Welcome to the College of General Studies New Student Tutorial

Purpose of the New Student Tutorial This tutorial will help you prepare to meet with your advisor and enroll in classes. You will: learn how to read your Transfer Credit Summary and Distribution of Studies. become familiar with the requirements for your desired degree. prepare a list of classes you would like to take this semester, or list of requirements you would like to fulfill. prepare a list of questions to discuss with your advisor at your first appointment.

Purpose of the New Student Tutorial You will also be expected to: actively engage in seeking the academic and career information necessary to meet your educational goals. access important dates, University e-mail and resources, and course information via my.pitt.edu. become knowledgeable about University policies, procedures, and academic programs. assume final responsibility for course scheduling, program planning, and graduation requirements.

Tutorial Overview There are five sections of material in this tutorial. Section 1 Transfer Credit Evaluation and Distribution of Studies Section 2 General Education and Major Requirements Section 3 Searching for Courses

Tutorial Overview Section 4 Online Self-Enrollment Section 5 Meeting with your Advisor

Let’s get started!

Section 1: Your Transfer Credit Evaluation and Distribution of Studies

Section 1: Transfer Credit Evaluation You should have received a transfer credit evaluation in the admissions e-mail from your academic advisor, and in the welcome packet that was mailed to you. Your transfer credit evaluation: lists the courses you took at other schools and how they transfer to the College of General Studies. contains a separate listing for each previous school you attended. lists the total number of transfer credits you received from each previous school.

Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing: Your “Advanced Standing” is the list of courses on your Transfer Credit Summary Report which came in your welcome packet. It is an evaluation of your transcript(s) from the school(s) you previously attended before coming to Pitt. This evaluation indicates what courses will transfer to CGS. This is a Transfer Credit Evaluation At CGS, up to 90 credits from a four-year institution, or up to 60 credits from a two-year institution (total may not exceed 90 credits) may be applied to your degree, either to fulfill general education requirements or electives. The next page will discuss your Transfer Credit Summary Report in more detail.

Reading Your Transfer Credit Evaluation This is the old school. These are the course equivalents at Pitt. These are the courses taken at the old school. This is how many credits will transfer from the old school.

Section 1: Transfer Credit Evaluation “Non-equivalent” Courses You may have some courses on your Transfer Credit Evaluation that are denoted by “0000” just after the subject name. 0000 means the transferred course is considered “non-equivalent.” Credit is awarded for the course, but since Pitt doesn’t have an equivalent, then it might just be used to fulfill an elective. If you have a “non-equivalent” (0000) course that you think could be used to fulfill a general education requirement, talk to your advisor.

Section 1: Your Distribution of Studies You should have received a Distribution of Studies in the admissions e-mail from your academic advisor, and in the welcome packet that was mailed to you. This document tells you what requirements you still need to complete, and what has already been done. This document outlines your degree plan and breaks it into three sections: General Education Requirements Major Requirements General Electives The next two slides will discuss the Distribution of Studies in more detail.

This is a Distribution of Studies for a Media and Professional Communications major. Transfer Credits are credits earned at another school QP (Quality Points) are the numerical value of your grade Earned to Date are the credits you’ve completed at Pitt Grade is what you earned in the course To Be Earned are the credits you still need to complete The General Education requirements are the entire left side of the page Major requirements are in the upper part of the right side of the page Electives are in the lower part of the right side of the page

This is a Distribution of Studies for a Media and Professional Communications Major. How many credits you have left to complete The total number of credits you need to graduate How many credits you’ve already completed, including transfer and test credits Your GPA (Grade Point Average)- only grades earned at Pitt will be calculated into this GPA

Section 2: General Education and Major Requirements

Section 2: Major Requirements Each degree program at the University of Pittsburgh will require you to complete general education requirements or prerequisite courses as part of your program of study. These requirements will vary depending on which school offers the major that you are pursuing. 

Section 2: Major Requirements Before you can determine the classes you still need to take, and begin to build a schedule, you need to understand the general education and major courses that are required for your degree program. Please visit the links below to learn more. CGS Programs Requirements for the Bachelor Degree Courses that Satisfy CGS Degree Requirements CGS Majors Arts and Sciences Programs Degree Requirements at A&S Courses that Satisfy A&S Degree Requirements Arts and Sciences Majors

Section 2: Major Requirements Pre-Professional Program information can be found on the Transferring within Pitt Web page. Programs include Business, Education, Nursing, Rehabilitation Sciences, Information Science, Engineering, Pharmacy and Social Work Students interested in a pre-professional program will only complete pre-requisite and some general education requirements in the College of General Studies. Courses required in the major will be completed after you transfer to your desired program. Review the information for your desired program. Highlight or circle the requirements on your Distribution of Studies you still need to complete.

