Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find some of the questions most frequently asked by prospective and current students of the College of Education & Health Professions regarding academic advising. If your question is not listed below, please reach out to your advisor.

Common Course Numbering

  • The vision of the Common Course Numbering initiative is to align the University of Arkansas System institutions and eventually all public institutions in Arkansas under a common course numbering schema and index to support Arkansas students in transfer, remove barriers to higher education, and ease administrative overhead of determining course equivalency in the processing of transcripts.
  • Course numbers will now consist of a 4-letter department/program code followed by 5 numbers to indicate the specific course. Some department/program codes are changing with Common Course Numbering.
  • For example, Composition I was previously ENGL 1013 and will now be ENGL 10103.
  • The new course numbers will be utilized beginning in Fall 2024. Summer 2024 classes will still use the current course numbering scheme.

 

UAConnect

  • Your degree audit is a very useful tool that can help you stay on track with your degree.  You can view your degree requirements, your cumulative & major GPA, and what a different major/minor would look like by using the What If tool. You can view more information about your degree audit here.
  • These are some common errors that students see when trying to enroll in classes in UAConnect.
    • Online for online students only – Section reserved for online degree students only.
    • Requisites – You have not met the prerequisite or corequisite requirements for this class. Click on the class to view its requisites. Here are a few possible reasons:
      • The class requires a corequisite lab. You must also enroll in the lab section.
      • The class requires a prerequisite class to be completed before you enroll in the class.
      • The class requires a minimum test score on the ACT/SAT.
      • Honors classes are for honors students only.
      • The class is only open to students in a specific major or minor.
    • Time Conflict - This class has a time conflict with another class on your schedule. Double-check the times of your classes by looking at the weekly calendar view and make any necessary changes.
    • Term Limits and Course Loads being Exceeded - You are allowed to register in a maximum of 18 hours per semester. If you wish to take more than 18, you must complete the Overload Petition form to request permission.
    • No Valid Appointment - Your enrollment date has not arrived. Click “Important Dates” in UAConnect, then “Enrollment Dates” to find out when you can enroll.
    • Department/Instructor Consent – Generally this message means you must get permission from the course instructor/department to take the class. Find the instructor’s contact information in the directory. If there is no instructor listed, then contact the department. For example, if it is a COMM course you will contact the Communication Department.
      • There may be contact information listed in the class notes for who to contact to request enrollment.
  • A waitlist for a class means that you are not enrolled in the class, but you are in line for a seat if one becomes available. Being on a waitlist does not guarantee that you will get into the class, but it gives you a chance to do so. It is recommended to enroll in another class to ensure you enroll in enough hours. If you are placed into the waitlisted class, you can drop the additional class before the drop date. Note, being on the waitlist for a class counts towards your total number of enrollment hours.
  • Generally, courses do not require permission numbers, but this message may occur if the course has specific enrollment requirements. Check the note of the class for some of these common instances:
    • Sections reserved for online students
    • Department/Instructor Consent Required (see “I got an error message while trying to enroll in a class. What does it mean?”)
    • Section reserved for CEA Students
  • There are a few common types of holds that you may see on your account in UAConnect:
    • Advising Hold - This means that you need to schedule an appointment with your advisor to plan your courses. 
    • Pre-Registration Hold - This means that you need to complete the Financial Agreement in your To-Do list in UAConnect. More information here.   
    • Immunization Hold - This means that you need to submit your immunization records to the Pat Walker Health Center. More information here.   
    • Student Account Hold - Contact the Treasurer's Office for more information.
    • Title IX Hold - Complete the Title IX training in your Blackboard account. This can take an hour or more to complete.  After you complete the training, send your certificate to titleix@uark.edu.  If you run into issues, contact the https://titleix.uark.edu/ for assistance.
    • Parking & Transit Hold – Pay traffic fines, etc.
    • All other holds - If you click on the hold, you should get more information on how to remove that hold.
  • The course will meet on certain days/times for lecture, just like any other course, and will also have the drill which will be one of the following depending on the course:
    • A separate, smaller section of the class that meets once a week at a set time
    • A specific time reserved in your schedule during which exams will be held.
  • Talk to your advisor to review your degree audit.
  • Unofficial transcript – You may access your unofficial transcript through the Student Homepage on UAConnect. Click here for instructions.
  • Official transcript - Official transcripts can be requested online or in-person through the Office of the Registrar.
  • Depending on why you need your transcript, an unofficial transcript may suffice. For example, secondary licensure applications may require an official transcript. Double check what is needed.
  • You may view and print an unofficial Verification of Enrollment in UAConnect, or you may request an official copy to be sent by the Office of the Registrar. For more information, read the Enrollment Verification Instructions.
  • Click “Important Dates” in UAConnect, then “Enrollment Dates” to find out when you can enroll. Undergraduate students are identified by their “Current Class Standing” for the purpose of assigning the appointments, and the dates and times are generated based on completed credit hours within the specific student classifications. Once your appointment time has begun, you can register any time the system is available.

