OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Advisors can work you through different ways of achieving your goals, finding a major that fits your interests and your skills. It is very important that you try to establish a relationship with your advisor. The more you get to know them, the more they will get to know you and your interests. That is a great benefit as your advisor may be able to direct you towards some coursework that you will particularly enjoy. Also, your advisor:
You are randomly assigned to one of the UESP advisors - it may be the person you meet with during START (the summer orientation program) or it may be the person you meet with Fall Term. We make every effort to schedule you an appointment with the same person each term, but due to differences in your schedule and your advisor's schedule each term, that can often be difficult. Once we assign you a UESP advisor, we will put their name in your MyDegrees record.
Your advisor is here as a resource for you. We believe it is important that you meet with an advisor each term so that you can discuss how your career exploration is going and work on finding classes to help you choose a major. At your regular advising appointment, you will be given a registration PIN, a number that you need to access the registration system by web or phone. Without your PIN you can't add or drop any classes, so it is important you come in to see your advisor prior to the day you are able to register.
Also, going in every term helps you and your advisor get to know each other. Your advisor is a person who is willing and able to assist you beyond just planning a schedule. They can help out with academic problems, give you information on campus resources and extracurricular activities and just be someone to talk to - whether you have a question about school, want to celebrate a success or need help with a problem.
See our Staff List and Appointment Scheduling page for information about how to schedule with your advisor.
At START you received a folder in which to keep all of your registration information. Bring that with you. Also, look through the Schedule of Classes and come up with some classes you might want to take next term. Most importantly, bring yourself and your ideas for how to proceed with your major exploration!
UESP has an Explore-in-4 policy. We give you four full terms, not including summers. There are benefits to be in a declared major, so we want you to focus on your exploration and find the best match! On average students explore for about 3 terms. Click here to read more about our Explore-in 4 Policy.
There are numerous ways to get more details bout a degree program. We have a few pages on this site to help you:
Explore by Person-Environment Fit
The Baccalaureate Core is made up of 51 credits that every student needs to complete before graduating from OSU. However, it isn't always a good idea to only take those classes. Instead, you should be taking exploratory courses in different majors, or requirements for different majors you are considering. This way when you are ready to declare you aren't playing catch up and taking longer than necessary to finish.
Not all majors have obvious career paths to follow after you graduate from OSU. This Career Development Center web site is a great resource to see some of the career possibilities open to students in various majors and the steps you can take now to reach those goals.
It is also important to realize that the skills you are gaining through your Bacc. Core classes at OSU are those you will be using once you get in to the working world. Some of these skills are mastering the ability to read and analyze information, thinking through theories and ideas, and articulating your thoughts and findings to others. These skills can be learned in any major and will serve you well in any career you choose.
And believe it or not, not all students pursue careers in the majors they have been studying. Everyone is different and people change over the course of their lives. What is important is that you are taking courses you enjoy and learning valuable transferable skills along the way, and that you know How To Explore when the time may come for you to change career paths.
Use this link to see how the unique procedures and requirements that each college has for declaring one of their majors.
| COLLEGE | LOCATION | PHONE |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture Sciences | Strand 147 | 737-2211 |
| Business | Austin Hall 122 | 737-3716 |
| Earth, Ocean, Atmospheric Science | Wilkinson 104 | 737-1201 |
| Education | Furman 104 | 737-4661 |
| Engineering | Johnson Hall 114 | 737-5236 |
| Forestry | Peavy 116 | 737-1594 |
| Health | Women's Building 105 | 737-8900 |
| Liberal Arts | Bexell 214 | 737-0561 |
| Science | Kidder Hall 128 | 737-4811 |
OSU requires that every student take one college level math class (105 or higher) to graduate. You will take a math placement exam at the time of your first advising appointment. This test will recommend where you should begin. Read more about Math Placement here.
MTH 065, 095 & 103 are pre-college level math classes that may be recommended for you to take in order for you to be successful in higher level math courses.
