Frequently Asked Questions

Your academic department assigns an advisor to you.

If you are:

• a first-time freshman and attended New Student Orientation, you should receive an email informing you of your advisor.
• an undeclared major, an advisor in the Academic Advising and Transfer Center will be assigned to you.

If you do not have an advisor, contact your major department. Refer to our guide on finding your advisor.

It is important that you have an advisor with whom you are comfortable and confident.

If you are a declared major, contact someone in your departmental office.

If you are using one of the advisement centers, speak with the administrative professional there.

Anytime you have academic questions, you should feel free to contact your academic advisor.

For specific course advisement, it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your advisor as soon as semester class schedules become available. Your advisor's time is very limited and will fill up quickly as registration approaches.

You are required to discuss your plans for future semesters and obtain an advisor's release if you meet the following criteria:

• You have completed less than 75 credit hours.
• You are on academic probation.
• You are a graduate student.
• You are a new transfer student.
• You have completed more than 75 hours, but you have not met with an advisor at least three times.

All students are encouraged to consult with an advisor.

Computer Services Knowledge Base has detailed instructions on activating your My Missouri State account.

If you would like to participate in the Cooperative Education Program, make sure you meet the following requirements:

• your GPA at Missouri State University is 2.0 or higher (not combined with any transfer GPA)
• you were enrolled full-time during the previous semester at Missouri State University, or you were enrolled at least part-time at Missouri State University for the past two semesters

• you are willing to comply with the credit requirements of your academic department.

For more information about internships, see How to Search for Internships and Jobs.

Generally speaking, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in each area including your major, minor, general education and all three combined.

However, many majors require higher GPAs than a 2.0.

For most majors, 120 hours are needed to graduate, though some require more.

You must complete all of the following:

• At least 43-51 hours of required general education courses,
• At least 40 hours of upper-division credit (upper division is designated by a course number 300 or higher),
• The required courses for your major and
• A minimum of 18 credit hours in a minor, if required.

The remaining credit hours may be made up of electives for a total of 120. For more information see Degree Requirements.

It depends.

Because the average degree program consists of 120 credit hours, you must complete at least 30 hours per year to finish in four years.

If you change your major or are undeclared for a period of time, your graduation may be delayed due to a change in degree requirements. Taking summer courses or having college credit prior to high school graduation may reduce this time.

A degree program is a formalized plan that enables you to graduate with a degree in your major.

It means that you will be allowed to take upper division courses and that the department will not add to or take away courses from your plan. (Education majors are an exception because some of the requirements are controlled by the Missouri Department of Education.)

Each academic program has different criteria for admission. All students must be admitted to a degree program by the time 75 semester hours have been earned to continue studies at Missouri State University.

Being admitted to your degree program means that you have:

• Completed your basic required courses (e.g., GEP 101/UHC 110, COM 115, ENG 110, MTH 135 or higher),
• Met any specific departmental admission criteria for your major (which can be found in the catalog) and
• Have obtained the necessary releases. (This step takes action on your part; it won't happen automatically.)

Discuss this with your advisor to decide when it is appropriate for you to start this process. You will need to be admitted into a degree program by the time you complete 75 hours. Otherwise, restrictions will be placed on your record, and you may not be allowed to register.

Satisfactory completion of the requirements listed in the program assures your eligibility for graduation. Any exceptions to the stated degree program requirements must be approved in writing by the academic department head and received in the Degree Check Office. For more information see Degree Program.

While they are both types of undergraduate degrees, there requirements are different.

BA stands for Bachelor of Arts. This degree denotes a broad background in liberal arts. For this reason, additional liberal arts courses are required, including:

• Six hours of fine arts chosen from specific options (which cannot count toward the general education requirement),
• Three hours of philosophy (which may also count toward the general education requirement),
• Six hours of World History credits: HST 103 and HST 104 (which may also count toward general education requirement), and
• 12 hours in a single language offered by the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions or 12 hours in American Sign Language (ASL).

BS stands for Bachelor of Science. This degree does not require the additional courses listed above, but it is designed to offer specialization in one area.

For more information about our undergraduate degree programs, see the Academic Policies & University Information.

Declaring your major simply means that you have told us what you want to do, which allows you to have an assigned advisor in that area. (There are a few majors that require a selection process for those who declare that major, such as theatre performance and musical theatre.)

To declare your major, come by the Academic Advising and Transfer Center in University Hall, Suite 109. You may change your major at any time.

No.

Non-comprehensive majors require a minor. Comprehensive majors do not require a minor because more courses within the major are required.

