Welcome to ASU!
We are pleased to assist you in your journey to a bachelor's degree with a major in psychology or sociology. The path is an enriching experience that will teach you much about yourself, people, and society. At this beginning point, there is some important information that will help you make good decisions and enable you to take full advantage of the opportunities available to you in this program.
Initial Procedures
(if not attending orientation - SOAR)
1) Get Advised - Contact department to set up appointment with advisor
325-942-2068 #246.
2) Check on any other holds that you may have. Examples of other holds are
Residence Life (325-942-2035) & Financial Aid (325-942-2246).
You will need to contact the individual office to get the holds released.
3) Check with the IT department to set up your RAMPORT & email accounts - MCS 111 or if unable to come to campus, contact them at 325-942-2911, select 1 for the Help Desk.
4) If on campus, go to the One-Card office to obtain your student ID
Hardeman RM 209. (325-942-2331)
5) Register for Classes - IT will help get you signed on and start you off in the right direction.
The class schedule is located on RAMPORT - select Student Services - RAMS-Logon - Registration - Register or ADD/DROP Classes - select Term you are registering for - if you already have the CRN's you may scroll to the bottom of the page and enter them in the ADD Classes Worksheet area. If you need to look them up select the Class Search at the bottom of the page - you may then look them up by subject - select subject - scroll down to the bottom and click on Class Search, this will pull up all classes offered in that subject. From the subject screen you may select the classes individually clicking the select area on the left hand side of the page. If there is a C in the select area the class is full and has closed.
Crucial Documents:
Student Handbook, Bulletin, Schedule of Classes, Degree Plan
Too many students make decisions on the basis of incorrect information passed along to them by other students. Solution: read the documents for yourself.
Like any organization, the University has many expectations and guidelines. Find out what they are by reading the Student Handbook (which contains rules and regulations) and the Bulletin (which contains degree requirements, course descriptions, and prerequisites). The Schedule of Classes is located online in RAMPORT, and it lists which courses will be offered in the next semester and the days and times of the class sessions. The Student Handbook and the Bulletin are published online at the ASU website as well as in paper copy format.
The fourth document, arguable the most important, is a Degree Plan. This is a personalized list of courses that you must take in order to earn your degree. Once you know your major, minor, degree type (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science), you fill out a form in the department office and within a few days, your own personalized Degree Plan is constructed and available to you online. It serves as a guide when scheduling courses for yourself. After you apply for a Degree Plan, you can find it at the ASU Website by clicking on Ramport , then Student Services, then Rams-Logon, then Degree Plan.
About Majors and Minors
You need both! The major is composed of 10-11 courses in one discipline (e.g., psychology or sociology). The minor is 6 courses that can be taken in one or two fields; it supplements the major and can be useful in preparing for a career (see the list of options in the Academic Regulations chapter of the Bulletin). Courses that are taken to complete Core Curriculum requirements do also count toward the minor, so if you have a minor in a Core Curriculum discipline, then there are fewer new courses needed to complete the minor.
The Core Curriculum
This element forms about one-third of the courses in your Degree Plan. It broadens your educational experience by introducing you to studies in fields such as communication, English, government, history, mathematics, natural and social sciences, and visual and performing arts. It is “core” because advanced courses build on the foundations established in these fields and because all of the programs require it.
Two Types of Degrees:
Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS)
We offer both types of degrees. There are slight differences in the requirements: the BA requires a foreign language and the BS requires additional courses in the sciences and research methods. Sometimes a particular career path or a specific graduate program is better suited to one type of degree over the other, but most students don’t necessarily see that far ahead. Therefore, personal preferences for the course work usually dictate the decision.
The Course Numbering System
The first digit of the course number indicates its level: 1 = freshmen, 2 = sophomore, 3 = junior, 4 = senior. The second digit reflects the number of credit hours that students earn by successfully completing the course. Most are worth three credits, but courses with labs are usually worth four credits. The third and fourth digits, taken together, represent the department code for the course. For example, 2301 is a sophomore-level course worth three credit hours. Freshmen usually take courses that begin with 1s or 2s. The junior and senior level courses frequently have prerequisites, which are listed in the Bulletin with the course descriptions.
Getting Registered
Use the Schedule of Classes to figure out when to take classes. Most classes meet either three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) or two days a week (Tuesday, Thursday). Also, some classes are offered in other formats, such as online courses that replace face-to-face sessions with other activities.
You will find that some classes are not offered every semester (see the Advisement Information page in the department’s website for the rotation of courses from one semester to the next). Also, some courses have multiple sections (especially freshmen and sophomore level courses), which will enable you to avoid signing up for classes that meet at the same time.
Depending on when you enter ASU (fall, spring, or summer), the advisement and registration steps are handled somewhat differently. For those beginning in the fall, we advise and register students in large groups. Other times, students are advised individually and then they register themselves online at the ASU Website. Visit the Advisement Information page of the department website to learn about advisement procedures in this department . Also, ASU has an Advisement Center in the Center for Academic Excellence (located on the third floor of the library) that advises students and certifies them to register when their department advising is unavailable.
Down the Road:
Honor Societies, Undergraduate Internships, and Research
If you make good grades, you will qualify to join one of the honor societies in the department. This looks good on your resume, and it can give you opportunities to develop and practice leadership skills, which are in high demand by employers. The department website has links to information about the honor societies.
Juniors and seniors have an opportunity to work in local agencies for academic credits through our internship program. While not required, this is a great way to get a foot in the door for future employment or discover appealing career paths. You will find a full description of the internship program in this department’s section of the Bulletin.
One of the strengths of this department is teaching students research skills. You will have opportunities to learn these skills in basic courses and then do your own studies later if you choose to do so. The Student Achievements page in the department website lists some really impressive accomplishments of students who investigated cutting-edge questions in the field.