Basic pre-meeting procedure:
Approving Plans of Work: Toward the end of spring semester, advisors will receive messages to go online and approve Plans of Work for their advisees. Maggie Puryear actually takes care of this, so the advisor does not need to do anything. Students also may ask advisors to approve changes to their PoW at other times of the year. The undergraduate advising office has asked that advisors do not click the button to formally approve a PoW in the online system. Advisors should carry out a discussion via e-mail with the student and/or Maggie, and then indicate approval via e-mail and alert Maggie. Maggie will then go in and formally approve, with comments as needed. The reason this is left to Maggie is so that the undergraduate advising staff is fully aware of what students are doing, and so that PoWs with problems do not slip through the cracks and end up causing a surprise around graduation time. Completing general education requirements (GER): We have seen some problems lately with students taking Humanities/Social Sciences courses that do not count toward the GER. Not all humanities courses count in these categories! You need to access your degree audit/plan of work and click on the link provided for each GER category in order to obtain a list of courses that satisfy that requirement. Only those courses count toward satisfying your degree requirements! Completing foreign language requirements: Many students transfer in high school credit, which appears as FLS100 and satisfies the requirement. However, students who need to take foreign FLS102 to met their degree requirements shold be made aware that 102 is the 2nd half of a two semester sequence. They must first take FLS101 (and thus need to plan ahead). The other alternative is to take FLS110, which is an accelerated course (combining the content of 101 and 102 into one semester); this is obviously more challenging, but is a way to satisfy the requirement at NCSU in one semester. Approved electives: Students may count up to 6 hours of appropriate coursework in Aerospace Studies (ROTC), Communications, Education, or Policy toward their Approved Electives. The remaining 9 hours of Approved Electives must be in a mathematical or scientific discipline. ROTC, Communications, and Policy courses may not be used as Restricted or Advised Electives. Internships and independent studies: How do students find out about internships? Announcements are sent to Connie Hockaday. She has an e-mail distribution list and sends them to all of our undergrads. Another option is the SCAMS list, but that is only a subset. The only way students miss out is if the email address that is on Connie's list is outdated/incorrect. As well, the SCAMS holds an "internship" meeting each fall, where past intern holders tell newer students about opportunities, experiences, and application tips. Students should always make a point to attend that meeting if they hope to land a good one. How do students get course credit for internships or research experiences? MEA498 is the internship course, and should be used for all types of internships. MEA493 should be used for independent studies (IS). Because of the way in which MEA498 is administered, there are not unique sections of the course for each individual advisor. Experience has shown us that this can create some challenges when it becomes time to submit grades for the course. Students: please don't register for 498 unless your advisor knows what you are doing! Advisors: if you have a student whom you are advising for 498 in the coming semester, you should notify Connie Hockaday and Maggie Puryear so that you can be added as an "instructor" in the registration system. Can internships be used for graded credits toward completing the requirements for the MY major? Neither the 493 nor 498 courses can be taken for graded credits (with the exception being when 493 is a traditional class that does not yet have a course number; in such instances, the course number is always followed by a letter, e.g. "493T"). The meteorology faculty strongly advise students to complete all of their Restricted and Advised Electives using graded, classroom courses. However, in unusual circumstances it is permissible to count one semester's worth of 498 (not 493) toward the credits needed for Restricted/Advised Electives in the Meteorology major (even though the credits from 498 are S/U, rather than graded). It is also permissible to count the NWS Internship Course as an Approved Elective (the 15-credit "minor" bank). This information is current as of 14 October 2008, based upon conversations with Connie Hockaday, Gary Lackmann, and Maggie Puryear. For how many internship credits should the student register? There isn't a standard number of credits for an internship/IS. It is based on how much work is involved and what kind of project the student will do to get the credit. Every advisor has a different set of standards. Before signing up for the course, the student should discuss the expectations for getting the desired number of credits, so he/she will be able