How many credits do I need to be a full-time student?
How many credits may I register for?
Who is my Academic Dean?
I cannot register for courses because I have a hold on my record, what do I do?
Can I retake a course I failed or that I am unhappy with my grade in?
How do I change my major or add a second major?
How do I add a course to my schedule even though add/drop has ended?
How do I withdraw from a course after Add/Drop?
Can I take a course pass/fail?
How do I change my graduation date?
What is the Degree Progress Report?
I would like to make an adjustment on my Degree Progress Report, how do I do that?
My advisor accepted a Comp-Lit course as an upper-level elective, why is it not showing on my Degree Progress Report?
Why doesn't my Sociology course satisfy an SB requirement? (or likewise with other GenEd requirements)
Why doesn't my English course satisfy an AL requirement?
Can I take courses at another institution?
How will transfer courses appear on my record?
I think one of my transfer courses should satisfy a Gen Ed requirement. Why doesn't it?
How do I correct an incorrect grade on my transcript?

How many credits do I need to be a full-time student?
Full-Time students must carry a minimum load of 12 credits per semester.

How many credits may I register for?
Students may enroll in a maximum of 18 credits per semester. Students wishing to enroll in more than the maximum must have permission from their Academic Dean (E-24 Machmer Hall).

Who is my Academic Dean?
English majors have two acting Academic Deans, Nikki Stoia and Donald Gjertson who are located in E-24 Machmer Hall.

I cannot register for courses because I have a hold on my record, what do I do?
Students may have a hold on their account/record preventing registration for various reasons. Students should contact the office that placed the hold. The following are some of the most common:

Bursar's Office - usually an outstanding balance. Students should go to the Bursar's Office, 215 Whitmore Building.

Health Services - usually missing immunization forms. Students should go to Health Services, 150 Infirmary Way .

Academic Dean - usually students exceeding ten semesters. Students have a ten semester limitation to complete degree requirements. To continue at UMass Amherst beyond these limits, students must have approval from their Academic Dean along with a recommendation from the Department. Students should go to the Undergraduate English Office, 252 Bartlett Hall prior to going to the Academic Dean's office.

Academic Dean - can be a student's academic standing. Students should see their Academic Dean.

Advisor Hold - usually a credit alert. Student's who average fewer than 12 credit hours per semester after four semesters of enrollment are required to see their Chief Advisor prior to being allowed to register for the following semester. Students should see their English advisor who will then contact Colleen Wetzel in the Undergraduate Office to remove the hold or students may see one of the English major Chief Advisors.

Can I retake a course I failed or that I am unhappy with my grade in?
Students may repeat courses, taken before Fall 2004, in which they earned a grade of CD, D, or F. Students may repeat courses, taken in or after Fall 2004, in which they earned a grade of D+, D, or F. The new grade will replace (and erase) the old grade.

Degree credit will be awarded only once. Courses with a grade of D or higher are credited to a student (credits apply to the University's requirement of 120 total credits to graduate) so if repeated, students will not receive additional credits.

If a student receives an F grade on a repeated course which they originally passed (with a CD, D+, or D), the student will lose the credit previously earned.

How do I change my major or add a second major?
To drop a major, students must use a ‘Change of Major' form and obtain authorization from the new department prior to being released from their old department. To add a second major, students must use a ‘Change of Major' form and obtain authorization from both the new major and their current major. Students who are members of Commonwealth College also secure the signature of a Commonwealth College advisor, prior to submitting the form to the Registrar's Office. When a student has two majors, one must be designated as “primary.” The student will take his/her Junior-Year Writing class in the primary major.

NOTE: If a second major lies in another college other than that of the primary major, students may be responsible for both sets of college requirements. Example: If a student is a Journalism primary major (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and an English secondary major (Humanities and Fine Arts), the student would do both the Global Education requirement for SBS and the foreign language requirement for HFA.

How do I add a course to my schedule even though add/drop has ended?
Students may request to add a course after the Add/Drop period with the approval from their Academic Dean using a ‘Course Change Request' form. Students will also need a ‘Late Course Add Petition' completed by their instructor verifying attendance. The form can be found at http://www.umass.edu/artsci_advising/download.html .

How do I withdraw from a course after Add/Drop?
Students may request withdrawal from a course with a ‘W' after the Add/Drop period, up until the mid-semester date, by using a ‘Course Change Request' form and having it signed by an instructor. Any requests to drop a course after the mid-semester date will need Academic Dean's approval.

Can I take a course pass/fail?
Students may choose to enroll in a course with the pass/fail option but it must be chosen during pre-registration or before the end of the Add/Drop period. Students choose this option on SPIRE. Instructors/Professor's do not know students have chosen this option. However, no course taken pass/fail can count toward any University, College, or major requirements.

Students may choose to remove the pass/fail option (and it will be replaced with the grade) at any time while a student at UMass Amherst by using a ‘Revoke Pass/Fail' form available in the Undergraduate English Office or Registrar's Office.

