Student Advising FAQ
Q: Can I get a permission number to a course to override its pre-requisites?
A: The answer is NO for the majority of cases. The School of Engineering at UConn is an accredited program and to maintain our accreditation and therefore the value of your degree, we must follow the rules described in the course catalog and other policies that follow a lengthy vetting and voting process. The only exception we may consider is when the student has satisfied the pre-requisite from a transfer course or abroad course that are not directly listed in the Undergraduate Catalog. All exceptions are reviewed by the department Director for Undergraduate Studies.
Q: How can I get a permission number to a class section that is full?
A: You should contact the course instructor directly to inquire about enrolling additional students into the course above the enrollment cap.
Q: What is the Preliminary Plan of Study (POS)?
A: The preliminary Plan of Study (POS) has students map out the entirety of their degree coursework to assist them in conversations with their assigned advisor about meeting all degree requirements prior to graduation.
Q: How can I build and submit a Preliminary Plan of Study?
A: Your preliminary POS is submitted through Student Admin. Visit https://undergrad.engr.uconn.edu/advising/plan-of-study, where a step-by-step guide is provided. You have to place the courses you plan on taking in StudentAdmin in order to complete the academic planner. ALL courses need to be accounted for, and placed in an appropriate semester. Please be cognizant of any pre-requisite issues.
Q: What should I do if my preliminary POS is denied?
A: If the preliminary POS is denied, you must fix whatever errors are indicated and submit a new, correct POS that satisfies all degree requirements. If the POS is approved, you now have a complete and accurate plan to reach graduation.
Q: What should I do if I decide to deviate from my original preliminary POS?
A: If you decide to deviate from your original preliminary POS, it is your responsibility to discuss the changes with your academic advisor and ensure that you are still completing all degree requirements. You don’t need to resubmit a new preliminary POS.
Q: What is the Final Plan of Study (POS)?
A: A final Plan of Study is filed after you have registered for your final semester of coursework. The final Plan of Study must demonstrate that the student meets all requirements to graduate. If your final POS has any unfulfilled academic requirement, it will be denied and you won’t be able to graduate until all issues are addressed.
Q: When should I submit my Final Plan Of Study?
A: The final POS must be submitted as soon as possible after registering for your final semester of coursework. The latest a final POS can be submitted is by the end of the fourth week of the semester in which a student plans to graduate.
Q: How do I request to use a course I have taken (e.g., transfer or abroad courses) to substitute an academic requirement?
A: To proceed, we would need your advisor to submit a graduation substitution form at https://sub.engr.uconn.edu/ for this request. Then, the request will be routed and formally approved at the department level and at the school level before it reaches University Degree Audit. After it is finally approved by Degree Audit, the substitution will be programmed into the Student Admin reporting system, and eventually shows up in your Academic Report. Please regularly check back on your Academic Report and submit your final PoS after all substitutions appear and all requirements are marked as “satisfied”. Note that it is the student’s responsibility to have the course previously evaluated for credit through the University Admissions Office (http://admissions.uconn.edu/apply/transfer/transfer-credit) for transfer courses and the Office of Experiential Global Learning (https://egl.uconn.edu/course-alignment/) for abroad courses.
Q: How do register for a research/experiential course ECE 3096/4096/4079/4099?
A: For these courses, you should contact individual faculty members to inquire about their plan to offer such courses. ECE 3096/4096 are undergraduate research-based course, ECE 4079 is a design lab-based course, and ECE 4099 is an independent study course where you can explore a certain topic arrange by the faculty instructor. Note that you can use up to a combined 3 credits of these courses to fulfill your academic requirements: ECE 3096/4096/4099 for Professional Requirements, and ECE 4079 for Design Lab.
