General Questions
How often should I meet with my advisor?
We recommend that students meet with their advisors at least once per quarter, usually around registration. This is a great opportunity for students to discuss goals and questions regarding the major, as well as any academic or career concerns.How many credit hours do I need to graduate?
Students who matriculated Autumn 1999 and afterwards need a minimum of 192 credit hours to graduate, the equivalent of 48 4-hour courses. In some cases, due to double majors, late major declaration, and the possibility that some transfer credit may not be applicable toward graduation (to name but three reasons), students may need more courses than the minimum to graduate.Am I technically a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior?
- 44 hours earns sophomore status
- 88 hours earns junior status
- 132 hours earns senior status
Can I take five courses in one quarter?
Yes. Enrolling in more than 20 quarter hours requires permission from the college office. There will also be additional tuition charged for enrolling in more than 18 hours. Be aware that the History Department generally discourages students from taking 5 courses, as the workload is generally too high within the major. See next question.How many credit hours can I take per quarter? In the summer? In December?
The normal limit is 5 courses (20 hours) per quarter. Students must apply to the LAS College Office for permission to take more than 20 hours. The application to do so is available through the LAS Administrative Forms Library. A student may take a maximum of 5 courses (20 hours) in the summer sessions.
There is no hard cap for the December session, but realistically, it would be difficult to take more than two courses. Note, however, that for undergraduates, courses taken in the December interim count against their winter quarter allotment and are billed with winter quarter tuition.Can I re-take a course that I failed? Can I re-take a course in which I received a D? If I do re-take a class in which I did poorly, how will this appear on my transcript? How will it affect my GPA?
The following is taken from sr.depaul.edu:Undergraduate students may have the need to repeat courses. When that occurs, all grades achieved are recorded on the academic record. The first time the course is repeated, only the new grade will be used to determine cumulative credit and to calculate the GPA. If a student repeats that course again, the second and all subsequent grades will be used to calculate the GPA. Credit earned is based on the final attempt. A course must be repeated at DePaul in order for this policy to apply. Note: A C– grade is acceptable in a student’s major providing the overall GPA in the major is 2.0.
Students may retake a course in transfer that was originally completed at DePaul. The DePaul grade remains in the GPA, but credit is only accumulated once.How do I find out which specific courses I still need to take in order to graduate?
Unless students have transfer credit or AP credit, the college office requires students to get this information from their degree progress report (DPR), which can be accessed through Campus Connection. Please check your DPR regularly. If you feel that there is any discrepancy or anything that you do not understand, please promptly discuss this with your history faculty advisor.In addition to taking all the required courses, what do I have to do in order to graduate? How do I go about applying for graduation in my senior year?
In order for the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences to verify the completion of academic requirements, students must apply for degree conferral (graduation) in advance to have a degree posted and to receive a diploma.
The on-line degree conferral application can be found in Campus Connection, under "For Students," then "Graduation," then "Apply for Degree Conferral."
Please note that paper applications will no longer be accepted. Students must apply for degree conferral on-line via Campus Connection.
In addition, students must schedule a MANDATORY degree conferral review appointment with an Office of Advising and Student Services academic advisor by telephone, (773) 325-8490, or in person at McGowan South, Suite 400. Failure to do this can result in errors that prevent you from graduating in a timely fashion.
Provided all requirements and financial obligations are met, degrees will be posted 30 days after the completion of the quarter.
Please also note the following:
(1) Applying for degree conferral is not a guarantee that the degree will be conferred (this is contingent on all degree requirements being met);
(2) If you wish to participate in commencement exercises (the June graduation ceremony), you must arrange to do this separately. Once you have applied for degree conferral online, you should receive information on how to arrange to participate in the June ceremony.
For more detailed information visit the LAS Undergraduate Academic Advising page.When can I apply for degree conferral?
Application deadlines for degree conferral are:Conferral Term Deadline November (autumn) October 1st March (winter) January 15th June (spring) February 1st August (summer) July 15th PLEASE NOTE: These are hard-and-fast final deadlines! Please apply WELL IN ADVANCE of the dates specified here. Do not wait until the last minute to apply for degree conferral! (You can apply for degree conferral through Campus Connection as soon as you have completed 132 credit hours.)
Can I get into a closed History class?
It is departmental policy not to admit students to classes that have already reached their enrollment cap, but instructors do have some discretion on this point to accommodate extenuating circumstances. Students seeking permission to enter a class should first contact the instructor and receive his/her approval. If the instructor agrees, the student will be provided with a permission code to use to enroll in the course on Campus Connection. All such requests must be made in the first week of the quarter (before the usual "add" deadline). Otherwise, the request must also be authorized by the dean's office.Can I get into a course after the "add" deadline has passed?
Students seeking admission to a course after the quarter's "add" deadline has passed (i.e., after the first week of the quarter) will need authorization from both the instructor and the associate dean (lasassociatedean@depaul.edu).I took the math placement test but did poorly and don’t feel that my score reflects my true abilities. Can I take a math placement retest?
With advisor approval, students who believe that their assessment scores do not reflect their true mathematical skills can retest most sections of the math placement tests. They need to complete an LAS Mathematics Retest Recommendation form and receive the approval of an advisor in order to retest. The math placement test may only be re-taken once.Can I complete my DePaul degree while living outside Chicago? Can I take my last 8 hours off-campus?
- as independent study?
- Yes. This is DePaul credit.
- as internship credit (“Experiential Learning”)?
- The University Internship Program offers online LSP 250 and LSP 350 courses for students living more than 50 miles from campus.
- through a Study Abroad program?
- Yes, but only for DePaul-sponsored programs. If it’s a non-DePaul-sponsored program, this is considered transfer credit. See below.
- through transfer credit?
- Only in unusual circumstances and with a waiver of the "Senior Residency Requirement," which requires that all course work in the senior year, including the final 60 credit hours, must be completed at DePaul. A waiver of the Senior Residency Requirement requires the approval of the designated Associate Dean of the College; the request should be sent directly from the student to lasassociatedean@depaul.edu, cc-ing the history faculty advisor.
How do I request an exemption to a University academic policy or requirement?
If you are seeking an exemption to requirements in the Liberal Studies Program (including the First Year Program), to the Modern Language Requirement, or to the Senior Residency Requirement, please view the Undergraduate Exception to Policy information.What does Academic Probation mean? What do I have to do to get off probation?
All LAS students (returning and current, degree and non-degree seeking) whose cumulative GPAs were below 2.0 are placed on academic probation. These students are blocked from registering for any classes. Students who have a block will not be permitted to register for the following term until the block is removed. In order for the block to be released, students must meet with their major field department's advisor. Advisors should discuss the new probation guidelines in place. These require students to maintain a term GPA of 2.7 (B-) with no grade lower than 2.3 (C+). Students must fulfill the guidelines covered in the LAS probation brochure. Failure to adhere to the guidelines would be cause for academic dismissal at the end of the next term.