 

Advising Appointments

  • You may be assigned an individual advisor or an advising team based on your major. You can see your advisor on UAConnect by clicking “Degree Audit” then “View My Advisor” or check My Success Network in UASuccess.
  • We only take walk-ins during certain times in the semester, for example, usually the first week of classes and during advance registration. You can see if we are having walk-ins or scheduled appointments only on our main webpage.
  • Our college requires you to see your advisor at least once a semester. You will see an advising hold on UAConnect each semester. This is your reminder to schedule your advising appointments. However, you are welcome to schedule advising appointments as often as you would like.
  • You need to schedule your advising appointment with the appropriate advisor in UASuccess. Here is the link to our advising team in UASuccess.
  • You can choose an in-person appointment or a virtual appointment. If you select an in-person appointment, then your appointment is at the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence (CORD). When you come in the front doors, please check in at the front desk with the student workers. They will direct you to the yellow couches on the left, and we will take you to our office when we are ready.
  • If you select a virtual appointment, then that appointment will be on Microsoft Teams. Please be sure you have Teams on your computer before our appointment time; you can download Teams to your computer, phone, or tablet. Here is a link for information on Teams. At our appointment time, open up Microsoft Teams in a private space, and we will call you.
  • If you need assistance scheduling an appointment, then you can call our office number at 479-575-4203.
  • Your advisor will email you when it is time to schedule your advising appointment for the semester. Typically, we will start advising once advising holds are placed in the first few weeks of the semester.
  • You need to meet with your advisor before your enrollment date. If you wait to meet with your advisor until after your enrollment date, then you will enroll late, and your required classes may already be full. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to schedule your advising appointment and attend it as soon as possible.
  • Then simply cancel your appointment and schedule another one. If you cancel the day of your appointment, that means that you have taken a slot away from a student who could have used it for their appointment. We know that things come up, but we strongly recommend that you cancel your appointment as soon as possible so we can give that slot to another student who needs to be advised.
  • Please give your advisor ample time to respond to your email. Our office is only open 8am-4:30pm Monday through Friday, so if you email outside of those hours, expect a delayed response. Additionally, if campus is closed or your advisor has an out-of-office message, don’t expect a response until your advisor is back on campus. Otherwise, give your advisor 48 hours during business days, and if you haven’t heard back, feel free to follow up with another email. Sometimes an email gets lost in the system or accidentally passed over in our inbox. We do our best to answer emails in a timely manner.