MTH 105 Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics: Course meets requirement for Bacc. Core but does not prepare students for the higher math required by some majors. Appropriate for most Liberal Arts majors if the student is willing to take foreign language classes through the second year, or demonstrate equivalent proficiency in a second language.
MTH 111 College Algebra: The foundation course for most future math classes. This is your safest bet if you are not sure about a major (assuming you place into this level).
MTH 112 Elementary Functions: Necessary for some majors and to continue on to Calculus.
MTH 241 Calculus for Management and Social Science & MTH 245 Mathematics for Management, Life and Social Sciences: Math 241 is required for Business majors; 245 is common for students whose major requires or encourages experience with probability.
MTH 231 Elements of Discrete Mathematics: Required for computer science majors.
MTH 251, 252, 253, 254 Calculus: MTH 251 & 252 are required for all science & engineering majors. Many of these majors require further math coursework.
MTH 211, 212, 390: Foundations of Elementary Mathematics: Required for those interested in teaching elementary school.
You have a couple of options if you are worried about the grade you are going to receive in a class. You can drop a class until the end of the second week of the term. If you miss that deadline, you can still withdraw from the class until the end of the seventh week of the term. The difference is that if you drop a class, it disappears from your transcript. If you withdraw, you receive a 'W' in place of a letter grade. Neither affects your GPA.
Your other option is to 'S/U' the class. S/U stands for satisfactory/unsatisfactory. The 'S' grade corresponds to a letter grade of 'A' through 'C-'. The 'U' grade corresponds to a letter grade of 'D+' or lower. So, if you receive a grade higher than a 'C-' in the class, you will receive credit for it and get an 'S' on your transcript. If you get a 'D+' or lower, you will not get credit and a 'U' will appear on your transcript. S/U grades are not calculated in with your GPA. Students have until the end of the seventh week to change a class to, or from, S/U grading. In order to do so, you need to fill out a form available at the UESP office or the Registrar's and meet with your UESP advisor for approval. The form is then taken to the Registrar's so they know to change the grade they receive from your instructor to an 'S' or a 'U'. Up to 36 credit hours may be taken S/U, except those courses required for major and/or minor options. Your UESP advisor will help you determine which courses are required for major areas you are considering.
This GPA Calculator, which comes from OSU's Office of the Registrar is merely a tool for your personal reference and information and the results should not be considered an official Oregon State University calculation. It will help you figure out what GPA you need this term in order to reach the cumulative GPA you are seeking. Remember, if you are repeating a class, the grade you get the second time (no matter how many times you repeat the course) stays in your grade point average and the grade you got the first time comes out of your GPA, but stays on your transcript.
Here is a link to a listing of OSU's Academic Regulations. AR 22 deals with Satisfactory Academic Standing (for Undergraduates). Please read the descriptions carefully, and note that you can be placed on Probation without ever having been on Warning. Talk with your UESP advisor about ways to help yourself if you are in academic difficulty. Also check out the Learning Corner for study tips.
The Admission's website contains information on which OSU courses and how many credits you will be granted based on your various Advanced Placement test scores. Follow this link to access OSU's Advanced Placement credit information.
The Degree Partnership Program (DPP) promotes educational attainment and bachelor's degree completion by allowing students to be jointly admitted and concurrently enrolled at Oregon State University and Oregon community colleges. Previously referred to as the "Dual Enrollment Program", the DPP was established in 1998 by Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College and now includes 12 other Oregon community colleges.
We encourage you to consider applying to DPP. Many OSU students find it useful to be dually enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) because it gives them access to smaller classes, less expensive classes, or classes that fill up quickly. Transfer of credits from LBCC is done electronically, and financial aid covers full time enrollment spread across both institutions (e.g. a student can take 9 credits at OSU and 3 at LBCC and be considered a full time student for financial aid purposes). LBCC has campuses in Albany and Corvallis (just off of 9th Street). There is a bus system called the Linn-Bent loop that runs between OSU and these campuses.
Applying to the DPP is easy! Click here for instructions.