Academic Advising FAQ

Follow these three simple steps:

1. Take DATA 122 (Elementary Statistics) as soon as possible. This course counts for the Core QA requirement and is a prerequisite for Intermediate Statistics (DATA 260)
2. If you are planning on being a psychology major, take DATA 260 (Intermediate Statistics) as soon as possible. This is a perquisite for Experimental Design and Analysis (PS301), which is a required course for the psychology major and a pre-requisite for several other courses.
3. Take PS 301 (Experimental Design and Analysis) as soon as possible, preferably by the end of sophomore year.

• Incoming freshmen should register for a psychology cohort advising group during orientation to make sure they get the right sequence of courses to take full advantage of the range of courses available for both graduate school or careers right after graduation. If you do not have a psychology faculty member as your cohort advisor, please contact us at psychology@jcu.edu for instructions on how to switch to a psychology faculty member.
• Once you have earned at least 45 credits and can declare a psychology major you will be assigned a psychology faculty member as your advisor. 

• Contact the psychology department chair to inquire about being forced into a class. 

Declaring a major sophomore year

When you have completed 45 credit hours, it is time to declare Psychology as your major.

• Fill out the online Orientation and application for declaration of major. The whole process takes 30 minutes and must be completed in one sitting. Once you completed this process we will contact you with further instructions. Contact psychology@jcu.edu with questions. 

Declaring a minor

To declare a minor, complete this application, print the confirmation email you receive from the Registrar's Office and take to the appropriate academic department's office.

Yes! All psychology majors must have a Capstone Experience in Psychology. The capstone experience is satisfied by completing at least one of the following courses. 

• PS401 (Advanced Research Methods)
• PS435 (Tests and Measurement)
• PS470 (Seminar on Children and Family in the Legal System)
• PS471 (Ethics)
• PS476 (Seminar on Child and Family Studies)
• PS477 (Seminar on Mental Health Services)
• PS479 (Seminar on Topics in Psychology)
• Any Practicum from PS480 through PS494. 

A degree evaluation is a the way for you to see if you are on track with completing your university and major requirements. See How to run a degree evaluation in Bannerweb . Psychology major requirements are detailed on our department webpage and university core requirements are detailed here. However, keep in mind that webpages will not always be updated. For the official guidelines consult the undergraduate bulletin associated with the year you began attending JCU here. 

• Academic Petitions -- Access from the Student Profile in Banner
• Students should use this form to request:
  • course overloads (registering for more than 18 credit hours in a semester)
  • incomplete grades
  • repeat a course
  • special requests about the core curriculum
  • substitution of courses
  • transient petitions
  • Independent Study
  • grade exclusion

Pre-Major Update Form Considering another major and you have less than 45 credit hours? At JCU, students cannot declare a major until they reach 45 credit hours. However, that does not mean you should not be thinking about which major you would like to pursue. This form is for students who have not yet declared a major, but already have the major in mind they would like to pursue. Filling out this form will ensure JCU understands your most current academic interests and allows us to ensure you have an advisor in the correct discipline.

The normal course load for full-time students is 15 to 18 credit hours per semester, but will vary with students’ curriculum and scholarship record. Additional tuition is charged for a course load of more than 18 credit hours. Permission to carry excess credit hours (more than 18) requires, among other considerations, at least a 3.0 average in the previous semester and permission of the assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or the Boler College of Business. Requests for course overload should be submitted through an Academic Petition.

Grade Exclusion is intended to help students in their first year of enrollment at the University recover from unsuccessful course work specifically related to their academic major. Courses taken to fulfill Core, minor, and elective credit are not eligible under this policy. Students who received a C- or below in courses required for their intended major, including major support courses, taken during the first two semesters of enrollment, are eligible to petition for Exclusion. A successful Academic Petition for Exclusion allows a student to remove the deficient grade or grades from their cumulative GPA. A student who makes this choice may not continue in the academic major for which they requested Exclusion or a major requiring Excluded course work. If a student elects to return to the discontinued major, Excluded course grades will be reapplied toward the degree. A petition for Exclusion will be reviewed by the chair of the relevant academic department and the assistant dean for the College of Arts and Sciences or the Boler College of Business. The petition must be submitted before the start of the third term of enrollment at the University. Courses for which Exclusion has been granted remain listed on the student’s permanent record (transcript) with the designation EX. Grades and credit hours of Excluded courses no longer apply toward the degree.

The terms “drop” and “withdrawal” are not interchangeable at John Carroll. A student drops, or removes a registered course from their schedule, during the Add/Drop period specified by the Office of the Registrar. Dropping a course leaves no record of registration on the transcript. After the Add/Drop period ends, a student withdraws from a course to remove it from their schedule. A course withdrawal is noted as a W on the transcript and does not impact a student’s grade point average. Students are considered enrolled in a course until they have completed formal drop and/or withdrawal procedures. Students who never attend or stop attending a course without following proper drop and/or withdrawal procedures automatically receive a WF, which is a failing grade and is computed in the cumulative average.

New, first-year and transfer students in their first term of enrollment who wish to drop or withdraw from a course must first consult with their advisor. The advisor will provide a signed Academic Program Recommendation (APR) form, which is to be submitted to Student Enrollment and Financial Services in order to complete the drop or withdrawal. All other continuing students are not required to use an APR, but must still visit Student Enrollment and Financial Services to process the drop or withdrawal.

Registration guidelines, dates, and deadlines for part-term and full-term courses are posted on the Office of the Registrar’s webpage.

Students may attempt to take a course twice at the University. In the case of a course repeat, the first attempt grade must be a C- or lower, including Withdrawal. Requests to repeat a course must be submitted through an academic petition. The highest graded attempt will be factored into the grade point average. Students receive credit once when repeating a course, and all attempts remain on the transcript. In addition, only course work repeated at John Carroll impacts the grade point average. Requests to take a course for a third time will be considered only in serious, extenuating circumstances and will be reviewed by the academic advisor, the chair of the department in which the repeat course was taught, and the assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or Boler College of Business. In cases of a third attempt, the first and highest graded attempts will be factored into the grade point average. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisor and the Office of Financial Aid before registering for a course repeat.

Students planning to take courses at other universities are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisers before registering for those courses. Classes already approved for transfer to JCU may be found here.

Courses not already approved for transfer to JCU require approval through Academic Petition. 

If the school where you intend to take a course requires written permission/approval, please use the form you find here.