1. When is academic advising and preregistration? Each semester, students can select courses for the following fall /spring semester. Academic advising and pre-registration for the Spring Semester courses takes place in November and pre-registration for the Fall Semester courses takes place in April. You can check the Registrar’s site for the schedule each semester.
Seniors: 87 credits and above – register first, usually during the first week of November and April
Juniors: 57 – 86 credits – usually register during the second week of November and April
Sophomores: 27 – 56 credits - usually register during the third week of November and April
Freshmen: 26 credits and below - usually register during the fourth week of November and April
2. Who is my CNS advisor? Your academic advisor is listed at the lower right of your SPIRE student center. Contact CNS Advising if you need more information.
3. Who is my VASCI faculty mentor? Your faculty mentor is listed at the lower right of your SPIRE student center. Contact @email if you are not sure who your faculty mentor is.
4. Can I meet with a VASCI Peer Advisor? Yes, the Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department Peer Advisors hold weekly drop-in office hours to provide support, information, mentoring, and a sense of community for other undergraduate majors in VASCI. Animal Science Peer Advisors have received training in department curriculum, academic procedures and policies, academic enrichment, non-academic resources, and referrals for personal concerns and emergencies. To learn the Peer Advisors drop-in office hours, visit the VASCI website.
5. What do I need to do before registering for classes? All AnSci and Pre-Vet majors are assigned an academic advisor and a faculty mentor and should meet with their academic advisor prior to the start of registration to choose classes. Students should review their Academic Requirements Report (ARR) in SPIRE (dropdown menu under “Other Academic” left side of student center) prior to the advising appointment. The ARR details your academic progress toward university and graduation requirements. Students should bring a list of their proposed course schedule to their advising appointment along with any academic or career planning questions.
How to Open Academic Requirements Reports
- On your SPIRE Center, select the Academics tile.
- Click Academic Requirements (ARR) under the General Academic Info from the left-hand menu.
- Important: Be sure that you understand how the ARR uses classes that are in-progress to determine which requirements to display as completed. The reports assume that you will or might earn an 'A' for those classes. Tip: After you've reviewed unsatisfied requirements, click expand all at the top of the report to see which classes it is using to satisfy other requirements. Look for the yellow-diamond status icon that signifies in-progress classes and the blue-star status icon that signifies Shopping Cart classes.
6. Why should I register as soon as my enrollment appointment opens? Prompt registration is the best way to ensure that you get the courses that you want. Every semester, many courses fill up early, especially classes that can’t be expanded, such as labs. On the other side of the coin, some less popular courses may be canceled if too few people register. A good strategy is to place your courses in your shopping cart before your enrollment appointment starts, so that you can register as soon as your appointment opens.
7. What is the date and time that I can register?
How to Check your Enrollment Appointment
- On your SPIRE Center, select the Manage Classes tile. Under the Enrollment Appointments heading, select the Enrollment Appointments page.
- In the Enrollment Appointment table, review the start and end dates for your Enrollment Appointment for either the University or UWW session, as appropriate. Note: If you are within your Enrollment Appointment time period, you can click the Add Classes button to select classes for enrollment
Enrollment appointment times AND eligibility to register for a course are determined by a student’s potential credit total, which includes what they are enrolled in CURRENTLY. Class designations/levels are based on total number of credits earned, including those being earned in the current semester, not upon years at UMass Amherst.
If you fail to register as soon as possible, you may find that you cannot get in your required courses or preferred sections.
8. When will the course guide be available on SPIRE? The course guide usually opens at least one week (late March and late October) before registration starts.
9. Why can’t I register? 
Check your Holds status on the right-hand side of your SPIRE student center. An EN-1hold means you must meet with your CNS advisor to have the EN-1 hold removed to register for classes. There are also holds that can be placed on students’ records by UMass academic and administrative departments (academic dean’s office, health services, parking services or the bursar’s office) that could prevent registration. Students can view their holds in SPIRE by clicking on the Tasks & Help tile and selecting the Holds option. You will have to contact the office responsible for the specific hold in order to have it removed.