to register for the correct number of credit hours. Dr. Parker's current policy: Most students take either 1 or 2 credits. For a 1 credit internship/IS, I require a short pre-semester letter of acknowledgment from the employer ("I agree to supervise an internship/IS of this nature") and an end-of-semester letter from the employer summarizing the nature of the student's responsibilities, explaining the amount of time that the student spent on the project, and affirming that he/she performed satisfactorily. For a 2 credit internship, in addition to the letters from the employer, I require a pre-semester prospectus of 1 page detailing the student's plan for the internship/project (and how it fits into his/her long-term career goals), and an end-of-semester paper of 5 pages chronicling the experience, summarizing what the student has learned, and reaffirming how it all fits into his/her career goals. Only on rare occasions will I approve a 3 credit project, and this would only be for an IS (i.e. 493; not an internship) of significant scope. To receive three credits, I require the letters from the employer/mentor, the pre-semester 1 page prospectus, an end-of-semester research paper written in AMS style, and a formal presentation of the work either in the form of a poster or an oral seminar. More on the NWS internship course: This internship requires an application and interview process. Many students who want to do this internship will not actually be able to. So: 1) Students should not use this course on their plan of work... they should expect not to get it and plan accordingly. If/when a student is accepted into the program, he/she can revise the plan of work accordingly. 2) Along these lines, students should not register for the NWS Internship Course at the time that they register for their other courses. They should register for a normal semester. If/when they are accepted into the program, they can then perform the drop/add to update their schedules. Credit overloads: In order to take more than 18 credits in a semester, the student needs to fill out a Course Load Waiver, which can be found on the Registration & Records website under Forms. The advisor then needs to sign it before the student turns it in to Registration & Records. They will then allow the student to register for more than 18 credit hours. Broadcasting: We recommend doing an internship at a TV station and getting involved in Carolina Week. In addition, we recommend the following coursework at UNC: JOMC 21 Writing for the Electronic Media (3). Analysis of broadcast journalism; theory and practice in communicating news in oral and visual modes. JOMC 120 Introduction to Video Production and Editing (3). Prerequisites, JOMC 21 and permission of instructor. Introduction to video production, with close attention to refining creative and technical skills while preparing professional-quality video segments. JOMC 121 Electronic Journalism (3). Examination and application of in-depth broadcast news reporting techniques, especially investigative reporting, special events coverage and the documentary. Students videotape and produce radio and television programs of actual news events. JOMC 122 Producing Television News (3). Students work under faculty guidance to produce "Carolina Week," a television news program, and are responsible for all production tasks: producing, reporting, anchoring, directing and graphics. D-wall: 1. Grade of C- or better in CH 101, ENG 101, MA 141, MA 241, MEA 421, and MEA 422, and PY 205 2. No more than one D will be accepted in MEA or Approved Elective courses. No more than one additional D will be accepted in other math or science courses. Changes to student's degree audit Occasionally a student needs to move a course from one category to another on their degree audit. To make changes to a student's degree audit, email a list of the changes to Maggie Puryear, and she will make them. After the student has taken the course, he or she cannot make the changes. Some of the requirements (such as the approved electives) always have to be manually inserted. Foreign language requirement: Graduation also requires foreign language proficiency at the FL_102 level. The foreign language requirement cannot be fulfilled with courses taken for credit-only. Students must take them for a grade. "High school French/Spanish/etc.", listed as FL* 100, does indeed satisfy this requirement. Look under group 04 (English/Communication). Honors/Scholars program: Students take courses with the "H" suffix to satisfy 15 credits' worth of their requirements. These are courses that are already part of the curriculum... the student simply takes the honors section of the courses. Transfer credits (e.g. courses taken on another campus during the summer): You can use the tools at this linked site to determine whether a course will transfer in as equivalent to NCSU's course number. If the course is not listed on Admission's transfer course equivalency page, the student will need to talk with the relevant department here at NCSU to see if they feel that the transfer course