How do I change my graduation date?
Students can change their graduation date by going to the Record's Office, 207 Whitmore.

What is the Degree Progress Report?
The Degree Progress Report is the SPIRE version of a degree audit which tracks a student's progress through their particular degree program, including University, College, and major requirements.

Since the Degree Progress Report is meant to assist students in selecting courses for the next semester, a student's in-progress courses show as satisfying requirements. However, no course actually satisfies a requirement until it has been completed with the appropriate minimum grade required.

NOTE: This does not include any English major courses which fall into the ‘exception' category (courses from other majors or the Five Colleges).

Students University Graduation Credits do not include courses they are enrolled in currently. Credits are added after successful grades are earned and posted. Also remedial 0-level courses such as Math 011 do not count toward graduation.

I would like to make an adjustment on my Degree Progress Report, how do I do that?
The Degree Progress Report reads courses chronologically and puts each course into the first requirement it satisfies. For example, a student completed English 279 and wanted it to satisfy an upper-level elective but it shows as satisfying their 2 nd American literature requirement. For students to make adjustments to their English major requirements on their Degree Progress Report, they should see their Advisor who should complete an ‘Exception Form' which will go to Colleen Wetzel in the Undergraduate English Office, 252 Bartlett.

My advisor accepted a Comp-Lit course as an upper-level elective, why is it not showing on my Degree Progress Report?
Changes/exceptions made on a students Degree Progress Report using a course their currently enrolled in, will not appear until a grade is posted for the course. All English major requirements must have a minimum grade of ‘C.'

Why doesn't my Sociology course satisfy an SB requirement? (or likewise with other GenEd requirements)
Not all Sociology courses satisfy an SB requirement. General Education courses must meet specific criteria and be approved in advance by the Faculty Senate. Check SPIRE to see if the course has the GenEd designation. Also, if the student is a Sociology major, the course may not count since students are only allowed to use one course from their major department to satisfy GenEd requirements even if the course is not being used to satisfy major requirements. The one major course rule does not apply to the GenEd Diversity course requirements.

Why doesn't my English course satisfy an AL requirement?
Not all English courses satisfy an AL requirement. General Education courses must meet specific criteria and be approved in advance by the Faculty Senate. Check SPIRE to see if a course has the GenEd designation. Also, if the student is an English major, the course may not count since students are only allowed to use one course from their major department to satisfy GenEd requirements, even if the course is not being used to satisfy major requirements.

Example: A student took English 132 their freshman year which satisfied one AL GenEd, they then enrolled in English 270 their sophomore year but it is not showing to satisfy the additional AL GenEd. The student already used one course in their English major (English 132) so they will need to satisfy this GenEd with a course in another subject.

Can I take courses at another institution?
Students may transfer courses offered at a school that has regional academic accreditation at the post-secondary level and in which the student has received a grade of C- or better. Students planning to take courses at another school to transfer back to UMass Amherst should complete a ‘Prior Approval of Transfer Course Work' form BEFORE enrolling in courses. The English Department allows 3 transfer courses to count toward the major and, again, all courses serving to meet English major requirements must have a minimum grade of ‘C.' .

Seniors who intend to complete their final degree requirements at another institution must complete a “Senior Year in Absentia” form.

Students studying abroad must complete the “Preliminary Registration Approval Form” (PRAF) as well as a similar form on their return.

The forms are available in the Undergraduate English Office, 252 Bartlett Hall.

NOTE: Remedial or developmental (basic math, pre-100 level, pre-composition, etc.), skills oriented (career development, word processing, sales, etc.), vocational (real estate, paralegal, radiology, etc.), internships, co-ops, practica sponsored by other schools, non-credit or certificate programs, and courses credited with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) instead of semester or quarter credits will not transfer. If unsure, a student should check with the Transfer Staff, 207 Whitmore.

How will transfer courses appear on my record?
A course that has been assigned an exact UMass Amherst course equivalent will appear with the UMass Amherst course subject and number. If a course is transferable, but no equivalent exists, then a generic number such as ITRA or IEXB is assigned as the course number. Transfer courses with the designation of URQMT satisfy a University General Education or Diversity requirement.

I think one of my transfer courses should satisfy a Gen Ed requirement. Why doesn't it?
A course may not be accepted as a GenEd requirement for various reasons; it may not qualify as a GenEd or UMass Amherst may not have enough information about the course to make a determination. Students may contact Transfer Staff, 207 Whitmore with any questions. A course description and/or syllabus may be requested for review.

How do I correct an incorrect grade on my transcript?
An incomplete (INC) grade automatically turns to an "F" after one semester (or to an "IF" if it was taken Fall 2004 or later). An instructor may submit a Grade Change Form anytime during that semester to change the "INC" to a letter grade. An "INC" grade may be extended for a semester provided the instructor of the course has submitted a request to the Registrar's Office.

If an "INC" has changed to an "F" or "IF", the Grade Change form now would require signatures from the Department Head and the Dean.

Grade Change forms are available in every department and the Registrar's Office for staff and faculty use only.