10. I can’t register for Chem 261 because it is full. What should I do? There are two ways to register for Chem 261:
1) Wait until the grades are released and check SPIRE frequently for seats that open up when Chemistry ejects students who have earned grades less than C- in Chem 112.
2) Attend the section of your choice during add/drop and ask the instructor if you can be manually enrolled. You can email the instructor when your enrollment appointment opens and ask if you could be manually enrolled now. Include your SPIRE ID and make sure to have space and credits available on your schedule when requesting to be enrolled.
11. Why can’t I register for some courses using SPIRE?
-You haven’t met the prerequisites and/or eligibility for the course you’re trying to register for or you’ve met the prerequisites, but SPIRE doesn’t recognize it.
-You need instructor permission for the course.
-The course is restricted to RAP/TAP groups, other majors, or upper classmen.
For all of the above situations, contact the instructor listed for the class via email. Include your name, SPIRE ID number, five digit class number for the lecture and discussion/lab section, if applicable, and the reason why you cannot register for the class. If your prerequisite class is not recognized by SPIRE, explain that in your email. If the section you need is closed, explain why you must get into that section to the Instructor. If the course is restricted to other groups, explain why you have to take the class/lab/discussion or that particular section is particularly important to you (e.g. class required by vet school; or it won’t fit into your schedule in any other semester). The instructor may request that you be enrolled if there is space available after the priority group has completed registration. Registration may be delayed until as late as the beginning of add/drop in the next semester. Very Important: Make sure that there is space available for the class in your schedule and that you have enough credits available. If you do not, your enrollment request cannot be processed.
Special cases:
ANIMLSCI 366 - Veterinary Microbiology is offered both semesters. Students who cannot fit ANIMLSCI 366 into their schedules and are interested in an alternative should speak with the ANIMLSCI 366 instructor, Dr. Klaus Becker @email or email Erika Hamilton to request enrollment in any remaining available seats in Micro 312 (3 credits).
MICROBIO 265: Students interested in Microbio 265 (2 credits) must apply to the Microbiology Department.
CHEM 269: Enrollment is initially restricted to seniors, but will open to juniors and possibly sophomores; keep checking.
COMM 260: Enrollment is restricted to COMM majors, email Kristin Lacey. You may have to wait until the add/drop period to be enrolled.
CHEM 112/261/262/269; BIOLOGY 152/153: If you can’t get into the only lecture or laboratory section that fits into your schedule, check SPIRE at least once daily after final grades for the last semester are released for seats that open up. Students who have previously registered will lose their seats if they earn below the minimum grade required to progress (i.e. C or C-).
There are two ways to get into Chem 261:
1) Wait until the grades are released and check SPIRE frequently for seats that open up when Chemistry ejects students who have earned grades less than C- in Chem 112.
2) Attend the section of your choice during add/drop and ask the instructor if you can be manually enrolled. You can email the instructor when your enrollment appointment opens and ask if you could be manually enrolled in the class. Include your SPIRE ID and make sure you have space and credits available on your schedule when requesting to be enrolled, otherwise your request cannot be processed.
MATH 127: Attend the first lecture and speak to the instructor in person about enrollment. Math 131 is an alternative.
12. What are my University General Education (Gen Ed) requirements? AnSci and Pre-Vet majors must choose classes to fulfill the following Gen Ed requirements:
-1 (4 credit) AL or AT Arts and Literature
-1 (4 credit) HS History
-1 (4 credit) SB Social & Behavioral Sciences
In order to minimize the number of Gen Ed classes taken, two of the three Gen Ed classes above should also have the DU (Diversity/United States) and DG (Diversity/Global) diversity designation, so that two Gen Ed requirements can be fulfilled with one class (e.g. ALDG fulfills AL and DG requirements).
-ANIMLSCI 260 Animal Care and Welfare is a 4 credit SI Gen Ed and is also a graduation requirement for AnSci and Pre-Vet students.