will be equivalent. It could just be that no one has ever tried to transfer that course before. In that case, the NCSU department will have to make the decision of whether it will transfer in and what the appropriate course number would be. The safest bet is simply to choose a course that is already listed on the transfer course equivalency page. Application for Degree forms: What is the correct timing? As of 2009, we ask that students submit their application form at the time that they are registering for their final semester's courses. The courses "in progress" to be listed on the form are actually the courses that the student will be taking in their final semester. So, for example, a student who wants to graduate in May 2010 should submit their application form in October 2009, and should list the courses they will take during the Spring 2010 semester. What is the advisor supposed to fill in? The form should be completed by the student before being presented to the advisor. There is nothing that the advisor needs to complete/fill in, but the assigned advisor's signature is needed on the form. What is the advisor responsible for verifying? The advisor's signature indicates that he/she is satisfied that requirements have been met for the degree, pending satisfactory completion of the final semester's courses. The advisor will not sign the form if student has not completed the form (especially the portion for courses that are in progress) or if the student is lacking required courses or credit hours (other than those that are in progress). The online degree audit has all the information needed for the advisee to determine this. Some courses may need to be shifted or "plugged in" to other areas since the system cannot identify the proper place for every course. Thus, if there are any unfilled slots that appear on the advisee's degree audit, the advisor will need to look for the correct courses/credits under "additional or non-degree credits", then alert Ms. Puryear of the needed shift. If the student is aware of any such shifts that are needed, he/she should be sure to alert the advisor. What is the automated degree audit code, and where do I find it? The ADA code simply identifies the track/version of the curriculum that the student is completing. If the student doesn't understand the information needed here, it's okay for the student to have the card signed and then to ask Ms. Hockaday or Ms. Puryear for assistance. Just what does the advisor's signature of approval entail? The advisor is to verify that the courses indicated as "in progress" are indeed in progress. The signature indicates that the satisfactory completion of these "in progress" courses, in addition to all other completed course work, will satisfy the degree requirements. It is not a guarantee! What about a student who wants to walk at Spring Graduation but who will actually finish during the summer? The student will need to fill out the application form during advising in the spring semester. Connie Hockaday usually sends an email out for summer grads in April, so the student should keep a look out for that email. The student will be able to walk in May so long as he/she has only one course left to fulfill the graduation requirements. The student will just need to let Connie Hockaday know this when filling out the application for degree form. That way the student's name will be in the graduation program. Graduation requirements: Residency: Students must complete at least 25% of credit hours required for graduation at NC State, and they must have earned at least 30 of the last 45 credit hours at NC State. GPA: NC State requires all students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate. Having a declared Minor: To declaring the Minor: 1. Student completes the "Declare a Minor" form available from the Registration and Records website. 2. Student obtains the signature of the minor advisor to add the minor. 3. Student returns the form to Registration and Records for processing. 4. The student's minor will be added as a plan on the student's program stack. Graduating With a Minor: 1. Assuming the student has previously declared their minor, the student will want to apply for the minor when applying for graduation in their major(s). 2. After registration, but prior to first day of a student's last semester prior to graduation the student will need to complete a North Carolina State University Application for Minor Certification with their minor advisor. Once signed off at the departmental levle, this form will be submitted to the College Graduation Coordinator and utilized by the College to clear the student in their minor. 