserve Hall. We will complete the processing of petition. Once you have the signature from the Faculty Advisor, the minor declaration is official. This last step is only clerical, so the minor can be added to your record.
- You can however, always track your progress in your minor by looking at a degree audit of the minor. See "What is the MyPaws/DARS Degree Audit?"
- How do I change my Pattern of Attendance (POA)?
- Pattern of Attendance changes almost always involve changes to when a student is going out on Co-op. That is, POA changes are either setting a student's record to go out on a future Co-op or are setting a student's record so that they won't be going out on any further Co-op's. Since roughly 95% of POA changes involve Co-op, please contact your Co-op advisor to initiate this change. You can find your Co-op advisor here. You can also call our front desk at 617-373-3980 to speak with someone who can help you determine the right advisor to help you with your POA change.
- How do I change my Grad Year?
- Please contact your Academic (Dean's Office) advisor to make changes to your graduation year. Find your Academic advisor here. Please note: Your advisor cannot change your graduation year in your Freshman year, and cannot change your graduation year in your Junior or Senior year until you complete your Graduation Clearance. Please call 617-373-3980 to set up an appointment or to learn about your Academic Advisor's Walk-In hours.
- Internships and Directed Studies
Internships most often receive credit in the form of a directed study. In order to sign up for a directed study, you'll need to do the following:- Find a faculty member that you will work with to oversee your internship experience and coordinate with your internship supervisor.
- You'll need to work out the details of expected outcomes, communications and any deliverables that are due at the end of the internship. This is most often a reflection paper on the experience that is due to the faculty member, but each directed study is unique.
- When all of these details are worked out, then the faculty member will assist you in filling out a directed study form, which is available in the registrar's office or on their website: http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/form-dir-study-reg.pdf
This will need to be submitted to the Registrar's office in 120 Hayden. - Directed studies can be taken for between 1 and 4 credits, so depending on your academic needs, you can receive a varying amount of credits.
- How do I take a Personal Leave of Absence?
To initiate a leave of absence, you must get in touch with your Academic Advisor in the Center for Academic Student Services. The process is quite simple, and can usually be handled by email or a phone call.
The following are some common things to keep in mind about taking a leave of absence. For the complete policy, please refer to the "Academic Policies and Procedures" section of the Undergraduate Catalog: http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/courses/welcome0910.html#univ- Personal leaves must be requested before the start of a semester.
- Personal leaves are only allowed for a maximum of 6 months. If a student is on a leave for more than 6 months, the student will automatically be withdrawn from the University.
- If you receive loans as part of your financial aid package and you take a personal leave, repayment grace periods often start while you are on the leave. Please consult with your financial aid advisor if you receive financial aid and are considering taking a leave of absence.
- If you are taking a leave of absence and were planning on living in the residence halls for the upcoming semester, you will need to contact Residence Life at 617.373.2814 to notify them of your intent.
- If you have questions about your health insurance coverage while on a leave of absence, please contact the Registrar's office at 617.373.2307
- It is a common request for students to take classes at other institutions while on a leave of absence from Northeastern. Please read the FAQ section on Northeastern's Transfer Credit policy for more information.
- How do I withdraw from a course?
If you need to withdraw from a course, it is possible. You must keep in mind that there is a deadline for withdrawing from a course in every semester. To find out about that deadline, reference the academic calendar for the current semester. http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/calendars.html- If you're not sure if you should drop a class, it's a good idea to discuss it first with your Academic Advisor.
- When you're ready to withdraw from the course, print out the Undergraduate Day Course Drop Form from the Registrar's website.
http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/forms.html - Fill out the course information for the course you're withdrawing from.
- Get it signed by your Academic Advisor or by a representative from the Center for Academic Services in One Meserve.
- Submit the form to the Registrar's Office in 120 Hayden.
- SUGGESTION: Make a copy for your records. You can ask your academic advisor to make a copy for you.
- General points to consider when withdrawing from a course. For the full policy, review the Undergraduate Day Catalog.
http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/courses/cat0910-014-024.pdf- Not attending the course does not constitute withdrawal.
- There is no refund when you withdraw and receive a grade of "W" for the course.
- If you sign up for the course again in a future term, you are billed for the future course as you would be for any other course.
- You will receive 0 Semester Hours for the course.
- This may mean that you will have to take an unplanned course in a future summer term or overload in a future term to stay on track to graduate.
- If you withdraw from enough courses to drop below 12 Semester Hours in a Fall or Spring term (or below 6 SH in a summer term) you will be put on academic probation.
- A grade of "W" has no impact your GPA.
- How do I withdraw from the University?
It is necessary for students who need to take a leave of absence from Northeastern University that will extend beyond 6 months or are planning to transfer to another institution to formally withdraw from the University. This action is not destructive to your record in any way. It is simply a formal request to place your academic record in an inactive status.- First, print and fill out the University Withdrawal form from the Registrar's Office website:
http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/form-univ-withdraw.pdf - Contact the Dean's Office sign your withdrawal form. Either stop into One Meserve Hall or fax it to us at 617-373-7768. If you fax it, please give us a follow up call at 617-373-3980 to verify that we received it.
