Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find someone to tutor me?
The tutors we know about are listed on our Tutor List page.

What is AACSB Accreditation, and why do I care?
Program quality is indicated by accreditation. Less than one-third of the 1,200 business programs in the United States carry the accreditation of the AACSB, the century-old accrediting body for management education. AACSB accreditation means that a program has undergone rigorous scrutiny of its faculty, curriculum and facilities. Many consider AACSB accreditation a "seal of approval" for business studies. To learn more about AACSB, click here.

How do I meet students who also have the same major as I?
The College of Business Administration sponsors clubs in most of the Areas of concentration. You can learn more about them from these descriptions.

I am a Veteran. Can you help me with my special problems?
After you are admitted and approved for assistance from the Veteran's Office, please contact us at (314) 515-5888 to set up an appointment for a credit evaluation. For us to provide this information to Diane Johnson we need to have reviewed your academic plans with you during an appointment. Please call us to make an appointment at (314) 516-5888. At certain times during the academic year we do not have appointments available due to the volume of students we are assisting (during preregistration or the start of the semester). We will help you register and will send a credit evaluation to Diana Johnson at that time. We still encourage you to return after things have slowed down so we can thoroughly check your academic situation and assist you with planning your academic future. To do this you need an appointment. We look forward to working with you!

I was accepted at UM-St. Louis as a junior. That means I only have to spend two years at UM-St. Louis to graduate, right?
Not necessarily. Though you may transfer in enough credits from another institution to be classified as a junior, you may have more than two years' worth of credits to earn in order to fulfill all the degree requirements at UM-St. Louis. It depends on how many of the credits you transferred in fulfill requirements, and how many will end up just counting as elective courses.

I am looking for some part time employment. Can you help?
Generally, we advise you to check with Career Services for this type of information. However, we also have a limited number of positions available for students. Please check this description for more details.

What can I do with my degree once I graduate?
There are a wide variety of careers that our alumni have chosen, which are described here. Also, you may look at the variety of careers pursued by Alumni Advisory Board members as further example.

Advising Mechanics

What is the difference between "quick questions" and "by-appointment advising"? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages?
"By-appointment" advising is always preferred. If you have specific questions about registration, graduation requirements, transfers, etc. it is better to make an appointment. If you are a new student to UMSL, it is required that you make an appointment. One advantage of this is that the advisor is able to have the student's records ready and is more prepared. By-appointment advising is more in-depth and personal. It also gives the advisor and student a chance to get to know each other better. Also, the student has a choice which advisor he/she would like to see. "Quick Questions" advising is for quick and basic questions. The student usually has to wait some time to see the advisor. The student does not have very much choice as to which advisor he/she would prefer to see.

What is academic advising?
Academic advising is an interactive process between a student and an advisor in which, at the minimum, the advisor assists the student with selecting appropriate classes, discusses academic policies, procedures, and degree requirements, and assesses the student's progress toward degree completion. The advisor may also be able to assist with clarifying academic and career goals, planning a program of study, and learning about educational and career options and campus resources.

Is academic advising required?
It is only required for new students, students who have below a 2.00 gpa, and graduating seniors.

What can I expect of my advisor? What should he or she expect of me?
The role of your advisor is to assist you with educational choices. When you meet with your advisor, you will be expected to have a completed schedule with suitable alternate courses for your advisor to review (unless you are new and still learning the degree requirements). You should also arrive prepared with any questions you may have regarding courses (what a course is about, any prerequisites you may need, how often a course is offered, etc.), degree requirements, or academic policies procedures. Advisors cannot be experts on all aspects relating to a student's career , such as financial aid, employment, etc., so an advisor may need to refer you to another office or individual for assistance with some matters.
In addition to course selection, an advisor should be able to assess your progress toward meeting degree requirements. Ultimately, however, the student is responsible for making sure that all degree requirements are met, so it is important that you read and follow the requirements and policies described in the University of Missouri-St. Louis Bulletin.

Your responsibilities in the advising process are:

gathering all relevant decision-making information;
clarifying personal values and goals;
being knowledgable about policies, procedures and requirements;
accepting responsibility for decisions.