-ENGLWRIT 112 fulfills the College Writing (CW) requirement.
-R1, R2, BS, and PS are fulfilled by classes already required for AnSci and Pre-Vet graduation requirements.
-NATSCI 387 fulfills the Junior Writing requirement. All UMass Junior Writing Classes fulfill this requirement.
-1 Integrative Experience (IE) ANIMLSCI 494GI and ANIMLSCI 494EI fulfill this requirement
The IE GenEd is specific to each major. You can check your requirements by looking in your Academic Requirements Report - ARR, available on the top of the menu at the center left of your SPIRE student center. The IE requirement is listed just after the Diversity “U” and “G” section of your Academic Requirements Report. If you are a freshman or sophomore, you should wait. Most seniors do not have the IE requirement. If you are graduating early and can’t fulfill the IE requirement, you will need to apply to the academic dean for a waiver. If you are a junior or a transfer student, you have three options. You only need to take one of these options to fulfill the IE requirement:
1) AnSci 494 GI - Good Intentions, offered in the Spring semester.
2) AnSci 494 EI – One Health, offered in the Fall semester.
3) AnSci 494 PI - Problem Based Learning - Advanced Animal Health
4) If you are in Commonwealth Honors College, wait until the fall of your senior year, when you are taking 499Y (first semester of your honors thesis). Sign up for both 499T (second semester of the honors thesis) and the 1 credit AnSci 494 TI. The combination of 499Y+499T+AnSci 494 TI will fulfill your AnSci/Pre-Vet IE requirement; you do not need to take any other class.
OR If you are not in Commonwealth Honors College and you are a junior or senior who needs to fulfill the IE GenEd requirement, you can choose from the two different classes ANIMLSCI 494GI and ANIMLSCI 494EI. You do not need to take both. There are no other classes from other departments that will fulfill AnSci/Pre-Vet IE requirement. If you are a double major or double degree student, consult with your advisor.
13. How do you find General Education courses on SPIRE? If you need a Gen Ed course in a particular category, go to SPIRE “Main Menu”, then “Course Guide”, then “Search for Classes” page. Leave the “Subject” box blank, set the “Course Number” to “greater to or equal to 100” and change the “Session:” box to “*University”. Then scroll down to the “Gen Ed Category” box and choose the category you need (e.g., HS for History GenEds that include HS, HSU and HSG courses or HSU for only History, diversity United States courses). Make sure you consider the credits of the course you choose, since 3 credits Gen Ed course are still offered, but will not fulfill 4 credit Gen Ed requirements. There are no 1 or 2 credit Gen Ed courses.
14. Can I change my schedule, even after the semester starts? Once the registration period begins, you can change your schedule any time, from any computer with internet access, until the end of add/drop which is one week after the beginning of the semester. Attend the lectures and keep up with the material and any assignments or quizzes during this period. If you are unable to make a desired change because a course is full, keep trying. Students continually add and drop classes, so seats can open up briefly at any time. Always add before you drop or use the “swap” function to replace one class with another or the “edit” function to change labs while remaining in the same lecture. The moment you drop a course, someone else can take your spot; thus, make sure you are in the course you want before you drop anything. If you drop the lab section of a course with a lab component, you’ll automatically be dropped from the lecture, too. If the course is full, you may be unable to get back in.
If you want to enroll yourself onto a SPIRE waitlist, carefully read the information here.