- Submit the form to the Registrar's Office in 120 Hayden Hall. If you faxed it to us, we will forward it along to the Registrar's office on your behalf.
- Contact the Student Financial Services/Financial Aid Office at 617-373-3190 to inform them of your departure so they can make the appropriate notations on your record as well as discuss how the withdrawal will affect your loans and other aspects of your financial aid package.
- If you made arrangements to stay in the residence halls in an upcoming semester, you will also need to contact them to cancel your housing commitments by calling 617-373-4016
- First, print and fill out the University Withdrawal form from the Registrar's Office website:
What/Where is...?
- What is the MyPaws/DARS Degree Audit?
The MyPaws (or DARS) Degree Audit is a very useful tool to help you determine your progress in your major. You can find your audit when you log into your MyNeu and click on the “Self-Service” tab. Here are some main points to the audit.- Unless you want to run an audit for a minor or a different major, you will not need to alter any of the default settings, just click on “Submit.”
- If you want to run an audit for a major other than your primary major or for a minor, click on the "Explore Options" button and then choose the desired major or minor from the list on the resulting page.
Important! - Unless you have reason to do so and have consulted with an advisor, do not change the catalog year from its default setting. - Each Major and Core requirement is split into its own section. If there is a “Yes” next to a section, you have completed all of those requirements. If there is a “No” next to a section, there are still requirements that you need to complete.
- If you have requirements still to complete, you will be presented with a list of potential courses that you could take to fulfill that requirement. If you click on a Course Number, you will see the course description for the course.
- Please refer to the Registration Tip Sheet for more information on registration.
- Where do I go to take a foreign language placement exam?
- If you need to take a placement exam for French, German or Spanish, you can do that online by going to the FAQ page on the Modern Languages Department website
http://www.modernlanguages.neu.edu/Layer2/faq.htm
Look for the instructions under the bold heading, "What course should a student register for if the student has studied a language in high school?" - If you need to take a placement exam for another language, you will need to contact Boris Rasting-Sera in the World Languages Center. His phone number is 617-3733131 and his email is b.rastingsera@neu.edu.
- If you need to take a placement exam for French, German or Spanish, you can do that online by going to the FAQ page on the Modern Languages Department website
- What is Graduation Clearance, and how do I complete it?
- Graduation Clearance is a process that must be completed by every student that is in their Junior or Senior year. We prefer students to complete their Senior Clearance around 3 academic semesters prior to your expected graduation. If you fail to complete your Graduation Clearance, you will not be allowed to graduate and will not receive your degree.
- Fortunately, it's easy to complete! Call 617-373-3980 to set up an appointment with your Academic (Dean's Office) Advisor.
Please Note: Senior clearance MUST be done in person. Your advisor will not complete it over the phone or over email. Please plan ahead! - Why is it important?
- First and foremost, it lets our office know when you anticipate graduating. Then you're on our radar, and we'll keep track of your progress towards your degree completion. We'll notify all the appropriate offices when you've completed all requirements and are cleared to graduate and receive your diploma.
- In your meeting, your advisor will map out each and every detail you need to successfully complete so you can successfully graduate.
- We'll let you know if there's anything else that you need to do and expect so you don't experience any unpleasant surprises as graduation approaches.
- What is Academic Probation and how does it affect me?
Academic Probation is for when a student is not performing academically to the standards set by Northeastern University. For further details, read our page on Academic Probation.
Other Practical Matters
- I don't check my MyNeu email, what should I do?
- Forward it!
- 1)Log into your MyNeu, and then click on the email button at the top.
- 2) Click on the "Settings" tab
- 3) Click on "Forwarding and POP/IMAP"
- 4) Enter the email address that you want your @husky.neu.edu email to be forwarded to
- 5) Click "OK"
- Now you're all set to never miss an important announcement from your professor, advisor, or any other NEU faculty or staff member.
- This is very, VERY important!
Your @husky.neu.edu email address is considered an official form of communication. If you don't check your @husky.neu.edu email and don't have it forwarded, "I didn't know because I didn't check my MyNeu email." isn’t' an excuse and won't undo missed deadlines.
- Forward it!
- I need to petition the Academic Standing Committee, what do I do?
- The first thing you should do is talk to your Academic Advisor about the details pertaining to your petition.
- Write your petition letter. There is no form to fill out. This is a letter.
- Address it to: Academic Standing Committee
- Your explanation of your current situation comes first.
- Your explanation what you are petitioning for comes next.
- Your explanation of your justification and reasoning for why your petition should be approved comes last.
- Give your petition a lot of thought and make sure it's well written. It's obvious when a student has neglected to take their petition seriously, and it will negatively affect the decision made by the committee.
- Submit it to your Academic Advisor in 1 Meserve. You can hand deliver it or send it via email. Your advisor will serve as a liaison with the committee and will contact you when a decision has been made.
