• 1. When should I meet with my advisor?

• 2. What is an "advising hold"? And why do I have one?

• 3. When will I be classified as a senior?

• 4. How do I set up an appointment with my advisor?

• 5. Do you take walk-in appointments?

• 6. How can I change my class schedule after the semester has started?

• 7. How do I apply for graduation?

• 8. If I plan to repeat a course to earn a better grade, what are my options?  Also, what is Grade Forgiveness and how do I apply?

• 9. If I plan to take a course at another college or university in Florida, how can I be sure it will transfer back to UWF, and what documentation do I need?

• 10. If I plan to take a course at another college or university outside of Florida, how can I be sure it will transfer back to UWF, and what documentation I need? 

• 11. How do I calculate my GPA?

• 12. When is Spring Break?

• 13. What employment opportunities are available with my degree?

• 14. How do I set up my Argonet accounts?

• 15. Why should I log into MyUWF?

When should I meet with my advisor?

• You will need to meet with your departmental advisor to set up a degree plan once you reach sophomore level or higher.
• A degree plan will need to be set up before you can register for your classes.
• A student may schedule an appointment to see an advisor anytime during the semester if you have questions, but it is recommended that you schedule an appointment at least 1 month prior to registration if you need assistance in determining your class schedule for the next semester.

[Return to Top]

What is an "advising hold"? And why do I have one?

• You may notice various holds on your MyUWF account. One of them may be through the Department of Biology. The CAS advising hold simply means that you must see an academic advisor before you can register for classes. You will also need to see your advisor to discuss your new schedule before the hold can be lifted for registration. Once you have met with your advisor, the hold is lifted through the drop/add period for the next semester.

[Return to Top]

When will I be classified as a senior?

• You will be classified as a senior once you complete at least 90 semester hours "and" also complete at least 20 semester hours at the 3/4000 level. This also does not include the semester hours that you are currently enrolled in.  Hours need to be fully completed before they can count towards these totals.

[Return to Top]

How do I set up an appointment with my advisor?

• Appointments can be scheduled through e-mail, phone or by stopping by the office in Building 58, Room 62I.
• Advisor contact information is available at advising.

[Return to Top]

Do you take walk-in appointments?

• The Department of Biology makes every effort to help a student, but it is highly recommended that you call or e-mail the Biology Advisor for an appointment (or prior to visiting) to be sure that they will be available to see you.

[Return to Top]

What if I decide to change my major?

• You will need to complete the Major Change Request to make these changes to your academic record.  If you are an undergraduate, a printed copy of the completed form should be returned to the University Advising Center in Building 18 for processing. If you have questions concerning your new major, you are encouraged to schedule an appointment with your advisor.

[Return to Top]

How can I change my class schedule after the semester has started?

• Drop/Add period (1st week of semester) - You will be able to drop or add courses through MyUWF during this period. Please consult with your advisor before doing so.
• After the 1st week of semester - You will be able to withdraw (not drop) from individual courses up until the 11th week of the semester, and withdrawal requests can be processed through your MyUWF account. You will be unable to add any additional courses to your schedule after the 1st week of the semester.

[Return to Top]

How do I apply for graduation? 

• The application for graduation is for the posting of your degree and the mailing of your diploma.
• Applications for completion of AA degrees are available at AA application.
• Participation in commencement is optional, and details are available at the Commencement RSVP.
• See Graduation Information for more details.

[Return to Top]

If I plan to repeat a course to earn a better grade, what are my options?  Also, what is Grade Forgiveness and how do I apply?

• Grade forgiveness is not automatic. 
• See details at Grade Forgiveness Request Form & Policy.

[Return to Top]

If I plan to take a course at another college or university in Florida, how can I be sure it will transfer back to UWF, and what documentation do I need? 

• Transient Student Form 
• Tutorial
• Instructions (shortcut version)

[Return to Top]

If I plan to take a course at another college or university outside of Florida, how can I be sure it will transfer back to UWF, and what documentation I need? 

• The Department of Biology does not require this documentation as long as your advisor has approved the transferability of the course work.
• If the college or university you're planning to attend is requiring documentation, the request form is available at transient student form.

[Return to Top]

How do I calculate my GPA?

• See Calculating my GPA for details.

[Return to Top]

When is Spring Break?

• 2014: March 10-14
• 2015: March 9-13
• See also the Academic Calendar, and check under the Holidays section for this information.