15. How do I register for Biotechnology Research Experience (’91 C/M courses)? Biotechnology research projects are a great opportunity to learn scientific reasoning and techniques and to work closely with a faculty sponsor. During your freshman or sophomore years, you should start thinking about what type of research you would like to start doing as a junior since most faculty members will not take students starting biotechnology research projects as seniors. You can discuss this with your academic advisor or faculty mentor and look at faculty research interests on the VASCI and UMass websites. During the semester before the semester in which you want to start, email faculty members to ask if they have space available for an undergraduate and to arrange a meeting to discuss how you might fit into their research projects. To register for ANIMLSCI 291C, 291M, 391C, 391M, 491C, 491M, students and their faculty sponsor complete a Biotechnology Research Experience Contract form, Together they decide the course number and level that is appropriate, as well as create a project title, description of project goals and expectations. One credit is equivalent to three hours of work per week x 13 weeks per semester so a student signing up for three credits should be working on the Biotech research project nine hours per week (in lab or barn and reading) for the entire semester. An abstract or poster/oral presentation detailing the results of the research project is required for Science Day in May of the year in which the student is registered for the biotech research project. The faculty sponsor must email the completed electronic version of the contract to @email
You can also view Biotechnology Research Experience opportunities on the Office of Undergraduate Research and Studies (OURS) site.
16. How do I register for an Internship or Practicum (298, 398, 498 courses)?
The Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department strongly encourages students to participate in internships to achieve the diverse veterinary medical related experience required for a competitive veterinary medical school or graduate school application and to explore career options. The 298, 398, and 498 practicum courses are a mechanism for students to earn credit for these internship experiences. Each course is graded pass/fail and can be taken for 1-18 credits; the total amount of internship credits applied toward the 120 credits required for graduation is limited to 18 credits. The department maintains a list of local and state-wide veterinary clinics, biotech companies, farms, zoos, animal shelters, animal trainers and behaviorists, and wildlife centers where Animal Science and Pre-Veterinary Science students have interned in the past. The College of Natural Sciences maintains a database of completed internships so you can see where other students have already interned. Students interested in working in a Massachusetts life sciences company may pursue the Life Sciences Internship Challenge from the end of their sophomore year to one year after their graduation with a B.S. or M.S. degree. The Life Sciences Internship Challenge is a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for life sciences companies in Massachusetts and offers part-time or full-time paid internships all year long.
Students enrolled in a ’98 course are covered for liability by the UMass Amherst General Liability (GL) plan. Liability insurance covers any accidental damage a student may cause at an internship site, such as damage to property or to another person at the internship site. It does not cover injury to the student, which is covered by the student’s health insurance policy. Some human direct care internships (e.g. nursing or psychology) may require additional Direct Care coverage or malpractice coverage. If an internship sponsor requires evidence of liability insurance coverage, the student enrolled in a ’98 course should send the name, email address, company name and mailing address of the internship sponsor to @email which is the Field Experience Program Office at UMass Amherst’s Career Development Hub. The UMass Treasurer’s Office will then generate a certificate of liability coverage and email it directly to the internship sponsor.
In order to enroll in a ’98 practicum course, students should:
- Identify an internship sponsor and a faculty sponsor. The student and sponsoring faculty member discuss the internship, the appropriate number of credits (1credit= minimum 40 hours) and the required academic product to be produced, which is usually a journal documenting the hours worked and what was learned, or a paper on a related topic.
- Fill out and Submit an Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE:
a. Log in to your student account in SPIRE.
b. Click on the Academics Tile.
c. Under the Forms and Academic Requests tab, choose
Experiential Learning Request.
d. Here, click the Create a New Request button.
e. Fill out all the information. Items marked with an asterisk are
mandatory fields.
- Contact the Career Development Hub at @email with any questions.
- An email is sent to the faculty sponsor for approval. Once approved, Career Development Hub staff helps the student get enrolled by sending a request to the Department Scheduling Rep in Animal Science for manual enrollment for fall and spring internships or requests enrollment by the UWW Registration Office for summer or winter internships.
- Enjoy your internship!
- Submit your academic project to your faculty sponsor at the end of the semester, or at the end of the second summer session, in time for the faculty sponsor to assign the final grade.
During the fall and spring semesters, students can register for up to 19 credits and can apply to the CNS academic dean for a credit overload approval based on their GPA. We encourage students to register for at least 1 credit for their internships so that they are covered for liability by the UMass Amherst General Liability (GL) plan.
