Declaring the Major

A student may formally declare a major when she or he has earned 30 semester hours (including English 1000 and 1100) and has a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. New English majors may select from two degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education (BS). Within the BA, a student may select an area of concentration, Creative Writing, Professional Writing, or Film Studies, or complete a BA in literature without a concentration. Degree program check sheets may be picked up in the main office (Sanford 200) or printed from the checksheet website: http://checksheets.appstate.edu.

To officially declare a major, contact the College of Arts & Sciences in I. G. Greer Hall or online at http://www.cas.appstate.edu/ (Declaring @: Google search for Arts & Sciences). Within 3-4 weeks the English Department will receive a file for the new major. This file becomes the basis for your English Major advising and is updated at each advising session. Your official and permanent student records remain in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

Advising 

Getting an Advisor:

The Director of Undergraduate Studies assigns each English Major a faculty advisor. You will need to consult with your advisor in order to receive your registration code; this is a requirement of the university. Normally advisors remain constant, but when faculty advisors are off campus for a semester or year their advisees are re-assigned. So, all majors should check for changes each semester by consulting the student advisors list posted outside the English Department office, on the Department's website, or via Appalnet. Students may also email, phone, or speak to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in person to check their advisor's name or to ask questions about the department's undergraduate programs. Students may self select a faculty advisor, but only with the faculty member's permission. Notify the Director of Undergraduate Studies if you make a personal arrangement with a faculty advisor. Students may change advisors with no questions asked at any time during their enrollment.

Pre-Advising

During fall and spring breaks, the Registrar mails students early registration information. After receiving this information, schedule an appointment with your faculty advisor. (Don't rely on a faculty member to be free for a drop-in visit--make a real appointment.) Students can get faculty office phone numbers or email addresses from the English Department Office, the Department website, the ASU online "search" server, or ASU Directory Assistance.

Before an advising session, students should:

1. Consult the descriptions of English Department courses to be offered the upcoming semester (available in the English Department Office and on the Department website). Know which of these courses you'd like to take, which will fit your schedule, and which you need to fulfill requirements.
2. If you've not yet declared a minor, come to your advising session prepared to discuss your inclinations.
3. Figure out which University and Department requirements you still need to fulfill. To check these requirements, read below or click on the following links:
   Requirements for various minors: http://www.cas.appstate.edu/academics/minors
   Electives: take to complete the 122 semester hours for graduation
   2.0 GPA in major courses (including language courses)
4. Make a list of special concerns and circumstances (the danger of academic probation, incompletes still possible to finish; a return to school under the University's forgiveness policy; the need to repeat a course for a better grade, etc.)
5. Bring a wish list of things you'd like to do before you graduate (an internship, international study experience, double major, etc.)

The Advising Session

It is your responsibility to set up and attend an advising session before your scheduled early registration time. In this session, the burden of responsibility for sound advising is shared by student and faculty advisor. (The ASU Undergraduate Bulletin states that "the ultimate responsibility for understanding University regulations and for meeting graduation requirements resides with the student.") Bring your own list of still-to-be-fulfilled requirements to double-check your advisor's tally. Know beforehand which courses you want and need. Tell your advisor your career goals. The advising session should revolve around requirements you've not yet fulfilled, your academic and career goals, and your personal desires for the upcoming semester.

Note: Transfer students and students from IDS may need to have their transcripts evaluated to determine which specific degree or core curriculum requirements may have been met but not yet officially recognized. If you are a transfer/IDS student, schedule your advising session early enough in the advising period so your transcript evaluation won't delay your early registration.

Graduation Check

Seniors and rising seniors should get a Graduation Check in addition to attending advising sessions. This is the University's official calculation of which requirements for graduation have and have not yet been met. Make your Graduation Check appointment in 100 I. G. Greer within two semesters of graduation (that is, after 85 hours of coursework). Go through this check in time to adjust your last year of classes to include any requirement you and your faculty advisor have overlooked.