Registration and Schedule Changes

Do I need to meet with an advisor to register for classes?

Yes, you do need to meet with an advisor. Your advisor is not only there to offer suggestions about your educational path, but to ensure that you keep on track for your major, your general education courses, and your expected graduation date. Meeting with your advisor is the only way for you to obtain your registration access code, which is necessary for web registration. If you are advised by one of the advisors in the Academic Advising Center, call 617/824-7876 to make an appointment. If you are advised by a faculty advisor contact them directly to set up an appointment. If you aren't sure who your advisor is or how to contact him/her, you can access this information online through Interactive Services.

What is Advising Week?

Advising Week relates to students who are assigned to faculty advisors, not students assigned to an advisor in the Academic Advising Center. During Advising Week, students with faculty advisors meet with their advisors to discuss registration for the following semester. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL ADVISING WEEK TO SCHEDULE THIS APPOINTMENT! Faculty members have many students to accommodate, so it is important that you call your faculty advisor's office at least a week or two before Advising Week in order to arrange a meeting. Students who have advisors in the Academic Advising Center will meet with their advisors to plan for registration, but these meetings generally take place prior to Advising Week. If you aren't sure who your advisor is or how to contact him/her, you can access this information online through Interactive Services.

How long do I have to change my schedule?

If seats remain open in a class, students can add and drop freely through the first week of the semester. During the second week, instructor permission is required to add a class. Note that it is often difficult to make changes during the second week -- many instructors are unwilling to add a student if they feel too much material has been covered. Adding a class after the second week is extremely rare and incurs a late registration fee. No class may be dropped after the second week; instead students must officially withdraw from the class.

What if a class I want to take is full?

If a class you planned to take is full when it is your time to register, it is wise to continue to check back online to see if any seats open up. Students continually make changes to their schedule as long as web registration is available (up until bills are due: January 1 for Spring semester, August 1 for Fall semester) and a class you want may be a class someone else decides to drop. Students may also ask the instructor to add them into a full class as an overenrolled student. If space remains in the classroom (that is, if the enrollment does not exceed room capacity set by fire codes) the Registrar will add you into the class with a signed form from the instructor. If the room is at capacity, the only way to add a class is if someone else drops it. Keep in mind that many classes are often repeated at Emerson -- if you aren't able to take it one semester, you will have another chance to take it in the future.

I don't want to take a course anymore. What can I do?

During the first two weeks of a semester, you can drop from any class without permission through the Student Service Center. After the first two weeks, students may no longer drop a class, they must officially withdraw from a class. To withdraw from a class, have your professor sign a Withdrawal form, available at the Student Service Center, and return it to the Student Service Center before the deadline, roughly two weeks before the end of the semester. (See the academic calendar for exact dates.) If you withdraw from a course, your instructor will assign you a grade: WP (Withdraw Pass) if you are passing at the time of your withdrawal, or WF (Withdraw Fail) if you are failing. This grade will appear on your transcript. While a WP has no effect on GPA, a WF is calculated into the GPA as a failing grade. Note that if you simply stop going to class without officially dropping or withdrawing, neither the professor nor the Registrar will know your plans and you could end up with a failing grade. Talk to your advisor about options and consequences (e.g. the potential impact on academic standing) of withdrawing from a course.

What's an Incomplete?

Under certain circumstances, professors will allow students extra time to complete their coursework. A grade of Incomplete "I" will appear on the transcript and students have until the end of the following semester to complete all assignments for the course. Any Incomplete grades not finished by this deadline will change into an F.

I'd like to take a course or two over the summer. When will I find out what's offered?

Each summer Emerson holds two summer sessions through the Department of Professional Studies and Special Programs. Schedules are posted in early-to-mid March. While there is no guarantee of what will be offered over the summer, typically a variety of General Education courses and certain core courses in most majors are available. Taking summer courses can be helpful for students who want to make up credits, complete a double major, or graduate early. An added bonus is that summer courses are less expensive than tuition during the regular academic year. Because the summer sessions are shorter and more intensive than the fall and spring semester, students typically take no more than two classes per session. Over the course of two sessions, however, a student can earn a full 16 credits.