17. How do I register to be a Teaching Assistant? Instructors send the list of TA’s to the Undergraduate Program Office to add the course to the student’s schedule. The level that the student will be registered in is determined by the student’s past enrollment as a TA.
ANIML SCI 296T, 396T and 496T – Intro, Intermediate and Advanced Teaching in Animal Science.
Students gain experience in teaching all aspects of Animal Science courses. Students will be expected to have taken the class previously, demonstrate specific competencies related to labs and assisting students, and lead review sessions. No contract is required. Instructors request registration of their TA’s directly through the Department. The student needs to re-register as a Teaching Assistant every semester, even if they have done it before.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants
a. Complete the online FERPA training for CANVAS access.
b. Go to SPIRE > Main Menu > Student Home > TA Ferpa Agreement and then click the button.
Undergraduate TA’s are registered as follows:
AnSci 296T 1-2 credits. Repeatable once for credit.
After completing the AnSci 296T level twice, Undergrad TA’s are next registered in:
AnSci 396T, 1-2 credits. Repeatable once for credit.
After completing the AnSci 396T level twice, Undergrad TA’s are next registered in:
AnSci 496T, 1-2 credits. Repeatable once for credit
18. Can I add a class after the registration period is over? Once the registration period ends, it’s no longer possible to change your schedule using SPIRE. You can still add courses, but you must use a Course Change form, which must be signed by the course instructor and by your academic dean.
19. Can I add a course if I’ve reached my credit limit of 19 credits? If you want to take more
than 19 credits per semester, you will need to qualify and submit a Credit Overload Petition,
It can take a few working days to process, so it is in your interest to start the process well before the beginning of the semester. Applications are evaluated based on several criteria, view the criteria here.
20. How can I withdraw from a course after the registration period is over? If you need to withdraw from a course during the semester you may drop the course in SPIRE, with no record, during the add/drop period. After the add/drop period and until the mid-semester date, "W" drops are accepted and can be done in SPIRE. After the mid-semester date, you must use the Late Withdrawal Petition form .You can withdraw from a course through the mid-semester “W” date, which is noted on the academic calendar for each semester. A “W” will show up on your transcript indicating that you were enrolled in the course after the add/drop period. Important - be sure you remain a full-time student with at least 12 credits, so that your financial aid and housing are not affected.
21. I am not doing well in a class. Can I withdraw from it after the mid-semester “W” date? You can withdraw from a class by the “W” date for academic reasons, but withdrawal from a course after the mid-semester date is possible only with verifiable and extenuating circumstances (e.g. extended illness, family emergency, work schedule change). You should discuss your situation with your academic advisor. If you decide to petition for a late withdrawal use the Late Withdrawal Petition form. Your petition will be reviewed by the CNS Advising Committee and you will be notified of the decision.
Another option if you encounter a crisis that keeps you from taking an exam or handing in an assignment at the end of a course is to ask the professor if you can take an Incomplete (INC). Be prepared to present documentation to the professor to verify your statements. An INC on your transcript will be counted as an F in your GPA. The work necessary to change an INC to a grade must be completed by the end of the next semester; otherwise, an INC will automatically convert to an F.
Students can withdraw from a course until the mid-semester date and have a “W” show up on their transcript. The W will stay on the transcript even if the student repeats the course. However, a bad grade, even if it is replaced in the UMass GPA by a better grade from a course repeat, also stays on the transcript. Tufts/Cummings Veterinary College uses both grades when they recalculate student GPAs. Thus, withdrawing from a course because the student is overloaded with credits that semester can be a better option than taking a bad grade. It is a better strategy to focus on getting good grades in the major required courses and withdraw from GenEd or elective courses. If the student is planning to apply to veterinary or graduate school, they do not want to give the impression that they can’t handle multiple challenging science courses (e.g. taking a W in Organic Chemistry and retaking it in the summer). Students can obtain the course change form from outside 427Z ISB, the Registrar’s office, or at the CNS Advising Center 220 Morrill II, have their instructor sign it, and return it to the Registrar by the mid-semester date. Students wishing to withdraw after the mid-semester date must petition the CNS Advising Committee using the Late Withdrawal Petition Form. Instructors don’t have the power to grant late withdrawals.