Policy Issues
- Academic Progression Standards
- The text of the progression standards are in the Undergraduate Catalog. The 2008-2009 information is here: http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/courses/cat0809-030-030.pdf
- The basic points are:
- Students must keep their overall GPA above a 2.000 at all times
- Students must successfully complete 12 Semester Hours in the fall or spring semesters when registered. For a class to qualify as "successful" the student must receive a a non-failing letter grade. Grades of I, IP, *, X, F, U, or W do not count as having completed the course successfully.
- If a student fails to meet either or both of these criteria for three consecutive semesters, they will be dismissed from the University.
- Appealing the dismissal may be possible for dismissed students, and that information is available through your academic advisor after a student has been dismissed.
- It is the Arts and Sciences policy that for students who have been academically dismissed from the University, they are not allowed to petition to return to classes for the semester immediately following the dismissal. Students must take at least 1 semester off before returning to classes at Northeastern. This helps to ensure that students are well prepared for their studies and in a situation best aimed at future academic success.
- Once students matriculate at Northeastern, they are expected to complete all of their course work at Northeastern. Of course there is room for a few exceptions through a petition process. These exceptions are as follows:
- If you have a deficiency from a prior semester, you may make up that deficiency at another institution. A deficiency is most commonly defined as having received a failing grade (U or F).
- If program or course at another institution presents an opportunity to expose you to course material or opportunities that relate to your declared program (major) and are not available to you at Northeastern, you may petition to transfer those credits back to your Northeastern record.
- Other situations may be permissible, so check in with your Academic Advisor if you think you may have a unique situation.
- In order for a student to be allowed to transfer credit from another institution after the student matriculates, the student must file a petition with their Academic Advisor, which will be reviewed by the Office of the Provost. Click here to download the Petition for Exception to Transfer Credit Policy
- If permission is granted, students must follow the following guidelines for the transfer credit to be allowed:
- Transfer credits must be granted from an accredited university
- Students must earn a C or higher in an academic credit course for it to be transferable
- You will earn only the number of credits as the other institution attributes to the course
- A maximum of 80 credits from a four year institution and 60 credits from a two year (combined total of 80) may be accepted toward a Northeastern degree
- Remedial/Developmental/ESL/Physical Education/Non academic credit courses are not transferable
- Students have up to one year after matriculation to finalize transfer credit
- You can browse the Transfer Credit Database to see what other courses have already been successfully transferred from a given institution: http://tinyurl.com/nutceval
- Transfer Credit Procedure
- After you have completed your course, you must submit an official transcript to Northeastern and this should be done as soon as possible after completion of the course at the outside institution.
Preferably, have your transcript mailed to you, and then bring it to 1 Meserve Hall in its original sealed envelope. Opened transcripts cannot be accepted as valid for transfer credit.- If necessary, you may also have it sent to the Dean’s Office directly, but this should only be in the event that you absolutely cannot hand deliver your transcript.
*Dean’s Office Advisor Name*
1 Meserve Hall
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115
- If necessary, you may also have it sent to the Dean’s Office directly, but this should only be in the event that you absolutely cannot hand deliver your transcript.
- After you have completed your course, you must submit an official transcript to Northeastern and this should be done as soon as possible after completion of the course at the outside institution.
- Taking a course Pass/Fail
During your undergraduate studies, it may be necessary for you to consider taking a course on a pass/fail basis. While this can be beneficial depending on your circumstance, there are some policies that you need to be aware of. The entire text about Pass/Fail courses is in the Undergraduate Catalog in the following section for any year:
The University > Academic Policies and Procedures > Grading System- Policy Points
- Students may only elect to take ONE course per semester as Pass/Fail. If one course is only offered as Pass/Fail (very rare), then the student may still elect for another course to be taken as Pass/Fail.
- Students on Academic Probation, may not take a course Pass/Fail.
- Pass/Fail courses CANNOT count for core requirements or major requirements. Any course taken as Pass/Fail will become a general elective and count only as Earned Hours toward graduation.
- If a student elects to take a course as Pass/Fail, they are ineligible for the Dean's List for that semester.
- Benefits
- Pass/Fail grades are not calculated into a student's GPA.
- Procedure
- Print and fill out the Petition to Elect Pass/Fail Grade
http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/form-passfail.pdf - Meet with your advisor in the Center for Academic Services in One Meserve, to make sure it's an appropriate option for you and have them sign your petition. Our phone number is 617.373.3980
- Discuss the Pass/Fail request with your instructor within the first two weeks of the term. If they approve your request, have them sign your petition as well.
- Return the Petition to Elect Pass/Fail Grade to the Registrar's Office in 120 Hayden.
- Print and fill out the Petition to Elect Pass/Fail Grade
- Policy Points
- Do you have a question that's not covered here?
- Check out our blog: http://nucasadvising.blogspot.com/
- Call us at 617-373-3980
- Email us!