FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What courses can be used to fulfill the Humanities and Social Science GERs?

Courses must be chosen from the approved lists for each requirement. These courses have been chosen to meet the objectives of each requirement. Lists of GER courses for our curricula can be found on the degree keys through the Registration & Records website (see Current Degree Keys).

My advisee’s Approved Elective or GER is not in the correct location on the degree audit. What do I do?

Please email a list of changes to the Undergraduate Advisor, Maggie Puryear at maggie_puryear@ncsu.edu. Changes may be initiated over the phone, but an email is needed to place in the student’s file. If the student needs a course substitution or waiver, see below.

How do I substitute a course or waive a requirement on a student’s degree audit?

All course substitutions and waivers must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Programs, Carrie Thomas at carrie_thomas@ncsu.edu. You should email her the request, and after approval, you will be able to see the change on the student’s degree audit.

How do I know if a student has met the foreign language proficiency requirement?

The degree audit will list FL* 100 High School Spanish/French/Etc. under the “English/Communication” and/or the “Additional or Non-Degree Courses” section, depending on the curriculum. If the student has not met this requirement, he/she will have to take a foreign language through the 102 level.

Can a student repeat a course without a penalty?

Freshman and transfer students can repeat a course that was originally taken in their first year at NC State and have the original grade not reflected in their GPA. This can only be done if the second attempt is within 12 months of the original attempt. The student will need to process a First Year Course Repeat Form, which can be found on the Registration & Records website: http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/, under Forms. Students can take up to 2 courses under this policy but can only retake a particular course once.

My advisee wants to add/drop a course after the deadline. What can he/she do?

The student will need to complete a Schedule Revision Form, which can be found in the Student Services Office, 1113 Jordan. The instructor, advisor, Director of Undergraduate Programs and Dean will need to agree to this change, before it is implemented.

If the addition of this course puts the student’s credit hours over 18, another form, Course Load Waiver, will also have to be filed. This form can be found online at Registration & Records and requires the advisor’s signature.

If dropping this course puts the student below 12 credit hours, he/she should be aware that this may adversely affect financial aid, insurance, eligibility for on-campus housing or satisfactory progress toward completion of degree. Please note that the deadline for dropping below 12 credit hours is usually about 2 weeks after classes begin.

What happens when my student is under academic suspension, warning or probation?

Students with 1-59 credit hours must maintain a cumulative 1.8 GPA, and students who have 60 or more hours must have a 2.0 or higher to remain in good academic standing. After a student has attended NC State for 2 regular semesters and attempted 12 hours, they are subject to the Academic Suspension policy. After the end of the spring semester, any student who has not met the minimum GPA requirement will be suspended for the subsequent fall and spring semesters. If a student started out the semester with a cumulative GPA above 2.0, they will be allowed to continue in the next regular semester regardless of academic performance in that semester.

Suspended students, who are re-admitted on appeal, will be eligible to enroll on Academic Probation.

Any student who does not meet the requirement for Academic Suspension but has a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 will be on Academic Warning status.

All students who are on Academic Warning or Probation are required to meet with their advisor during the first 4 weeks of classes in regular semesters to review their academic situations and review or revise their Plans of Work. If a student fails to comply with this requirement, he or she will not be allowed to register for subsequent semesters, unless the cumulative GPA at the end of the semester is greater than 2.0.

What does taking a course for credit-only mean? What courses can be taken for credit-only?

Credit-only means that the course is taken or offered as pass/fail. A student can only receive a grade of passing (“S” for satisfactory) or failing (“U” for unsatisfactory). Some courses are only offered for credit-only. The only courses that a student can choose to take for credit-only and have apply towards the degree are free electives and PE courses.

What can I tell a concerned parent/friend if they contact me?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) states that you cannot disclose any education records of a student to other persons unless that student has given consent in writing. Students can also place a Privacy Block on their information, which would include enrollment information, confirmation of degrees earned, etc. When you download your Advisee List from the Registration & Records webpage, it will also download the Privacy Block information.

What courses can be used for the approved electives?

Approved electives can be considered as an unofficial minor. They were designed to be chosen with the student’s desired career path in mind. The intent is for these to be math or science courses. For students who wish to take other types of courses, six credit hours can be taken in Aerospace Studies (ROTC), Communication or policy. Math or science courses should fulfill the remaining credit hour requirement.

My student wants to take a course that is only offered at another university. How can this be done?

The student must fill out an Inter-Institutional Registration form, which can be found at the Registration & Records website, under Forms. This allows the student to take up to 2 courses at Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Charlotte or NC Central University. The student needs to be enrolled in at least 8 credit hours at the home institution and get the advisor’s and dean’s signatures. During summer sessions, students may enroll in one inter-institutional course, if they are registered for at least one course at the home institution.