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Registration Tips

You can find the course offerings for the current and upcoming semester here: http://www.neu.edu/registrar/schedules.html

Be careful what you register for!  The registration system will not (yet) block you from registering for a class when you do not meet the prerequisites. You must make sure that you meet all the Prerequisite Requirements before registering for a class or you risk being dropped from the class by the professor or department. You can view course prerequisites here.  If you need help using the course search system, there is an online help page: http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/banner-fl09-ugd-details.html#search

The registration system will block you from registering for a course that is restricted to specific majors, colleges, or class year.  If you try to register for a course that is restricted, you will receive an error message.  You can find a complete list of error messages here: http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/banner-fl09-ugd-details.html#regerr.  The only way to register for these courses is to go to the department or person that has imposed the restriction, most commonly the department that is offering the course.  For example, if you are trying to register for a restricted History class, you must contact the History department.  The Academic Advisors in the Dean’s office will not be able to assist you in overriding the restriction.  You can find the contact information for the different Arts and Sciences departments in our Guide to Academic Services.

If you're having trouble trying to determine what you should register for in an upcoming term, follow the steps listed below.  Set aside an hour so you can give yourself ample opportunity to understand your options and make your decisions.

1. Resources
   Download and print the following tools.  (It's very helpful to print them out so you can take notes when you need to.  You also have the option of opening each item in a different Tab in your browser.  To open a new tab in Internet Explorer or Firefox on a PC, press the "Ctrl" and the "T" keys simultaneously.  For Safari or Firefox on the Mac, press the Command key (looks like a clover) and the "T" key simultaneously.)
   1. Schedule grid(s)
      1. Grid without lab sequences (easier to use)
      2. Grid with lab sequences (for science, music, art and architecture students)
   2. MyPaws Degree Audit
      1. You will find this on your MyNeu. Once you log in, click on the "Self-Service" tab and then click on the Degree Audit link. Run an audit for your major and then print it out or keep it open and open a new tab in your browser for the next web site.
2. Review your Degree Audit
   1. There is a lot of information to absorb in your audit, so take your time.  The first thing you want to do is identify the requirements which are not complete.  These sections are notated by a " - " in the left margin, as shown here for the Social Science Level 1 requirement:
      
      Each of the courses in this list are eligible to complete the requirement.  You can click on any course number to get a course description for the course, so you can find out if it interests you. 
      
      1. Please pay careful attention to the prerequisites!
         The registration system will not (yet) stop you from registering for a class when you don't have the prerequisites.  However the professor or department may remove you from the class or ask you to leave during the first week of classes if you do not have the prerequisite coursework or standing.
3. Course Listings
   Go to http://www.neu.edu/registrar/schedules.html to view the course listings for an upcoming semester. (There are many sections to this page, so be sure to navigate carefully.)  If you need help using the course search system, there is an online help page: http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/banner-fl09-ugd-details.html#search 
   1. First, choose the appropriate term
   2. Choose the option for "Banner Student Schedule"
   3. Review the search instructions if you need to.   http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/banner-fl09-ugd-details.html#search
   4. Search based on your needs.  Either restrict your search to one particular subject area that's needed for your major, or search for a needed core requirement by first selecting all subject areas and then from the "Attributes" text box, choose the core requirement that is right for you.  Be careful to choose the listing that is right for you. 
      1. CAS Core
         The CAS Core is for students who started before September 2007 or started in September 2007 or January 2008 as a transfer student with 32 or more semester hours of transfer credit.
      2. NU Core
         The NU Core is for students starting in September 2007 or later as a freshman or a freshman transfer student with 31 or fewer semester hours of transfer credit.
4. Find Courses
   Compare your remaining requirements from your Degree Audit to the course offerings in the upcoming terms. 
   1. You should already have the Course Offerings loaded in your web browser from step 3.  Make yourself familiar with how to navigate the different listings and how they relate to the classes you need to take.
   2. If you're looking for a core requirement, use the core listings (Double check which core list to use.  The CAS Core is different than the NU Core, and which list you follow depends on the year you started at Northeastern.  Review step 3, section d-ii.)
   3. There are often multiple courses that you can use to fulfill a specific requirement, especially when it comes to your core requirements.  Unfortunately, not every class listed on your Degree Audit is offered every term.  Please keep this in mind when you are planning for future terms.  The course description usually lists which term(s) a class is offered, so you can review that to help you in your decision making.  Ultimately, the course offerings decision is made by the department offering the class.  So as an example, if you have a question about a course offered by the Communication Studies department, call the Communication Studies department. (For department listings, click here.)
5. Make a list of your choices
   1. Use the following course as an example.
      
   2. When you look at the course offerings pages, there are a few important bits of information.
      1. CRN Number
         The most important bit of information is the CRN or Course Registry Number. It is a 5 digit number that is unique to this class at this specific time with that professor. The CRN immediately follows the title of the course.  In this example, it's 11849.  This is the number you will type into the registration system to register for your class.
      2. Open and Closed Sections
         At the bottom right area of the example is this Remaining Seats listing.  This is up-to-date as of the time you loaded the search page.  In the vast majority of cases, if there are 0 remaining seats in a course, the course really is closed and neither the department or the professor can sign you into the course.
   3. For your list of preferred courses, you should make a list of 6 to 8 courses for the Fall or Spring semesters, and a list of 3 or 4 classes for the Summer "Mini-mesters."
   4. You will need to write down the course number and Key number for each class.  When you have this information handy when you go to register, the actual time you spend in the registration system will only be about 5 minutes.
6. Registration
   When it comes time to register, log into your MyNeu, click the "Self-Service" tab, and then on course registration.  When the new window opens, choose the correct term for registration, making sure to choose the option for Undergraduate Semesters.