Registration

New Students
Upon admission to the University, students are notified that instructions will be sent by the Registrar's office before registration.

After the close of the preregistration-by-appointment period, all newly admitted or readmitted students are eligible to register.  Students wishing to register for more than a normal course load must obtain approval from their Dean.

Former Students
Former students not currently enrolled must submit a reenrollment application see “Returning Students” above.

Currently Enrolled Students
Currently enrolled students are given the opportunity to preregister, by appointment, before all other students. Students wishing to preregister for the next semester in a different division or school must complete a Change of Division form available on line at the Admissions website, by calling (314) 516-5451, in the office of the Registrar or in the office of Admissions.

Auditor
Students may enroll as auditors in any course with the prior consent of the instructor and Dean of the school or college in which the auditors desire to be registered.  They may be dropped from the course when, in the judgment of the instructor and Dean, their record justifies such action.  Auditors are charged full fees and receive no academic credit.

Registration Cancellation
Students who have enrolled and paid their fees but do not wish to attend the University may cancel their registration any time before the first day of the semester. Cancellation forms may be obtained at the Office of the Registrar. For the refund schedule for cancellation of registration after class work begins, see the Schedule of Courses.

Enrollment and Academic Advising
Undergraduate students are admitted to the college, school, or professional school which offers the degree program which was declared on the student's application. Undeclared students, visiting students, and non-degree-seeking students are admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences.

Undeclared students are encouraged to declare a major as soon as possible since it is important to determine what specific requirements must be satisfied to complete the baccalaureate program. 

College of Arts and Sciences
All incoming undergraduate students are required to be advised.  Advising services are available in the College Advising Office located in 303 Lucas or in their major department. Students who have declared majors are encouraged to contact their major departments as soon as possible. Please visit the College website for a complete list of Departmental Faculty Advisors.

The departments in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the School of Social Work offer majors, minors, and certificates in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics and computer science, and the biological and physical sciences. Interdisciplinary programs are available in Liberal Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, gerontology, labor studies, conservation biology, trauma studies, and more. The college also serves students with interests in the health sciences, pre-law, and pre-journalism. Information on these areas may be obtained in the Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs of the College of Arts and Sciences, 303 Lucas Hall.

Since there are specific requirements that each major must satisfy to complete a baccalaureate program, students are urged to declare their majors as soon as possible. This may be done at the time of application, or later in the Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs. Once a student declares a major, the department offering the degree will assign a faculty adviser and contact the student. The adviser, usually a faculty member in the student's area of interest, will assist in selecting suitable courses and advise the student in matters relating to degree requirements.

Students with specific concerns related to the specialized degree requirements of the college should consult with the academic departments responsible for their majors. Questions regarding transfer credit as they relate to a specific degree may be directed to the appropriate department. Students may contact the Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs of the College of Arts and Sciences by phone at (314) 516-5501 for clarification on any academic issues related to the division or by e-mail at artscience@umsl.edu

College of Business Administration
The College of Business Administration's office of undergraduate academic advising has a staff of professional academic advisors who provide assistance to students in planning their academic careers, and in dealing with: appropriate course selection; College of Business Administration requirements; general education requirements; evaluation of transfer credit; course prerequisites; school policies and regulations; and graduation requirements. Other matters related to a student's academic matriculation should also be directed to this office.

Transfer students who have been admitted to the College of Business Administration should contact the advising office and plan to meet with an advisor early in the semester for an evaluation of transfer credit and the planning of their degree programs.

All students are urged to make advising appointments early during each semester, prior to registration dates, to obtain approval of schedules for upcoming semesters. Advising is a continuous and ongoing process. For additional information, call (314) 516‑5888.

College of Education
Students wishing to prepare for teaching careers should consider the following:

Students who intend to teach in elementary, early childhood, middle school, special education, secondary education, or physical education settings must apply for admission to the College of Education.

Students who intend to teach in secondary school classrooms may choose to pursue the bachelor’s degree in the College of Arts and Sciences plus certification, or the B.S. in education degree, which includes Missouri certification.

With either option, pre- and post-degree students must meet university and departmental requirements, as well as those for teacher education in Missouri. Regardless of which option a student chooses, he or she must complete the formal application to the teacher education program. Careful planning of individual schedules is necessary to ensure selection of appropriate courses and to avoid extending programs. Students should therefore seek advisory help from the TC&A (Teacher Certification and Advising ) Office at the earliest opportunity. Regular consultation with advisers is essential. The office provides assistance to all students interested in professional education programs and certification requirements. Questions about admission to the teacher education program, sequencing of courses, prerequisites, graduation requirements, and related matters should be directed to (314) 516-5937.

