Advising FAQs

You can find your academic advisor’s name listed in DegreeWorks and on the TranGuide. If a name is not listed, please email us at advising@gcsu.edu.

For a complete list of advisors and the subject areas they advise, see the Staff page. Advisors’ email addresses and phone numbers can also be found there.

You can make changes to advising appointments using the confirmation email you received when you booked the appointment. Open it, and click Reschedule. (Alternatively, find it on your Outlook calendar, open the meeting, and click Manage Booking.) On the page that opens, click either Reschedule or Cancel booking. Don’t forget to confirm your choices.

Another option is to email or call your advisor with your cancellation request, and then reschedule using the Bookings website if needed.

If possible, we request that you cancel appointments at least 24 hours in advance, so that other students may use your time slot.

When you are admitted to Georgia College, a hold is placed on your record to prevent you from registering for classes without the approval of your academic advisor. The university does this for every student, both to ensure that you share in a dialogue with your advisor about selecting appropriate courses and other educational interests, and so that you get accurate information about requirements for your major(s) and minor(s).

The Advisor Hold will usually return to your record after Add/Drop Week. This is done to encourage continued communication between students and advisors each semester before registering for new classes.

Georgia state law requires that each candidate for a degree from a University System of Georgia institution demonstrate knowledge of the history and constitution of the United States and Georgia by course work or examination. Additional information can be found in the Georgia College Undergraduate Catalog.

All undergraduates must complete a specific task during one of your last two semesters prior to completing your degree requirements, called the Senior Exit requirement. The nature of this task depends on your major and is decided by the department of your major. It may be an examination, a portfolio, completion of a course, or some other method of assessment.

If your major requires you to take a test, you should check with the Center for Testing to find out the type of test, how to register for it, and what deadlines are set by your major(s). You are encouraged to register for the exam the semester before you plan to take it. It is the your responsibility to register correctly and on time.

Your participation in the Senior Exit requirement is an important part of Georgia College’s efforts to assess its own effectiveness and continually improve its programs. Results of exit requirements will be part of your official Georgia College record. Students who fail to successfully complete their Senior Exit requirements by the last day to complete coursework or degree requirements (as published in the academic calendar) will not be allowed to graduate that term.

All information about graduation application deadlines is on the Registrar’s Office website. For assistance with the procedure, contact your advisor.

You can declare or change a major or minor by contacting the academic advisor for your proposed new major or minor. You may declare a second major or minor in the same way.

Biology, Environmental Science, and Geology

You are allowed to drop the lecture and keep the lab or vice versa. In order to do this, you will need to talk with your professor and obtain his or her signature on an Add/Drop Card as well as the department chair’s signature. Once you have gotten the required signatures, you can then turn the form in to the Registrar’s Office for processing.

During the first week of classes, you may come to the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences to get an authorization for this procedure, called a co-requisite override. An Add/Drop Card is only needed if you are trying to do this after the first week of classes.

Courses for which students can drop the co-requisite lecture or lab are:

• BIOL 1100 / 1100L
• BIOL 1107 / 1107L
• BIOL 1108 / 1108L
• BIOL 1120 / 1120L
• ENSC 1000 / 1000L
• GEOL 1121 / 1121L
• GEOL 1122 / 1122L

Students may not partially drop other courses’ lectures or labs that do not have a separate CRN for the lecture and for the lab.

In order to register for just the lecture or lab of a biology, environmental science, or geology course, you will have to request a co-requisite override from the department. For BIOL 1107/1107L and BIOL 1108/1108L, the override will not be entered until after registration has begun (usually by Monday of the following week) for you to be able to register for the portion of the course you need. Please note that an override does not guarantee you a seat. They are available on a first come, first served basis.

Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy

Students may not drop a portion of their physics, astronomy, or chemistry (majors section) prior to the middle of the term. If by midterm you wish to drop the lecture or lab and remain in the other portion, you will need to obtain the professor’s and department chair’s signatures on an Add/Drop Card. Once you have gotten the required signatures, you can then turn the form in to the Registrar’s Office for processing.

During the first week of classes, you may come to the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy to get an authorization for this procedure, called a co-requisite override. An Add/Drop Card is only needed if you are trying to do this after the first week of classes.

Students may not partially drop other courses’ lectures or labs that do not have a separate CRN for the lecture and for the lab.

In order to register for just the lecture or lab of an astronomy, chemistry, or physics course, you will have to request a co-requisite override from the department. The override will not be entered until after registration has begun (usually by Monday of the following week) for you to be able to register for the portion of the course you need. Please note that an override does not guarantee a seat. They are available on a first come, first served basis.

Use an Add/Drop Card with the signatures of your course instructor, the department chair, and your academic advisor.

File a Student Petition with the Registrar’s Office. It will need to be approved by your academic advisor and the department chair.

Log into Unify and click the link for PAWS, then the link for Student Information and then View Student Holds. You can also find the information in DegreeWorks.

POUNCE is our registration process for all newly admitted freshmen. Additional information is available on our POUNCE page.

In general, Georgia College requires a score of 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) Program tests, given by the College Board. However, some subjects require a score of 4 or higher. Check the complete list of AP equivalencies for more details.

It depends on your major. In general, a D does count as passing for the core, except ENGL 1101 (English Composition I) which requires a C or better.

However, there are times a C or better is required. For example, a C or better in an Area A math class is required before a student can take MATH 1401 (Elementary Statistics). There may also be courses in the core that serve as pre-requisites for courses within your major, and a C or better may be required for those. For major-specific pre-requisite questions regarding core courses, please consult your academic advisor for further guidance.  

Courses in the core curriculum cannot be used in other areas. Courses in other areas of the curriculum may count in other areas depending on major requirements. It is best to check with your advisor regarding specific courses.

If you complete both attempts at the same institution, only the last grade is included in your grade-point average (GPA). However, both grades will continue to appear on your transcript. If you attempt the course at two different institutions, both grades are used in calculating your GPA, but credit for the course is earned only once.

Georgia College uses the institutional GPA to determine academic standing and eligibility for graduation, and only courses completed at Georgia College affect the institutional GPA. Repeating GC courses at other institutions does not replace your GC grades nor improve your academic standing at Georgia College.

More information about grade-point averages is available in the Undergraduate Catalog.

If you are going to take one semester at another college (e.g., a summer session closer to home), you must complete a Transient Permission Form to inform Georgia College of the course you’ll be taking.

The Transfer Equivalency Information system (formerly known as T.A.I.L., for Transfer Articulation Information Locator), available within PAWS, helps faculty advisors find GCSU equivalent courses for other university classes.

Contact the Interim Director of Academic Advising, Dr. Nikki Simpson, via email (nikki.simpson@gcsu.edu) or telephone (478-445-1635).