 

Degree & Schedule Planning

  • Your degree requirements are listed in your degree audit in UAConnect and in the Undergraduate Catalog of Studies. You can also access a degree worksheet on our website, which your advisor will go over with you during your advising appointment.
  • Note that State Minimum Core is required for all degrees at the University of Arkansas, but some of our degrees may require specific courses to meet university core.
  • An elective course is any course used to meet graduation requirements that are over and above what you need for core and your major requirements.
  • You can review the list of undergraduate departments and courses in the Catalog of Studies to get an idea of what courses you may be able to take as general electives.
  • Some degrees require electives, but some don’t. Be sure you know if your degree requires electives. Talk to your advisor if you are not sure.
  • There are several ways to expand and limit your search in UAConnect for courses. Here are some of the most common:
    • If you know the department for which you want to search, enter the course subject only. Leave everything else blank.
    • If you know the level of elective you need, such as 30000 or higher, limit your course number to "greater than or equal to" and enter "30000" in the search box.  
    • You can use the additional search criteria to search by time, instructor, keywords, or other attributes such as number of credit hours.
  • The course number determines the course level. Lower-level courses begin with a 1 or 2. For example, MATH 11003 is lower level because it begins with a 1. Upper-level courses begin with a 3 or 4. For example, EXSC 43203 is an upper-level course because it begins with a 4.
  • Use your degree worksheet and see what options you could take for your degree.
  • Check your Degree Audit in UAConnect to see if one of the courses marked with a red X is available.
  • Search for one of the alternate courses your advisor listed from your advising meeting.
  • It depends. To be considered a full-time student, you must be enrolled in at least 12 hours every semester. Sometimes you may need to take more hours per semester to complete your degree requirements on your desired timeline. Talk to your advisor about how many hours you should take every semester.
  • If you’re not sure how many hours you need to complete every semester to maintain your financial aid and/or scholarship(s), please ask the Financial Aid Office or Academic Scholarship Office.
  • You may take online classes. However, many online classes are only for online-degree students. If you are in an on-campus degree program, then you may not be able to take the class online. Typically, some sections are for on-campus students (often odd-numbered sections, like 901, 903, etc), and some sections are for online students (often even-numbered sections, like 902, 904, etc).
  • No, there is no limit to how many online classes you can take for your degree.
  • Undergraduate students may select up to 9 hours of any combination of UA courses with posted grades of “D” or “F” to be excluded from their cumulative grade point average calculation. Find more information on the grade exclusion policy. 
  • Please note that it is strongly recommended to speak with an advisor before completing grade exclusion. A ‘D’ grade may give you credit towards your degree, but if you initiate grade exclusion, you will permanently lose that credit. Talk to your advisor and see if grade exclusion is best for your situation.
  • Your GPA is the average of all courses taken at the University of Arkansas. Transfer credits do not affect your cumulative GPA. You can see your current cumulative GPA in your degree audit.
  • If you are curious about how to calculate your GPA, then you can use a GPA calculator like the one here.
  • We are happy that you are interested in joining the COEHP Honors Program! Please check the Admission Requirements page on the COEHP Honors website to see if you are eligible to join and how to apply.
  • There is a lot of information about honors requirements on the COEHP Honors Program website. Please check that out or contact your advisor!

 