College of Fine Arts and Communication
The College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Department of Art and Art History, Communication, Music, and Theatre, Dance and Media Studies.  These four departments offer eight degrees, both graduate and undergraduate.  The College also serves students with interests in pre-architecture.  The faculty and alumni of the College have distinguished themselves as scholars, visual artists, teachers and performers.  The University’s Touhill Performing Arts Center, which opened in the fall of 2003, provides two world-class venues for performances.  In addition, three galleries offer space for display of student and faculty artwork as well as visiting exhibitions, and two labs support Communication Research.

The College of Fine Arts and Communication is further distinguished by its collaboration with the community.  Endowed professorships link the University to the Saint Louis Symphony, The St. Louis Art Museum, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Laumeier Sculpture Park and a variety of other St. Louis cultural institutions.

Students interested in these degrees or in need of preliminary advising may contact the Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs at (314) 516-5501 for an appointment or referral to the department in which you are interested.
 
Students and prospective students are encouraged to contact the department advising coordinators for the program of individual study.  Students who maintain a relationship with their department have greater opportunities to meet other students with similar interests as well as optimize their student experience. 

College of Nursing
The College of Nursing offers the bachelor of science in nursing degree (B.S.N.) for non-RNs through a four-year or accelerated program of study. RNs who are graduates of diploma or associate degree nursing programs complete a junior‑senior B.S.N. complete option(RN to B.S.N.), which avoids repeating previous nursing education. With both options (pre- or post-licensure), students must meet university and College of Nursing requirements. The Master of Science in Nursing Degree Program is designed for the nurse who wishes to pursue advanced nursing practice.  The College of Nursing’s MSN program offers two functional roles: Nurse educator and nurse practitioner. A Post MSN Graduate Certificate also is available for master's prepared nurses who wish to pursue a new area of clinical specializaiton. The MSN with the Nurse Practitioner option and the post MSN graduate certificate prepare students for eligibility to apply for certifying exams for adult, family, pediatric, neonatal, or women’s health. The Ph.D. program offers post-baccalaureate and post MSN tracks for students who wish to conduct research to improve the health status of high-risk populations, provide leadership to develop policies that promote health, and serve as collaborators and principal investigators on interdisciplinary research teams.  Careful planning is necessary to assure appropriate course sequencing. Students are strongly encouraged to develop a plan of study in conjunction with a nursing academic adviser to avoid extending the program of study. The D.N.P. program prepares students at the highest level of clinical nursing practice to improve quality of care for individuals and populations through leadership in advanced practice and improving systems of care.

Faculty maintain the right to make appropriate curriculum changes to comply with standards for accreditation and approval as stipulated by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the Missouri State Board of Nursing’s minimum standards.

Pierre Laclede Honors College
Honors Scholars receive both academic advising and personal counseling from the college's administrative and teaching staff throughout their undergraduate careers. During the first two years, particular attention is given to the ways in which students fulfill their Honors College and university general education requirements and prepare themselves for their majors by taking the necessary prerequisites. After a major is declared, Honors College advisement with regard to work done for honors credit continues and is supplemented by major‑related advising provided by the appropriate academic unit. The college identifies candidates for major graduate fellowships and assists them in preparing their dossiers. Similar assistance is given to scholars planning to go on to graduate and professional schools or seeking career opportunities immediately upon graduation.

Other Considerations

Assessment
The University of Missouri has been directed by the Board of Curators to assess the outcomes of your university education. To this end two types of assessment are required: A test of general educational development given to a sample of incoming freshmen and graduating seniors who represent the university; and a test or project, specified by the major department, given to graduating seniors. As alumni, graduates are encouraged to participate in assessment by completing questionnaires sent to them by the university.

Academic Residence
Students must be in residence for at least 24 of the last 30 hours of graded credit (exclusive of courses graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis), except under unusual circumstances, to be decided by the dean.

Graduation
Students should file a degree application form with their respective dean's office at least one year before the expected graduation date. (Students in the College Fine Arts and Communication should file their degree applications in 303 Lucas Hall). The dean's office makes a final check to determine that all graduation requirements have been met. Students should check with the dean's office or an adviser to be sure their program fulfills the requirements of the department and college or school, as well as the university general requirements. To assure graduating at the end of a specific semester, all work for that semester and any delayed grades from previous semesters must be completed with the grades sent to the Office of the Registrar no later than the official date for submission of final semester grades.

Course Schedules
Three times during the year, a Schedule of Courses is produced, listing the specific courses offered that semester and their meeting times and locations. This Schedule is posted on the UMSL web site, and available as follows:

Fall semester schedule: preceding March.
Winter semester schedule: preceding October.
Summer session schedule: preceding March.

The university reserves the right to cancel without notice any course listed in the Bulletin or the Schedule of Courses for any semester or to withdraw any course which does not have adequate enrollment.