HSB Advising Center

Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) and the Director of the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) approve HSB student requests that require the Dean’s Office approval and can provide help with registration issues. Listed below are the forms used to get things done on campus. If you have any questions, please contact the HSB Advising Center (MV 289).

Course Forms

(See below for complete descriptions of the forms and action steps for getting things done)

Detailed information for Course Forms:

1. Add/Drop a Course

Students may add and/or drop courses through the end of the add/drop period at the beginning of each semester. The add/drop period typically extends through the first week of class (see the academic calendar for the official date). Schedule changes made during this period will not appear on a student’s transcript.

After the add/drop period ends, you can no longer drop a course, but you may be able to withdraw from a course by completing the paperwork to receive a grade of W in the course with the written approval from the Dean’s Office. Procedures for a withdrawal request are outlined later in this section.

Required Form and Action

First-semester freshmen & first-semester transfer students:

You are required to use the Registration Changes form available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here. You must meet with your faculty advisor to discuss proposed changes and obtain their approval and signature. After obtaining your advisor’s signature, deliver the form to the Registrar’s Office (BL 122). Retain a copy for your records.

If a student’s faculty advisor is unavailable, Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien or the Director of the HSB Advising Center may also sign the Registration Changes form.

All other students who have registered for classes on-line:

Log onto My SJU to add/drop classes after discussing changes with your academic advisor. The PIN for HSB students does not change during the Add/Drop period; however, students are strongly encouraged to discuss substantive schedule changes with their faculty advisor before making the changes on-line. Section changes may be made freely without an advisor’s approval.

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2. Course Overload (Permission to take a sixth course)

Students must petition for permission to take six (6) courses in a semester – special permission is not required for Accounting students doing a typical 6-course semester. No student may carry more than six courses in any semester. Additional tuition is charged for this overload (not applicable for Accounting students who are completing the two required overload semesters). In most cases, full-time tuition includes up to 17 credits per semester.

Note: Remember that you are expected to do approximately 3 hours of outside class preparation for each hour spent in class. This translates to approximately 9 hours of work in addition to the 3 hours of class time for a 6th 3-credit course. This is a significant commitment which you should carefully consider and discuss with your advisor.

Required Form

The Course Overload form is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here.

Required Action

• Complete the first portion of the request form indicating your reason for the overload.
• Meet with your faculty advisor to obtain his/her approval.
• Meet with either the Director of the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) or Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) to obtain Dean’s Office approval.
• Deliver the completed form to the Student Service Center (BL 121) and retain a copy for your records.

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3. Authorization to Override a Course Seating Limit (and other restrictions)

Students may request permission to be signed into a course for a variety of reasons including a closed course, reserved-closed course, pre-requisite restriction, time conflict, campus restriction, major restriction, or class level. The Dean’s Office cannot provide an override for closed or reserved-closed courses. For more specific information on these course restrictions, please see the Registration section of this Guide (Chapter 4).

Required Form

The Course Override Approval process varies by department. However, in all cases, permission of the Department Chair is required for all closed or restricted courses. Some departments complete the override using the Authorization to Override a Course Seating Limit form which is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here. Others complete the course override electronically. If done electronically, the student must register on-line through My SJU.

Required Action

• Please note that the approval process varies by department. Some departments require permission from the instructor. All departments require approval of the Chair. Contact the relevant department for more information.
• After appropriate signature(s) are obtained, deliver the completed form to the Student Service Center (BL 121) and retain a copy for your records.
• If the override is completed electronically, remember to register for the class through My SJU.

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4. Withdrawal from a Course

A student who wishes to withdraw from a course after the add/drop period must complete a Withdrawal from Course form. A student withdrawing with appropriate permission will receive a W on his/her transcript. A student who stops attending class without appropriate permission will receive the grade VF. Please see the University’s Academic Calendar for the deadline to withdraw from a class.

Required Form

The Withdrawal from Course form is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here.

Required Action

• Complete the Withdrawal from Course form, indicating your reason for the request to withdraw.
• Meet with your faculty advisor and obtain his/her recommendation for withdrawal.
• Meet with either the Director of the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) or Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) to obtain Dean’s Office approval to withdraw.
• Deliver the signed form to the Student Service Center (BL 121) and retain a copy for your records.

Note: A request for withdrawal from a course made after the deadline to withdraw requires an extraordinary and unusual reason, the recommendation of the instructor, and the approval of Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien. Please see the SJU Academic Calendar for the last day to withdraw from a course for the current semester.

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5. Independent Study Approval

Students who have completed four regular semesters with an overall grade point average of 3.0 (or cumulative average of 3.4 or higher for courses in the major field) may, with the prior approval of the Department Chair and Dean's office, register each semester for one upper division course in the major field (or a closely related field) to be taken in the Independent Study/Directed Readings or Research/Tutorial format.

Required Form

The Student Application for Independent Study, Directed Readings, Research, and Similar Courses form is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here.

Required Action

• Identify a faculty member willing to serve as a faculty mentor for the experience.
• Work with your mentor to develop a course expectation form or plan of study for the experience.
• Meet with your Department Chair to review your proposal and obtain his/her approval.
• Present both the course expectation form and application form to Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) for his review and approval.
• Deliver the signed form to the Registrar’s Office (BL 122). They will create a course and register you for the class.
• Retain a copy for your records.