Transfer & Test Credit

  • It depends. Most major courses need to be taken at the University, however, there are times that some pre-requisites or core classes can be taken elsewhere. Discuss your plans with your academic advisor first.
  • Be sure to check the Course Equivalency Guide before enrolling in courses at another institution to confirm that the courses will transfer correctly to the University of Arkansas.
  • In order to transfer credit from another institution to the University, you will need to request that institution send an official transcript directly to the Registrar’s Office. Many institutions charge a small fee to request an official transcript. You will need to follow the other institution’s instructions on how to request an official transcript.
  • The Registrar’s Office website has details on where exactly your transcript should be sent.
  • If you did not already use your “Free Score Send” before coming to campus, you will need to log into your College Board account to request to have a Score Report sent to the University. There is a fee associated with sending a Score Report.
  • The College Board website has additional details and step-by-step instructions.
  • The Catalog of Studies lists the scores required to receive University of Arkansas credit.
  • You will need to request to have an IB transcript sent to the University. There is a fee associated with sending a transcript.
  • The IB website has additional details and instructions.
  • The Catalog of Studies lists the scores required to receive University of Arkansas credit.
  • The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) allows you to take exams covering introductory level material in certain subject areas. If you receive a high enough score on the exam, the University will award credit for the equivalent class. There is a fee associated with taking CLEP exams.
  • You can learn more about CLEP, register for exams, and send scores on the College Board website.
  • The Catalog of Studies lists the scores required to receive University of Arkansas credit.
  • Once your transcript(s) or test scores have been received by the Registrar’s Office, they must be processed and posted to UAConnect. This process typically takes at least 2 weeks (10 business days) after your transcript(s) or scores are received.
  • Once these are processed, you will be able to see the credit posted in UAConnect by clicking the “Degree Audit” tile and then “Transfer Credit” in the left side menu.
  • If you have reviewed your transfer credit report and do not agree with the course evaluation, you may petition the transfer evaluation by submitting the Petition of Transfer Credit form. Course descriptions and/or a Course Syllabus must accompany the form. Completed forms should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.
  • Courses that are transferred with the course number ending in two T’s, i.e. 199TT, will transfer as a University Core Requirement in that subject area.
  • Courses that transferred with the course number ending in one T, i.e. 199T, will transfer as elective credit only.
  • Any questions regarding your Transfer Credit Evaluation should be discussed with your academic advisor.
  • Generally, no. However, students may submit a petition to request that up to 6 hours of coursework with D grades be allowed to transfer.
  • This request is not guaranteed, and some majors may require grades of C or better for certain classes, so be sure to consult with your academic advisor.

 

Changing Your Major or Minor

  • If you want to change your major within COEHP, complete the Change of Program or Major form. It is recommended that you meet with an academic advisor before changing your major.
  • If you are changing from another college to COEHP, complete the Change of Program or Major form. It is recommended that you meet with an academic advisor before changing your major.
  • If you want to change your major to something in another college, you will need to complete your new major’s change of major form within the specified academic college. You can find the information for each college’s advising center here.
  • If you want to add or change a minor, complete the Change of Program or Major form. Your academic advisor in COEHP will advise you for your minor, even for minors housed in other colleges.
  • Here are some resources to help you explore the majors available to you at the U of A:
    • Major Exploration coaches - Schedule an appointment with a major exploration coach.
    • Offices of Career Connections – Schedule an Exploring Majors and Careers appointment with a career counselor.
    • MyMajors - Take a self-assessment to find a U of A major that matches your interests, or find help discovering your interests and career options.

 

Program Applications

  • Career & Technical Education, Childhood Education, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Drama Education, Elementary Education, English Education, French Education, German Education, Nursing, Physical Education, Public Health, Social Studies Education, Spanish Education, and Special Education

 

  • A parallel plan is a secondary plan that students work on simultaneously. You will plan to meet requirements for both or multiple options, and this is recommended for any program that requires a secondary application.
  • We offer application workshops each year for students who are planning on applying to our programs. You will be invited to attend in the appropriate semester based on your program’s application timeline. It is recommended that you attend these sessions early in their academic career, to plan accordingly.
  • Each program has a specific application cycle. Talk to your advisor, attend the application meeting, and review the program website for information on the application timeline for your specific major.

 

Student Success

 

