Advising Frequently Asked Questions

Declared Major: Your academic department assigns an advisor to you according to your major. Contact the office coordinator in your major department to figure out who will be your advisor.

Undeclared Major: Students who have not chosen a major will be classified as undeclared majors and be advised in the Freshman College. Angelo State expects students to declare a major before they earn 30 semester credit hours, at which point students receive advising through their chosen major department.

Any time you have academic questions, feel free to contact your academic advisor. It is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your advisor as soon as class schedules are available for online viewing.

Talk to your advisor about any academic need or concern you may have. Your advisor should be knowledgeable in degree requirements, as well as ASU policies and services, to advise you or refer you to other campus resources.

During early registration, students are assigned a registration time based on the number of credit hours earned, identified as their classification. The more credit hours that are earned, the sooner students are eligible to register. Classifications are broken down as follows:

• Freshman: 0–29 hours
• Sophomore: 30–59 hours
• Junior: 60–89 hours
• Senior: 90 or more hours

Yes. Generally speaking, students are required to see an advisor and discuss future semester plans in order for the advisor to clear the advising hold placed on all students prior to registration. Each department has specific advising criteria for their students. Consult with your major department regarding its advising policy and scheduling.

A student may register in person through the Registrar’s Office or online through the ASU portal RamPort.

The core curriculum requirements (often referred to as the basics or general requirements) are a 42-credit-hour block of courses that all students must complete, regardless of their major. Certain majors require specific courses from the core. For example, a B.B.A. degree requires BCIS 1305 for the computer literacy requirement.

Not necessarily. Many majors prefer that students take specific courses from the core requirements (nursing, computer science and business majors to name a few). 

Discuss your ideas with your advisor to avoid taking classes that may not apply to the major you choose. Some majors have prerequisite courses that need to be completed early to avoid a delay in projected graduation.

If you are an undeclared major but are considering a particular major, you may want to take an introductory course in that academic area to get a better idea about what you want to do.

Contact the Office of Undeclared Advising at 325-942-2595 or freshman_college@angelo.edu.

A major is a group of courses that constitutes a principal field of study. In most cases, it includes courses from only one academic specialization. In some majors, it will include courses from two or more disciplines. Specific requirements for each major are defined in the University Catalog.

Most degrees do require a minor. Exceptions include majors in business, social work and other degrees with an interdisciplinary major that states the minor as optional.

A minor is a group of courses that constitutes a secondary, less intensive field of study.

A single-area minor must have 18 semester credit hours, of which a minimum of six must be at the advanced level (i.e., junior or senior level) and taken in residence (at ASU).

A multiple-area minor is a set of courses from two or three selected academic disciplines. Nine semester credit hours, including at least six advanced hours taken in residence, are required in each component discipline of a multiple-area minor.

To declare a major, a student must go to the department of the desired major to complete the necessary paperwork. Declaring a major can be done at any time, but it is highly recommended that it be done by the beginning of the sophomore year. Declaring a major does not lock a student into a certain major forever. A student may change a major at any time.

Go to the department of the desired major, speak with an advisor and fill out a change of major form. The form will be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office to complete the process.

Many students are unsure of what to major in. During the first year of college, many students take courses in the core. You may be encouraged to take a course outside of the core that is of interest to you. Visit the Career Development office (UC 114) to work with a career counselor. The career counselors work with students to find their weaknesses and their strengths and correlate these to a major field of study and career choice.

A degree plan is a formalized plan that shows the requirements and courses that must be successfully completed to graduate, initiated by the department of the student’s major.

Go to the department of the desired major, speak with an advisor and fill out an application for a degree plan. This form will be forwarded to the dean of the specific college and will become official. The dean’s office will send a letter to you acknowledging that the degree plan has been filed.

To drop a course, a student must go to the Registrar’s Office during the first 12 class days of a long semester or the first four days of a summer term and complete the necessary paperwork. After the 12th class day during a long semester or after the fourth class day of a summer term, a student must get a signed drop slip from the instructor of the course and take it to the Registrar’s Office to complete the process of dropping a course.

No. A student who stops attending class will not automatically be dropped from the course. You must follow the required procedure to drop a course. Failure to follow required procedure for dropping a course will result in a grade of “F” in that course.

Dropping a course is a personal choice. A student may want to consider dropping a course if, after consulting with the instructor of the course, there is little or no chance of passing the course. If attendance declines due to unforeseen circumstances, dropping the course may be an option. However, there may be ramifications from dropping a course. Financial aid, scholarships, health insurance and residence hall eligibility may be affected.

Each semester will have a cutoff date for dropping courses. Please check the Important Dates calendar at the beginning of each semester for the last day to drop a course. 

Students may initiate withdrawal from the university by going to the Registrar’s Office in Hardeman 200.

A student’s academic progress is measured in terms of the student’s overall grade point average, which is based on all course work (including developmental courses) taken in which a computable grade is awarded. 

The student’s overall grade point average is computed by dividing the total number of quality (grade) points earned by the total number of quality hours. For example, a sophomore student who has 35 quality hours and has earned 85 quality points would have a 2.43 overall grade point average: 85 quality points ÷ 35 quality hours = 2.43 GPA.

Yes, based on which major you are following. Consult graduation requirements by department in the University Catalog or department web pages that show degree plans for the major.

Academic standing is determined by a student’s academic progress at ASU based on GPA. GPA requirements for academic standing are NOT the same as GPA requirements for financial aid eligibility. Contact the Financial Aid Office for details.