Degree requirements sometimes change. Which requirements should I follow?
The degree requirements listed in the UM-St. Louis Bulletin the first semester you attend college are your graduation requirements. Your emphasis area or major requirements are the ones in effect when you take your first course in the emphasis area or major.

How do I know when I can graduate?
If you keep in touch with your academic advisor and make an appointment once a year you should be able to target your graduation date in a timely manner.

I'm thinking about transferring to another university. What courses should I be taking?
Academic advisors cannot be expected to be knowledgeable about course and degree requirements at other institutions. Therefore, if you're considering transferring to another university, you should consult with an advisor at that particular institution.

Registration Questions

When is registration?
Preregistration is conducted during the first two weeks of April (for the Summer and Fall semesters) and November (for the Spring semester). Only currently enrolled students have the opportunity to register early through preregistration. After preregistration is open registration, which is available to newly admitted as well as currently enrolled students. Although there are no specific deadlines, courses do close and students are encouraged to register early.

How do I drop and add a class?
A semester calendar is located in the beginning section of the semester schedule. It lists the deadlines for dropping and adding classes. You can process an add or drop through telephone registration (TRAIN), the internet (STARUMSL), at the Business Advising office or the Registration office.

How do I add a class if it's full already? How do the waiting lists work?
Students can attempt to add a class if it's already full by placing themselves on a waiting list. Before the semester starts students are automatically admitted in numerical order as openings occur. Once the semester starts the instructor decides who is admitted to the class off the wait list if there are any openings available.

What is the difference between a drop and a withdrawal?
A drop can only be processed during the first four weeks of the regular semester (check the semester calendar for the summer sessions). When a course is dropped it does not appear on the student's record. A withdrawal is processed after the first four weeks of the regular semester (check the semester calendar for the summer sessions) or when students drop all courses for the semester. Students will either receive "excused" or "failing" grades, depending on their status in the course(s) when they withdraw.

Grades Questions

How is my GPA (grade point average) calculated?

Each letter grade is equivalent to a certain number of points:

GRADE GRADE POINTS
A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0
C- 1.7
D 1.0
D- 0.7
F 0.0
Multiply the number of points by the number of credits for each course. The result is called the "quality points." For example, an "A" in a 3-credit course: 4.0 x 3 = 12 quality points.
Add the quality points for all courses taken in a semester.
Divide the total number of quality points by the total number of credits (excluding "I," "W", "CR", and "NC" grade). The cumulative GPA (grade point average) is calculated by adding the total number of quality points by the total number of credits for each successive semester.

How is my GPA affected if a repeat a course?
The same process as described above is followed. You can apply to have the lower grade is excluded from the calculation and replaced by the higher grade. Note that the lower grade remains on your transcript; however, there will be a notation on the transcript indicating that you repeated a course and that it is excluded from your GPA.

Are the grades from my other college(s) calculated into my UM-St. Louis GPA?
No. Credits transfer, but grades do not. You start off with a "fresh" GPA even if you transferred in from another institution. The only exception to this is if you transfer from another University within the University of Missouri system. While the College of Business does not calculate those grades in your graduation GPA, they are calculated in the Latin Honors GPA if you are eligible for Latin Honors.

Someone said that even if we pass all of our classes, we cannot graduate until we take two "assessment exams." What are those?
Yes, you take the two assessment tests, the Academic Profile exam and the major field exam in your last semester. You register for the major field exam as BA 4220: Business Assessment test.

Prerequisites

Can you tell me what courses are prerequisites for what other courses?
Please view our prerequisite overview summary.

I received a "prerequisite letter." Why did I get it, and what do I do now?
Each semester, the College of Business Administration does a prerequisite check to ensure all students enrolled in BA courses have the appropriate prerequisites. A computerized check of the electronic record is done. Students receive a letter asking them to meet with an advisor if the prerequisite course(s) (for the courses in which students are enrolled) cannot be found in their records. Often the solution is simply a matter of the student having appropriate transcripts sent, or some other procedure to prove that the student has completed the prerequisite course.
If you get such a letter, you must come in to the College of Business office (487 SSB) and speak with an advisor. The advisor will work with you to investigate your situation and explain your options. Regrettably because of the large volume of students for whom there is some prerequisite issue, the Advisors cannot handle these requests over the telephone.