Study Abroad

  • Studies have shown that students who study abroad enjoy greater self-confidence and maturity, are more likely to graduate, and have improved career and salary outcomes compared to students who do not study abroad. International experiences like study abroad stand out on your resume, no matter what you want to do after graduation!
  • Check out this video where U of A study abroad alumni discuss their experiences:
  • Review the information and links in this section to start learning more about study abroad. Then at your next advising appointment, bring it up with your academic advisor to learn more about potential program options, timelines, and resources.
  • Students of all majors may study abroad, but you don’t necessarily have to pick a study abroad program related to your major. Most students in the College of Education & Health Professions may earn major-specific credit on faculty-led study abroad programs, or you may choose to utilize your study abroad experience to work on a minor or earn elective credits.
  • No. All University of Arkansas students who are in good academic standing and who've completed at least 24 credit hours on our campus are eligible to look into study abroad. Every study abroad program could have its own requirements beyond these basics, so check with the program application for more on the specific expectations for your study abroad program.
  • No, although studying abroad can be a great opportunity to improve your skills in another language! While some study abroad programs focus on language learning, others have different areas of focus and will have courses conducted in English.
  • Yes, there are many scholarship opportunities specifically for study abroad available through the University of Arkansas and outside organizations. The Study Abroad Office website has useful information on University of Arkansas and external study abroad funding opportunities.
  • No, there are programs available during intersessions (approximately 10 days to 2 weeks), summer (typically 1-2 months), fall/spring semesters, and full academic years. The most common option is to study abroad during the summer.
  • You can study abroad as soon as you have completed at least 24 hours on campus. The most common times to study abroad for students in our college are the summer after sophomore year and the summer after junior year.
  • Visit the Study Abroad SharePoint to learn more about the study abroad process and how to get started. You can also schedule an appointment with a study abroad advisor.

 

Graduation

  • Students must apply by the deadline to be included in the commencement program book. Students graduating in the spring or the following summer are invited to attend spring commencement.
  • It is strongly recommended that you apply for graduation the semester prior to your anticipated graduation so there is time to review any outstanding requirements.

 

   Graduation Term       Application Deadline   
Spring March 1
Summer July 1
Fall October 1

 

  • Commencement and graduation are two different things, but they’re intertwined. Commencement is the time-honored traditional ceremony of walking across the stage to celebrate the academic accomplishments of graduating students. There are commencement ceremonies at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Graduation means students have completed the requirements to earn a degree or diploma. You can graduate in fall (December), spring (May), or summer (August).
  • Not necessarily. Participation in commencement or a recognition ceremony does not mean you have graduated. Graduation occurs the term in which all degree requirements have been satisfied.
  • Graduation with Honors - You must complete the requirements of the COEHP Honors Program to earn the distinction of graduating cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.
    • Your final graduation honors level will be determined by your cumulative grade point average (GPA):
      • Summa Cum Laude: GPA ≥ 3.9
      • Magna Cum Laude: GPA 3.7 - 3.89
      • Cum Laude: GPA 3.5 - 3.69
  • Graduation with Distinction - Graduation with Distinction will be conferred to College of Education and Health Professions students (who are not participating in the college “Honors Program”) based upon your University of Arkansas cumulative grade-point average at the time of graduation. To earn this distinction, you must have completed at least one-half of the course work required for your degree at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The graduation with distinction designation will be assigned as follows:
    • For highest distinction, you must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.95.
    • For high distinction, you must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.80.
  • The University of Arkansas regalia policy can be viewed here. Cords or stoles (except red and white colors) from college and national honor societies with a university affiliation, from registered student organizations, and those distributed by a college are allowed. Note:  Red and white cords or stoles are reserved for university honors only. Questions regarding the regalia policy should be directed to the Office of the Registrar.
  • You will register their commencement attendance when you apply for graduation. The following guidelines should be used when selecting the appropriate commencement term:
    • Fall Commencement
      • Students who graduated in the previous summer term.
      • Students who are enrolled in, or will be enrolled in, the classes need to graduate in the fall term.
    • Spring Commencement
      • Students who graduated in the previous fall term.
      • Students who are enrolled in, or will be enrolled in, the classes needed to graduate in the spring term.
      • Students who are within 12 hours of degree completion and who will complete these hours in the following summer term.
  • The list for this year’s graduates will be inscribed typically in late spring to early summer of the following year. The weather plays a large part in the ability to inscribe new Senior Walks, as well as completing needed corrections. More information about Senior Walk.
  • Fall graduates should receive diplomas in late February, Spring graduates should receive it by late July and Summer graduates by late October. Clearing students for graduation during any term is a very detailed process with the cooperation of the schools and colleges and the Office of the Registrar. After final clearances are determined they are printed by the Office of the Registrar, audited for accuracy and then mailed. More information about Diplomas.