22. How does the pass/fail option work? The pass/fail option is designed to let you take challenging courses without worrying about their impact on your GPA. However, you can’t take a course required for your major or a general education course as pass/fail. Only one elective course per semester can be taken pass/fail—if two or more pass/fail options are taken in one semester, SPIRE will convert one of them back to a letter grade basis without informing you. You must choose the pass/fail option by the mid-semester “W” date. The professor will still assign you a grade. If you get a good grade in the course that will improve your GPA; the grade will appear on your transcript. If the grade does not increase your GPA, it will not be used in computing your GPA and a P or F will appear on your transcript. Details regarding use of this option may be found here and in the Academic Regulations handbook.
23. Can I audit a course? A registered undergraduate student may audit a course and have that audit recorded on the official transcript (as a zero in the Units Earned column and in the grade column as "AUD") provided that:
- The student officially elects the class as an audit within the add/drop period*
- The instructor can accommodate the auditor in a class, and the student satisfies the instructor regarding his or her preparation and motivation for auditing the class.
- The student pays all special fees associated with the course (part-time students must pay the same tuition/fee to audit a course as they would pay if they took the course for credit).
- The student satisfies all criteria for a successful audit as stipulated in advance by the instructor. In the event that the instructor reports that an audit was not completed successfully, the course will be expunged from the student's record.
The student may not switch from audit to credit after the end of the add/drop period. The reverse is also true.
*To audit a course, a student must have the instructor of the course send their permission via e-mail to @email before the end of the add/drop period.
24. How do I change my major? Any undergraduate student who wants to declare, change, or add a CNS major should complete this Change of Major form
25. What happens if my GPA goes below a 2.0? To be in academic good standing you must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. If you go below a 2.0 you will be placed on academic probation and will need to see the Academic Dean in 220 Morrill II Science Center and your academic advisor to develop a strategy to improve your academic performance. If in any subsequent semester, your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, you will be suspended for a semester but then allowed to return to the University. If your GPA is below a 2.0 for a third semester, you will be dismissed from the university.
26. What is required to graduate from UMass? You must earn 120 credits; complete your general education, college and major requirements, and earn a 2.0 GPA in your major and a 2.0 GPA overall. You can track these requirements in your Academic Requirements Report (left side of SPIRE student center). Click “Expand all” at the top to see all of the details.
27. Can I take a course at another school and have it count towards my graduation requirements? Yes, but you must first complete a Prior Approval for Transfer Work or Prior Approval for Senior Year in Absentia form (available on the registrar's site). If you wish the course you are taking to fulfill a university requirement or a major requirement taught by another department, you should submit the form to the Registrar’s Office in Whitmore. In many cases, the course will have been previously approved as the equivalent of a UMass Amherst course. If it has not been previously approved, you will have to submit documentation such as a course description or syllabus to your advisor. In some cases, the course will not be considered to be the equivalent of a UMass Amherst course, but the credits will transfer in as a generic transfer course. If your advisor approves, generic transfer courses can be directed to substitute for a major requirement, either before or after they are transferred to UMass Amherst. You must earn a “C-” or above for a course to be transferred – remember your grade will not be factored into your GPA nor will a transferred course grade replace a grade of C- or below in a UMass Amherst course.
The Prior Approval for Transfer Work or Prior Approval for Senior Year in Absentia form should be sent to the Undergraduate Program Director for approval.
28. Should I repeat a course? If you are planning to apply to veterinary medical college and you have a grade of C or C+ in a freshman or sophomore class, unless the vet school to which you plan to apply has a requirement for a minimum grade in all prerequisite classes, it is better to focus on getting high grades in upper level classes rather than retaking earlier classes.
