Academic advising is an important part of the educational experience here at Marshall. When you officially declare a Political Science undergraduate major in the College of Liberal Arts, your first step should be to talk to your advisor.
Your advisor will assist you in picking courses, remind you of graduation requirements, and help you explore options after graduation, such as graduate school, law school and/or career choices. As an adult, your choices are ultimately your own. However, your advisor is here to help you make the best possible choices for you and your future.
The College of Liberal Arts Student FAQ can also provide you with important information on choosing your courses, calculating your GPA, applying for graduation, and much more.
Advising procedures will differ for each student depending on the number of completed credit hours:
- All students must see their PSC/IA advisor for advising. Freshman (0-29 credits) and sophomore (30-59 credits) advising appointments will focus on both curricular advising and career advising. Junior (60-89 credits) and senior (90 credits or more) advising appointments will focus mostly on career advising.
- Seniors also must see a COLA Academic advisor in Old Main 112 to do a Senior Degree Evaluation.” The College of Liberal Arts (COLA) staff will carefully go through graduation requirements with each Junior to make sure that he/she is on the right track and will release the student’s registration hold. Students will do the same thing as soon as they pass 90 credits and become officially a Senior. Call the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) to make an appointment for your degree evaluation at 304-696-2350.
Click here to look at the entire academic calendar.
Advance Registration for Spring 2024 classes
The Spring 2024 schedule will be released on October 23, 2023. For currently enrolled students, advance registration will begin November 6, 2023 (or November 3 for those with priority registration).
Helpful Links:
- Click here for a list of the schedule of courses.
- Click here for a list of PSC undergraduate courses by subfields concentration.
- Need to fulfill a Humanities, Literature, Math, or Natural Science requirement? You can search directly for those courses here.
Who is my advisor?
Students can check MyMU to see which PSC member is their faculty advisor.
What should I bring with me when I meet with my advisor?
You should always bring the following things to see your advisor:
- Official Political Science Major Advising Sheet with Core Curriculum
- Consultation with DegreeWorks to see where you are
- List of questions about the major, specific courses, and post-graduation options.
Your advisor will NOT see you unless you have these two things. When you come prepared, the registration advising session should take approximately 10-15 minutes.
What will happen at the meeting with my advisor?
You will show your advisor your completed advising sheet and discuss what courses you need to take to fulfill the three requirements needed for graduation: (1) PSC requirements; (2) College of Liberal Arts requirements; and (3) University general education requirements. You will also discuss your preferred course schedule for the following semester. After this discussion, your advisor will remove your hold and, as soon as it is your turn to register (based on the number of credit hours completed ), you will be able to register for classes in person or online.
Seniors
Congratulations on achieving senior standing! Before graduation or registering for your next term, you must complete a senior degree evaluation with the College of Liberal Arts. During the evaluation, the COLA Student Program Advisor will determine which requirements you need to complete your degree. You will have a hold placed on your registration that will not be removed until you have completed this requirement. You cannot register until you have attended this meeting. Whether or not you plan on graduating right away, you must have an evaluation.
If you plan on graduating this semester, you must pay your graduation fee to the Bursar‘s Office before your meeting and bring the receipt to the College of Liberal Arts Office (Old Main 112). Please check the Registrar’s Office website or call the College of Liberal Arts at 304-696-2350 for more graduation information.
If you have a senior degree evaluation hold, call or stop into the College of Liberal Arts office as soon as possible–Old Main 112, 304-696-2350–to schedule your appointment.
How/Where Do I Register?
For information on how to register for classes in person or online, click here. (link to PDF on Registrar’s website)
Sample Four Year Degree Plan
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| FIRST SEMESTER | CREDIT HOURS | |
CMM 103  |
Fund Speech-Communication | 3 |
| ENG 101 |
Beginning Composition | 3 |
| FYS 100 | First Yr Sem Critical Thinking | 3 |
| PSC 104 |
Am Natl Govt & Politics (CT) | 3 |
| Core II Fine Arts | 3 | |
| UNI 100 | Freshman First Class | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| SECOND SEMESTER | ||
| ENG 201 |
Advanced Composition | 3 |
| Core II Physical and Natural Science | 4 | |
| STA 150 |
Foundations of Statistics | 3 |
| STA 150L |
Foundations of Statistics Lab | 1 |
| PSC 105 |
Fundamentals of Politics (CT) | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Second Year | ||
| FIRST SEMESTER | ||
| Foreign Language 101 | 3 | |
| PSC 312 | Research in Political Science | 3 |
| COLA Social Science (Not PSC) | ||
| Core II Humanities (WI) | 3 | |
| COLA Physical and Natural Science | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| SECOND SEMESTER | ||
| Multicultural or International | 3 | |
| Foreign Language 102 | 3 | |
| PSC Elective (3 in 1/1 in 3) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | Free Elective | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| FIRST SEMESTER | ||
| PSC Elective (3 in 1/1 in 3) | 3 | |
| COLA Multicultural | 3 | |
| COLA International | 3 | |
| Foreign Language 203 | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| SECOND SEMESTER | ||
| Foreign Language 204 | 3 | |
| PSC Elective (3 in 1/1 in 3) | 3 | |
| PSC Elective (3 in 1/1 in 3) | 3 | |
| COLA Social Science (not PSC) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| FIRST SEMESTER | ||
| PSC Elective (3 in 1/1 in 3) | 3 | |
| PSC Elective | 3 | |
| PSC 499 |
Capstone Experience (WI) | 3 |
| COLA Literature | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | Credit Hours | 15 | SECOND SEMESTER |
| PSC Elective (3 in 1/1 in 3) | 3 | |
| PSC Elective | COLA Literature | 3 | COLA Humanities | 3 | Free Elective | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |