Pre-registrations for All Undergraduate Courses Now in Full Swing
The course registration system for the upcoming spring semester will have some new features. Most importantly, students are now able to pre-register for both required and elective courses for the spring semester; course pre-loading will be based on these choices as much as possible. In addition, elective courses will be matched with students' curriculum requirements at the time of registration, not afterward. Similarly, if a course is being taken to replace another course taken in a prior semester, this information will be noted during registration and it will not be possible to modify it at a later time.
The new pre-registration system will be used for all undergraduate programs next spring. Pre-registrations via the SRS system have already begun and will run through January 6, 2012. During pre-registration, students will be asked to name the courses they intend to take next semester, without considering sections, availability or schedule conflicts. By determining which courses students plan to take next semester, this information will be used for better section, schedule and limit/quota planning. In addition, pre-loading these selected courses will increase the chances of students registering for the courses they wish to take.
Since pre-registrations will close before fall grades are determined, a student's academic standing may not be fully known during pre-registration. It is advised that students pre-register while considering their probable standing for next semester. (As far as course prerequisites and curriculum requirements are concerned, the computer system will assume that a student will pass all courses that they were registered for in the fall semester.)
The number of pre-registered courses may not exceed the upper limit of the course load by more than one course. For each elective course group, the system will allow pre-registration to one extra elective course as a backup.
Pre-registration will be taken for major and minor courses separately.
During pre-loading of courses, pre-registered courses will have a higher priority. For students who do not pre-register for any courses at all, pre-loading will proceed as in previous semesters.
Pre-loading results will be announced on January 30, 2012, at 4:30 p.m., and appointment-based registrations will begin the next day. Just as in the fall semester, students will be able to modify their registered courses within limits imposed by course schedules and limit/quota values.
Regarding the second change in the registration system, starting with the upcoming spring semester, all registered elective courses will be matched with curriculum requirements during the registration for that course. The STARS system will determine and display this match during normal registration and pre-registration. If a registered course may be used to fulfill more than one elective requirement in the curriculum, the student will be asked to do the matching in SRS. If a registered course does not match any requirement, it can only be taken as an extra course during normal registrations.
It will not be possible to change the curriculum match of a course after registration. For this reason, students who are not sure about the curriculum match of a given course should consult their academic advisor or department as soon as possible.
Taking a course in lieu of a required course in the curriculum is only possible through the decision of the Faculty/School Executive Board. These decisions should be made before course registration.
The remaining change in the registration system concerns the procedure for registering for an elective course in place of an elective course taken previously. Students may want to do this for a number of reasons (for example, F/FX grades, probation/unsuccessful standing or by choice). In these circumstances, a student may either repeat the same course or choose another course from the same elective course group. An approval is not needed to take a different course from the same elective pool. However, the student has to declare that an elective is being taken in lieu of a previously taken elective course during registration for that course. Contrary to earlier practice, the "in lieu of this course" information must be entered into the system via SRS during course registration. Moreover, once this information is in the system, it will not be possible to modify it.
A few important dates have been added to the academic calendar.
Course pre-registration: December 23, 2011 - January 6, 2012
Last day to apply for admittance to a minor program: January 9, 2012
Last day to apply for transfer to another department: January 19, 2012