Notes to Seniors

ABOUT YOUR MAJOR(S) —- Only officially declared majors that you have listed on your degree application will be recorded on your permanent record.  For a continuously enrolled student, the requirements for the major are those that were in effect at the time you officially declared the major.  If you have dropped out of UMW for more than three consecutive semesters, you must complete the requirements in effect at the time you re enrolled at UMW. Your diploma will show the degree you have completed; your major(s) will not be shown on the diploma but will be recorded on your permanent record.

You may add a major to your degree application before mid-semester.  To add a major, you must:

• submit a major card, signed by the department chair, to the Bachelor of Liberal Studies Office, Lee Hall,  so that a degree audit and a senior check sheet can be prepared for this major and
• add the major to your degree application in the Office of the Registrar

If either of these two steps is skipped, the additional major will not be valid and will not be recorded.

Your major program grade-point average computation includes UMW grades for specific required courses, elective courses required for the major, and free electives within the major discipline, taken on a graded basis (including F’s) and not otherwise excluded.  Grades for transfer courses do not count in the grade-point average.

PLANNING YOUR FINAL COURSES

YOU alone are responsible for choosing courses that fill all of your degree requirements.  Your adviser will help you, but you should know exactly what requirements you must complete and which courses you are taking to fill them.  Be sure you have successfully completed the prerequisites for each course you take; also be sure you do not take any course that is a prerequisite or introductory for a course you have successfully completed since you will lose credits for going backwards.  If you are repeating a course, be sure that you are registered for the course as a repeat so that the repeat grade will be computed correctly in your GPA.  Read “Repeating Courses” in the Dictionary of Academic Regulations.  You will not receive credits for repeating a C-, D+, or D, just quality points.

ALWAYS take your degree audit and senior check sheet with you when you meet with your major adviser to discuss schedule changes (drops, adds, pass/fail changes).  If you drop a required course, skip a prerequisite, incorrectly change a course to pass/fail, etc., it is quite possible that no one will discover your error until it is too late to correct it.  Your major adviser and the Bachelor of Liberal Studies Office are here to help you. 

BEFORE taking any course at another college this year, review all of the UMW’s residence requirements and obtain transfer approval for the specific course from Office of the Registrar.    WARNING:  If you take a course that you need for graduation at another college during Spring 2011, you will almost certainly delay your graduation because of calendar differences this year.

CHECK your fall 2010 grades before the end of Spring 2011 add period so that you may make any schedule changes that may be necessary.  The next reviews for the Class of 2011 and problem warnings from the BLS Office cannot always be completed until after the end of the add period so do not wait to receive problem notification.  If you anticipate a problem, come to the BLS Office for a review of your degree audit.

CONFERRING OF DEGREES AND PARTICIPATION IN COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY, CLASS OF 2011

Degrees are conferred and diplomas awarded once a year at the end of the spring semester.  Students who complete all degree requirements during the 2010 summer session, the fall 2010 semester, and the spring 2011 semester will be awarded diplomas on May 7, 2011.  Participation in the graduation ceremony is limited to those official degree candidates who have completed ALL degree requirements.  There are no exceptions.  All final grades (UMW and transfer) must be on record and the complete record approved for graduation by an official of the University before a student will be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony on May 7, 2011.  Students who do not complete all degree requirements until summer of 2011 will be part of the Class of 2012 not the Class of 2011.