3. The College Graduation Coordinator will clear the minors within their college through graduation approval in SIS and the minor will post on their transcript with their degrees. Changing majors: Generally, when you are changing majors you have to meet with the department you are planning on transfering into to determine which courses will count. With the new system we can set up an intended degree, so that you can see the new degree audit and which courses will automatically count. As far as finding a major goes, we strongly suggest you use the career and counseling centers to help you choose. They have tests, such as What Color is your Parachute, to help you determine your aptitudes and personality matches. They can help you narrow down the choices on the NCSU major site. We also emphasize this isn't something to rush into. You would be wise to take a semester to schedule some appointments with other departments and take one or two classes in a different area to help you decide. If you wish to change majors because you are struggling, one final note is that most programs on campus have a minimum GPA requirement for transfer that is in the 2.5-2.7 range, so you should work dilligently to get your GPA up. Can't find the answer above? Try Dr. Thomas's FAQs. Minor in Meteorology Students interested in the Meteorology minor can review the requirements here. With the implementation of SIS we are now able to add minors to a student's curriculum in SIS upon declaration, rather than simply awarding the minor when students graduate. Including the minor on student records will provide for more and better reporting, easier communication to the students, and the ability for students to apply for graduation in their minor through SIS. Moving forward, students declaring a minor will need to submit the "Declare a Minor" form to registration and records in order for us to add the minor to the students record. The form is available from the registration and records website: http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/forms/pdf/minor.pdf. There is not a special procedure for admission to the Meteorology minor: students simply declare and begin taking the sequence of courses. Any student from any department can sign up for MEA courses (none of them are restricted to majors) as long as they have met the pre-requisites. The first course for the minor is MEA213, so students should ensure that they meet the pre-requisites for it before considering the minor. In turn, MEA213 is a pre-req or co-req for every other course in the minor. Information needed on the "Declare a Minor" form: Minor Title=Meteorology, College Code=17PAMS, Minor Code=17MYM. |
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Revised requirements for M.S. students entering Fall 2009: 1. 30 hour minimum 2. At least 18 hours of letter graded courses.(400,500, or 700 level) 3. No more than 6 hours of 400 level(outside MEAS) courses. This means 24 hrs at 500 level and up and at least 12 hrs of letter graded grad courses. 400 level MEAS courses still don't count towards minimal hrs. 4. No more than 12 hours of 695(thesis research). Special topics S/U graded at 600 or 800 level can help satisfy requirement 3 but not 2. Graduate research credits: There are two sets of research courses at each level MEA 693 and MEA 695 at the MS level and MEA 893 and MEA 895 at the doctoral level. PhD students should always register for MEA 895 (dissertation research) and lecture courses till they fulfill all course work on their Plan of Work (POW). After they fulfill their POW and have passed their orals they should take 3 hrs of 899 (dissertation prep) and nothing else. MS students should generally register for MEA 695 (thesis research) until they reach 6 hrs of 695 (the Grad School limits the minimal 30 hr program to a maximum of 6 hrs of 695 and our faculty voted to require 6 hrs of 695). MEA 693 is non-thesis research which students are rarely doing. After students fulfill their POW (usually in semester 5) they should register for 3 hrs of 699 (thesis prep) and nothing else. Also, students need to be registered during the semester that they defend; if the POW is complete, then the appropriate course number for that semester would again be 699/899. Occasionally, some of the 6 hrs of 695 are waived if by semester 4 the student has already obtained 30 hrs with < 6 hrs of 695, and taking additional hrs of 695 would put them into a higher tuition and fee category (i.e. 6-8 hrs rather than 3-5 hrs, or 9+hrs rather than 6-8 hrs). MEA 699/899 should not appear on Plans of Work (POW) nor be taken before a student has completed all hours required for the degree. They do not count towards the minimal degree requirements! These courses should be taken for 3 hours (with no other courses) after a student has completed all courses on the POW. Three hrs of 699/899 in a Fall or Spring semester (no more, no less, nothing else) following completion of all courses on the POW ensures that a student will be considered "full time" and will get GSSP benefits. Required courses: We require graduate students to complete two out of the three courses from among MEA514, MEA700, and MEA705. These two courses count toward the 30 credits needed on the M.S. Plan of Work. Audits: Courses at the 400 level may count toward the requirements for graduation if they do not have an MEA prefix; courses below the 400 level do not count. Students who wish to take these courses can audit them (so that they appear on the graduate transcript). Audits