Consult the Undergraduate Catalog for a list of major options.

No.

There are degrees that require more than 120 credits without minors or electives, such as art and special education.

It depends on what's best for you and your plans.

Many majors have specific general education course requirements (e.g., elementary education, science majors and business majors).

If you are undeclared, you may be able to explore your interests by taking general education classes. If you are considering particular majors, it is an excellent idea to take introductory courses in those majors to help you make a decision.

When to complete your general education courses: You must complete the Basic Required Courses with the exception of Writing II by the time you reach 75 hours. The rest of your general education courses may be completed at anytime throughout your degree program.

We recommend that you discuss your ideas with your advisor. They will help you decide which classes to take and keep you from having to take extra courses, which could delay graduation. Review the General Education Work Sheet to help you decide which courses to take.

Yes. Because some degree programs require certain courses that are also within the general education curriculum, those specific courses may often meet requirements for both.

Consult your advisor, the Undergraduate Catalog and the General Education Program to confirm that a specific course will meet requirements for both your major and general education.

See the earliest date you are eligible to register by checking the registration sequence.

Or, you can check your registration status by logging in to your My Missouri State account, selecting the Registration tab and clicking on the Registration Status link.

How your eligibility works: Generally speaking, you are assigned a registration time based on the number of credit hours you have completed. (This does not include the current semester). The more credit hours you have completed, the earlier your registration time will be.

Most students are eligible to register online.

To drop a class, you may do so online through My Missouri State.

If you want to withdraw from all of your classes, go to the Office of the Registrar in Carrington 320 or call 417-836-6894 for instructions.

For more information, see Dropping a Course.

We recommend that you consult your instructor before dropping a class.

You may want to consider dropping a course if you:

• Have little or no chance of passing the course.
• Cannot regularly attend a class due to unforeseen circumstances.

Ramifications of dropping classes: Financial aid, scholarships, health insurance and residence hall eligibility may be affected. Drops appear on your transcript permanently, so you do not want to establish a pattern.

Deadline to drop classes: To find out the last day to drop or withdraw from full semester or block course and receive a "W" grade, check your My Missouri State account. (Click on the Registration tab, look under My Schedule and click Refund and Drop Deadlines.)

Dropping a class after the last deadline: If you drop a class after the last day to drop and you were failing the class, the instructor may record an "F" rather than a "W" on your record. After the deadline, it would be wise to discuss dropping a course with your instructor prior to taking action. Talk to your instructor about the Grade Verification form, a document that you get to keep signed by the instructor with your intended grade.

No.

If you stop attending classes you will not automatically be withdrawn from those classes. You must officially withdraw from the university.

If not, your grades will be recorded as Fs, which will affect your chances of being readmitted here or at another institution in the future. Never assume your instructor will drop you.

Yes, you may repeat a course as often as needed.

The most recent repeat replaces your previous grade(s) in the calculation of your GPA. This works with transfer coursework as well, as long as the courses are evaluated as an exact match. However, your original grade(s) remain(s) on your transcript. For more information, see Repeating a Course.

At least 12 credit hours in the fall or spring.

You may take up to 18 hours without special permission from your academic dean, but should consult your advisor before doing so.

In the summer, six hours is considered full-time, but you can take up to 10 hours.

Contact the Transfer Center, so they can help you with course equivalencies and walk you through the transfer process.

You can also check Missouri State's course equivalency guide to see how your individual courses will transfer. Transfer equivalencies are subject to change and depend on department requirements.

Evaluating your official transcript: When the university receives your official transcript, the Admissions Office will review it. This process may take several weeks. Once your transfer work has been evaluated, you may view the results at My Missouri State.

Contact the Transfer Center, so they can help you with course equivalencies and walk you through the transfer process.

You can also check Missouri State's course equivalency guide to see how your individual courses will transfer. (If the institution you wish to attend is not listed, please contact the Admissions Office.) Transfer equivalencies are subject to change and depend on department requirements.

Speak with your advisor. Also, consult the course equivalency guide to see how your individual courses will transfer.

If it is determined that a course should be re-evaluated, access the online transfer credit reevaluation system through My Missouri State. Follow the directions on the screen to complete the process. You will be asked to provide a detailed course description and syllabus information.

You have the opportunity to appeal that decision.

You'll need to:

1. Obtain a course syllabus and/or a course description of the class you took.
2. Access the online transfer credit reevaluation system through My Missouri State.
3. Follow the directions on the screen to complete the process.