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6. Permission to Take a Course Elsewhere/Transfer Courses

Students may be permitted to take courses for degree credit in other four-year colleges and universities with approval from the Dean’s Office. Unless an approved degree program provides otherwise, no more than six such courses (of the 40 required) may be credited toward the degree, and no more than two courses may be credited each summer. Students may not take summer courses in order to advance their degree. DO NOT register for the course until appropriate approvals have been obtained. Transfer grades do not affect the calculation of your GPA. A grade of “C” or better is required in order for the credit to be granted. A C- grade is not adequate.

Required Form

Permission to Take Courses Elsewhere form is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here.

Required Action

• Identify a course offered at another college or university that meets your curriculum needs.
• Forward a course description or syllabus to the relevant department Chair. Obtain the Chair’s signature verifying course equivalency for a course offered at SJU.
• Meet with either the Director of the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) or Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) to obtain Dean’s Office approval to complete the course and earn transfer credit.
• Submit the original to the Registrar’s Office (BL 122) and retain a copy of the approval for your records.
• Earn a C or better in the course; request a transcript to be sent to the SJU Registrar’s Office.

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7. Winter Intersession Course Approval and Registration

Please note that only free electives and courses in your major area of study may be taken during the Winter Intersession. Students can only take one course during winter Intersession.

Required Form

The Intersession Registration form is available in the Student Service Center (BL 121) and the HSB Advising Center (MV 289).

Required Action

• For free elective courses – obtain your Faculty Advisor’s approval and signature.
• For major courses – obtain your Department Chair’s approval and signature.
• Deliver the signed form to the Student Service Center (BL 121) and retain a copy for your records. Tuition is due at the time of registration.

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8. SJU Summer Course Approval and Registration

Summer courses are offered at SJU through the University College. Students are permitted to take up to two courses per summer with approval of the Dean’s Office. Courses may not be used to advance your degree.

For all HSB classes and CAS classes that are specifically designated for Day students (i.e. courses ending in a 1):

Required Action

• Meet with your faculty advisor. Discuss summer course options and obtain your PIN for summer registration. Juniors and Seniors will have a PIN of 111111.
• After obtaining your PIN, you may register for classes online through MySJU.

For all University College CAS classes:

Required Form

• The Summer Courses/University College form is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289).

Required Action

• Meet with your faculty advisor. Discuss summer course options and obtain your PIN for summer registration.
• Obtain Dean’s Office approval to take summer courses. You may meet with either the Director of the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) or Associate Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) to discuss your plan and obtain approval. If requesting permission to take more than two courses in a summer, you must meet with Dean O’Brien.
• If approved, the Dean’s Office will release registration restrictions for online registration through My SJU. With your summer PIN, you may register for summer classes.

Notes:

• Regular pre-requisites apply--only the appropriate Department Chair may override pre-requisite requirements for a class.
• Co-op classes are restricted to co-op students only. At a designated sate, these courses may be opened to the general student population. If interested in taking one of these classes, contact the Co-op Program in MV 289.
• If a course is closed, a student must obtain an override from the appropriate Department Chair and the Associate Dean of University College, Dean Judy Gallagher.
• Approval to take a philosophy or theology course is to be granted only in special circumstances in which the student has no other options for summer and/or is significantly delayed in completing these courses for his/her targeted graduation date.
• Tuition for summer classes reflects the University College rate.

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9. Change from Credit to Audit

Full-time students may opt to change a course status from credit to audit. A student requesting this change should meet with the instructor to discuss the change. Audited courses appear on a student's grade report and on the official record with the grade X. The Dean may allow a student to change from credit to audit status no later than two weeks after the end of the quarter, but not to avoid penalties imposed through the University's Academic Honesty Policy. The reverse change, from audit to credit status, is not permitted.

Please note that students who are auditing a course are required to attend class and do regular assignments and exercises. They are not required to take the final exam or write a term paper. Exceeding the class cut policy determined by the instructor will result in the grade being changed from audit to withdrawal (W).

Required Form

The Change from Credit to Audit form is available in the HSB Advising Center (MV 289) and available for download here.

Required Action

• Meet with your instructor to discuss your reasons for changing from credit to audit and to obtain his/her recommendation.
• Meet with Dean Patrick O’Brien (MV 342) to obtain his approval and signature.
• Submit the original to the Registrar’s Office (BL 122) and retain a copy for your records.

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10. Pass/No Penalty

Please consult with the SJU Undergrad Programs Catalog for more information. Juniors and seniors may take up to two (2) free electives during their undergraduate career, on a pass/no penalty basis. The final course grade has no effect on the students GPA, and credits will be earned if a passing grade is attained. A student can declare only one pass/no penalty course per semester. This declaration can only be made during the first week of the semester.

Required Form

• The Pass/No Penalty Form is available in the Registrar’s Office (BL 122) and the HSB Advising Center (MV 289).

Required Action

• Requests to use this option are made to the Registrar’s office (BL 122). No approvals are required. Retain a copy for your records.

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