don't count towards full time status, so students still need to register for 9 other credits in order to remain full time during that semester. Plans of Work: General: Students now submit their committees and Plans of Work on line. When the student submits these, faculty promptly receive an e-mail from the system to approve them. There will be two boxes for faculty to check. Checking the "Accept" box means the faculty member accepts appointment to the committee. Checking the "Approve GPoW" box means that the faculty member agrees with the courses proposed by the student. Once all members approve the POW, Janowitz also approves online. It then goes to the Grad School for final approval. For M.S. students: although not mandated by the Graduate School, our department requires that M.S. students complete a Plan of Work (POW). The recommended time for completion of the POW is before the end of the student's second semester. The absolute deadline is before the beginning of the student's third semester. For Ph.D. students: the Graduate School requires POWs from all Ph.D. candidates, which is to be submitted as soon as possible after the student has completed 12 credit hours toward the doctoral degree. This would normally be at the end of the student's second semester. Preliminary Ph.D. exams The preliminary written PhD exam is lecture coursework based. The less time that elapses between courses and the exam, the less time the student has to forget material and the less time that might be needed in reviewing material. So the written preliminary exam should be scheduled when most if not all required lecture course work is completed. If there are one or two lecture courses left but the student has completed the bulk of his/her formal education then the written exam should be scheduled. The Grad School and the department are not involved through the written exam. When a student has passed the preliminary written exam, the advisor should notify the Graduate Chair (currently Jerry Janowitz); this notification should also document who participated in the exam, i.e., who is, or will be, on the committee. The formal committee and POW (approved by the committee) must be submitted at least two weeks before the oral preliminary exam (which follows a passed written exam). There is no maximum time specified for the gap between the two exams. Some have occurred within weeks of each other and some have been many months to a year apart. The oral must be passed within 6 years of entering the PhD program and at least one semester before the final oral exam (i.e. defense). Student benefits: Students on qualifying assistantships, receiving a stipend > $3000/semester, who register for the appropriate number of credits (below), get paid health insurance benefits no matter how long they have been here. This payment is automatically charged to the grant. Students also get tuition payments guaranteed for a finite duration (below). Registration requirements in order to maintain benefits: M.S. students: 9 hrs/semester for the first 3 semesters, any remaining hours in M.S. plan of work (but at least 3) in semester 4, 3 hrs of MEA 699 thereafter. Ph.D. students with previous M.S. from elsewhere: 9 hrs/semester for the first 6 semesters, and 3 hrs thereafter. Ph.D. student with no previous M.S.: 9 hrs/semester for the first 8 semesters, and 3 hrs thereafter. Tuition guarantee periods: M.S. student: First 4 semesters. Ph.D. student entering NCSU Grad School with an M.S. from elsewhere: First 8 semesters. Ph.D. student without M.S. when entering Grad School here: First 10 semesters. Note this clock starts when the student enter Grad School even if that initial entrance was at the M.S. level. During the guaranteed period, tuition payments are automatically paid out of grants (for RAs) or by the Graduate School (for TAs). Beyond the guaranteed period the grant can pay the tuition like any other bill charged to a grant; this is up to PI. Remote committee members: The Grad School has made it harder for PhD orals with a committee member (either NCSU or External) at a remote site. They will now require a two way tele-video (both hear and see both ways) hookup. We will have to certify that the hardware and software is available for this two way interaction and the Grad School will assign a Representative, if one has not been appointed, to ensure that the two way communication is working for the entire exam (or the Rep. can call off the exam). If at scheduling the exam, you know someone will not be present but wishes to participate remotely, you will have to certify by an e-mail to me, that the hardware and software is available. It would then be your and the member's responsibility to ensure the two way hook up works. I will have to request that the Grad School approve this remote scenario. The two alternatives are either to have all members in the same room for the exam, or to appoint a substitute for the missing member(advanced Grad School approval required for the substitution). Steps to take in the final (graduation) semester: See this linked document |