Glossary of Terms

Curriculum Guide:

Documents containing required courses, criteria for admission, and other relevant information about a particular major or minor. Exploratory Studies advisors provide these to advisees according to major and/or minor interest. We will review the particulars with students as we work together to determine progress toward that major and/or minor.

Dropping or Adding a Course:

Can be accomplished on your RamPortal account after

your Schedule Date

SCHEDULING:

Schedule as early as possible after your enrollment date and time permit; classes fill up.
In your RamPortal account, you can check what classes are available using the Check Class Schedule.

for the coming semester until the end of the drop/add period for that semester . The drop/add period begins on the first day of classes each semester and typically ends on the fifth day of that semester.

External Transfer:

Transferring to WCU and directly into a particular major from another university.

" I " course:

Interdisciplinary Course; a general education requirement.

Internal Transfer:

Moving out of "pre-major" or undeclared status and into a particular major by submitting a completed Application for Change of Major form signed by Exploratory Studies advisor. Also known as "declaring a major." Moving from one major to another is also considered an internal transfer. See External Transfer.

" J " course:

Diversity Course; a general education requirement

Pass/Fail:

After the completion of 30 credits, students may take some courses on a pass/fail basis. If you want to take a course this way, you must submit to the Registrar a Pass/Fail Request Form signed by your Exploratory Studies advisor. See the WCU Undergrad Catalog for more specific details.

Pre-Requisites:

Courses that must be completed and/or grade requirements that must be reached before a you can take a particular upper-level course.

" W " course:

Writing Emphasis course; a general education requirement. These are not the same as WRT120 or WRT200 courses, which fulfill a different general education requirement. In order to complete the requirement, you must take three writing emphasis courses, and sometimes these courses also simultaneously satisfy another general education or major requirement.

When Do I Schedule?:

Students can find their registration date on their RamPortal homepage. You must see your advisor to discuss the upcoming semester before you can schedule. The schedule date is determined by the Registrar's Office, based on the number of credits earned, and cannot be changed by the student's Exploratory Studies advisor.

Withdrawing from a Course:

You can withdraw from a course online until the ninth week of the semester. This is the only way you can get out of a specific course after the end of the drop/add period. The course withdraw period runs from the end of the drop/add period, and ends the last day of the ninth week of classes. A "W" will show up on your transcript when you withdraw from a class. You must check with your advisor prior to withdrawing from a class to discuss the potential ramifications toward your academic progress and time required to get into your major. You should also check with Financial Aid, and remember that if you take fewer than 12 credits you are considered a part-time student.