Academic Advising FAQ

Where do I find information on…

  • What degree requirements I’ve completed/need to complete?
    • Log in to your myUMBC account, and check your Degree Audit.
  • UMBC Biology major requirements? Here!
  • UMBC Psychology minor requirements? Here!
  • How to transfer credits to UMBC? Here!
  • Advising and suggested courses for pre-health careers? Here!
  • Declaring a minor or additional major? Here!
  • Petitioning to take a course for the third time? Here!

You’re my academic adviser. What do I need to do to get cleared for registration next semester?

  • I require all my advisees to complete a pre-registration form that I typically email to your UMBC address a week before the registration calendar opens.
  • Once you complete the pre-registration form, I will clear you to register.
  • In the pre-registration form, you’ll receive a link to my advising calendar, where you can set up a phone appointment with me if you would like.
  • If you don’t see any times that work for you, email me to set up a time for advising.

You’re not my academic adviser, but can you help me with an advising issue anyway?

  • I can try, but keep in mind that I am responsible for 40+ BIOL advisees, though!
  • I may refer you here or to another person who can better help.

What classes should I take for my BIOL major?

  • Consider your personal schedule and graduation goals. Do you want to work towards graduating in 4 years? Plan to take at least 15 credits each fall and spring semester.
  • For good topic balance, I recommend scheduling no more than 75% of your credits each semester with STEM courses. Use the remaining 25% to address General Education Program (GEP) requirements and courses that interest you.

What GEPs should I take?

  • Aside from some general word of mouth, I don’t know a lot about course offerings from other departments. Try using the Course Search tool with filters on my.UMBC.edu!
  • To find GEPs: Log in to my.UMBC.edu and go to the Course Search tool. Select “Undergraduate” in the Academic Career menu. Click on the “more filters” button. There will be two drop down menus that say “Course Attributes.” In the first one, select “General Education Program.” In the second one, you can select which GEP (i.e. Culture, Arts and Humanities) you want to search for. If you click the box that says “Show Open Classes Only” under the Search button, then hit Search, you will see any open classes offered for the current semester that count for the GEP you selected. You can use the filters to refine this list by day and time the class is held in order to find classes that fit your schedule
  • Arts and Humanities and Social Studies GEPs need to be classes that come from at least two different departments.
  • BIOL B.A. students need two Culture GEPs. BIOL B.S. students need one.

Can you get me registered/wait-listed for a course I want to take?

  • No, I can’t! I recommend contacting the course instructor by email and making your request that way.
  • If you are currently/will take a prerequisite for a course at another school, send a screenshot of your registration to the instructor.
  • You will need to pass the course with a “C” grade or better in prerequisites in order to stay enrolled in the course you wish to take.

Am I ready for graduation?

  • Check your Degree Audit to be sure. You will see all courses you have taken or are currently taking as fulfilling graduation, GEP, and/or major and minor requirements. Any areas you still need courses in will be shown in drop-down boxes.
  • You’ll receive an email from the UMBC Registrar when you are eligible to apply for graduation. Once you do, I will be prompted to review your degree audit for your BIOL major as well.

I have a question about my financial aid/scholarship eligibility. Who should I contact?

  • Contact the Financial Aid and Scholarships staff: https://financialaid.umbc.edu/contact/
  • A full time student schedule is 12 credits– this credit load may be required for some funding sources.