Section 3: Searching for Courses

Section 3: Searching for Courses Now that you have an idea of which requirements you need to fulfill, you will need to check the course descriptions for your choices to make sure that: the class is what you are looking for. you have the appropriate prerequisites. A prerequisite is a course that you must have completed with a grade of C or better prior to enrolling in the desired course. The next two slides will illustrate how to utilize the Course Descriptions Web site.

Go to www.courses.as.pitt.edu. In the first dropdown menu, choose a department, then click on a term. (Note: Fall terms end in “1”. Spring terms end in “4”.) Once you click the term, a list of 15 search results will generate. Click “List All” in the upper right-hand corner to see all of the results. Click the blue hyperlink of the class you want to learn more information about it.

In addition to the Subject, Catalog #, and Title, this page will show you: When/Where the course is being offered. What the course is about (description) What the prerequisites are, if any. If a recitation is required, and Any special indicators, such as whether the course fulfills a writing requirement.

Section 3: Searching for Courses Please note: The course descriptions page is not linked with PeopleSoft (the registration system). This means that the enrollment limit does not update as seats fill up, and it does not indicate whether a class is still open. It simply lists the maximum number of students allowed to enroll in a course. A Recitation is a smaller section associated with a particular section where you hand in homework, take tests, and have review sessions. Now, take some time to look up the courses you want to take this semester. Write down subject and catalog number for each of them so you can search for them later. For detailed instructions on searching for online classes, please refer to the Student Search Online Classes video.

Section 4: Online Self-Enrollment

Section 4: Online Self-Enrollment In a few minutes you will watch a video that shows you how to search for classes in PeopleSoft. However, before you begin, there are a couple things we want you to know about registration at Pitt: Every student has an assigned Enrollment Appointment This is the date you may begin enrolling in classes. It is determined by the number of credits you’ve already earned or transferred in from another institution. You may not register for classes prior to this date. To check your enrollment date: Log in to your student center from my.pitt.edu. (Click on Student Center Login, Self-Service, and Student Center) Your enrollment date is located in a blue box on the right hand side.

Section 4: Online Self-Enrollment Every student also has an Academic Advisement Hold on their account every term. This hold prevents your registration unless your advisor has approved the courses you plan take. Your advisor must release this hold before you can register. Even if your Enrollment Date has passed, you will not be able to register with the hold still on your account. New students are required to meet with their academic advisor to have their first Academic Advisement Hold removed. Other holds on your account may prevent your registration, but your academic advisor can only remove the Academic Advisement Required Hold.

Section 4: Online Self-Enrollment To access the registration system, you will need your University username and password. Once you have paid your $200 tuition deposit, you will receive an e-mail from the University of Pittsburgh’s Computer Services & Systems Development. The e-mail will contain your username and instructions for creating a password. You MUST bring your username and password with you to your New Student Advising Appointment. The College of General Studies does not have any information regarding your username and password. At this time, please watch the Preparing for Self-Enrollment video for step-by-step instructions on how to enroll in classes.

Section 5: Meeting with Your Advisor

Section 5: Meeting with Your Advisor Your advisor can be expected to: Know and understand the University's academic policies and procedures and relay that information to students. Discuss suitable educational objectives as demonstrated by student abilities and interests. Assist you in planning a course of study. Your advisor will not choose your classes for you, but will help you to determine if your choices are appropriate. Help you become an independent, self-confident, educated decision maker. Refer you to other University resources when appropriate or necessary.

Section 5: Meeting with Your Advisor At this point, you should have a good understanding of your degree program and the courses that you will need for graduation.  You should have a list of courses that you would like to take during the upcoming term. Write down any questions you have and bring them with you to ask your advisor during your first appointment.

Section 5: Meeting with your Advisor Before you can meet with your advisor, you must complete one more thing: The College Student Inventory (CSI), a survey that will help your advisor understand your educational needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Your advisor will not meet with you until this survey is completed.

Section 5: Meeting with Your Advisor Once you’ve completed the CSI, you may schedule your first academic advising appointment. During this appointment, your advisor will answer questions about your program, future plans, and course choices that you’ve already researched. Call 412-624-6600 to schedule the appointment, which will last approximately 90 minutes. Your advisor’s business card is attached to your Distribution of Studies sheet. Indicate that you need to schedule a “New Student” appointment.