You can repeat a course to replace a grade of C- or below once. However, if you wish to retake it another time, even if the grade is a C- or below, you must request permission from the academic dean. If you have failed a course required for graduation or can’t progress in a Biology or Chemistry series because you don’t have the minimum grade required, then you should consider changing your major.
29. How can I appeal a suspension or a dismissal? If you have been suspended or dismissed from the university, you will receive notification from the Registrar’s Office about how you may appeal your case to the Committee on Admissions and Records. Appeals are accepted in writing only, must be received by the appeal deadline, and must go through a CNS academic dean first.
30. Can my advisor talk with my parents or others about my academic record? Federal privacy laws only allow advisors to speak to the individual student about that student’s academic records. If you would like your parents (or other individuals you designate) to have access to your academic record, then you must complete the academic information release form The signed academic information release form must be on file with your advisor before your advisor can speak to anyone other than the student about academic information.
31. Where do I go for help in writing my resume or getting ready for an interview? CNS Career Services includes Career Coaching, Walk-In Resume Reviews with Career Peer Advisors, Career Guides, Big Interview Training System, Mock Interviews, UMass & CNS Job/Internship Database, Career Fairs, Networking Opportunities, CNS Career & Professional Development Workshops and more!
The College of Natural Sciences Career Center is now on Handshake, the leading career platform. Handshake allows you to find internships, jobs and co-ops, and to get personal recommendations of opportunities based on your interests, skills, major, location preferences, and search history. In addition, Handshake will tell you about all UMass Amherst recruiting events, career fairs, workshops and other helpful career resources.
To Join Handshake, log in and complete your profile now.
Make an appointment in Handshake to meet 1:1 with a professional Career Advisor. The CNS Career Center is located in Morrill II, Suite 321. Advisors offer both remote and in-person career advising appointments. Meet with a Career Advisor sooner rather than later; come to us to learn about field experience opportunities (internships, co-ops, research, and more) and strategies to increase your visible value to employers well before you graduate. In addition to your academics, experiential learning is what will help you get into graduate school or land a job after college. Start building your experiential learning now.
Peer Advisors offer drop-in hours (no appointment needed) during the academic year from 10am - 5pm, Monday - Friday in the CNS Career Center in Morrill 2, Room 321. Students can drop-in and have resumes critiqued, cover letters reviewed, LinkedIn profiles developed, practice interview questions, or get answers to other basic career-planning questions from knowledgeable CNS career peer advisors. Please have a draft of your resume ready to discuss at your meeting.
You can also access Student Doctor Network
32. How do I study abroad? At UMass Amherst, excellence extends far beyond the classroom. International learning opportunities expose our students to cultures and customs different from their own, immerse them in environments where they can develop foreign language skills, and can provide a career boost by signaling greater global awareness to potential employers. There are 300+ programs UMass students can choose from. Through these opportunities abroad, students travel to 56 countries across six continents. Many programs are unique to UMass Amherst, with rich histories and established partnerships in other countries. Through the UMass Abroad Portal, students can take an online quiz to match them with the right program based on their interests, field of study, and locations they'd like to visit.
Our Office of Global Affairs works to connect UMass students with the study abroad program that's right for them and helps them every step of the way, providing peer advising, application assistance, financial guidance, health and safety guidelines, and travel dos and don'ts. Visit the Global Education Advising Center and get your questions answered! Staffed by UMass Abroad Peer Advisors and Global Education Advising Staff, drop in to learn more about global education at UMass Amherst and ask any questions about the process. Drop-in hours are Monday – Friday 11:00am - 4:30pm located at 70 Butterfield Terrace, next to Gorman Hall.
33. Does UMass have a domestic/within the U.S. exchange program? UMass students can study at another college or university through National Student Exchange, this allows UMass students to live in another geographic area, access courses and facilities not offered here in Amherst, and broaden their undergraduate experience. The National Student Exchange is a network of over 170 universities and colleges in 48 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Get additional information here.