[Return to Top]

What employment opportunities are available with my degree?

• Career Advice
• Current Job Opportunities

[Return to Top]

How do I set up my Argonet accounts?

• Computer Recommendations
• Lighthouse
• MyUWF
• Gmail
• eLearning
• Leaving UWF

[Return to Top]

Why should I log into MyUWF?

• The advisors use your information in MyUWF to get in contact with you. Once the semester has started, be sure to do the following:
  • make sure your mailing address and phone number are current
  • check your UWF email regularly OR forward your other email accounts to UWF
• Email is UWF's official mode of contact with students! Your advisor will send emails throughout the semester regarding important deadlines and registration.

[Return to Top]

 

Summer & Fall 2013 Registration

Registration for currently enrolled “degree-seeking” students begins as follows:

Summer 2013
Grad students – April 1st
Seniors – April 2nd
Juniors – April 3rd
Sophomores – April 4th
Freshman – April 5th

Fall 2013
Grad students – April 8th
Seniors – April 9th
Juniors – April 10th
Sophomores – April 11th
Freshman – April 12th

Registration Tips:

1.      If you have a CAS advising hold, you will need to contact your advisor for assistance with this hold before you will be able to register in your classes.

a.      Biology and Interdisciplinary Science majors will need to contact Steve Celestial at scelestial@uwf.edu or at (850)-474-2885
b.      Marine Biology majors will need to contact Dr. Alexis Janosik at ajanosik@uwf.edu or at (850)-857-6033

2.      If you have a UAC advising hold, you will need to contact the University Advising Center in Building 18 for assistance with this hold before you will be able to register in your classes.  You can also reach them at advising@uwf.edu or at (850)-474-3170.

3.      If you are unable to locate a course or lab in the online course schedule, try using just the course prefix only when doing your search ("PCB" for Genetics, "BCH" for Biochemistry, "ZOO" for Zoology, etc).

4.      Undergraduate students (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior & Senior level) can only register in courses that are 1000-4000 level.  5000 level and above are for students pursuing a master's degree or a doctorate degree from UWF.  Please be sure to select the appropriate course level when registering and setting up your trial schedules.

5.      Dr. Alexis Janosik does all undergraduate level directed study registrations for Marine Biology majors, and Steve Celestial does all undergraduate level directed study registrations for Biology and Interdisciplinary Science majors, and we will need the following information from you in order to process an undergraduate level directed study registration request.  Please keep in mind that we will not be accepting registration requests for directed studies until registration begins.

Information needed for undergraduate level directed study registrations:

a.  Name of faculty member
b.  Semester (Fall, Spring or Summer) you plan to take the directed study
c.  Term (A, B, C or D)
d.  Number of credits
e.  Title of directed study (faculty member you select will provide the title, and titles are limited to 20 characters including spaces)
f.  UWF Student ID number

6.      Steve Celestial (scelestial@uwf.edu) will process all graduate level directed study and thesis registrations at this time, and will need the following information from you in order to process your request.  Please keep in mind that he will not be accepting these requests until April 8th.  He will also not be processing graduate course registrations, just graduate level directed study and thesis registrations.  Graduate level course registrations will need to be submitted through your MyUWF account.

Information needed for graduate level directed study and thesis registrations:

a.  Name of faculty member
b.  Semester (Fall, Spring or Summer) you plan to take the directed study or thesis
c.  Term (A, B, C or D)
d.  Number of credits
e.  Title of directed study (faculty member you select will provide the title, and titles are limited to 20 characters including spaces); title not applicable for thesis credits
f.  UWF Student ID number
g.  Specify if you need the directed study 5000 or 6000 level;  All thesis credits are 6000 level

7.      If any of the following courses are offered online, they will NOT be open to Biology, Interdisciplinary Science or Marine Biology majors and cannot be taken for credit towards your degree if offered online.  (These courses are offered online only to students pursuing an online degree or a non-science type degree from UWF) –

STA4173 – Biostatistics
OCP4550 – Global Climate Change
PCB4364 - Marine Ecophysiology
PCB4703 - Human Physiology
BSC4263 - Biological Oceanography
ZOO3558 - Coral Reefs

8.      The following lab sections will not be open to Biology, Marine Biology or Interdisciplinary Science majors in the Fall 2013 semester.  Please be sure to select one of the other available lab sections for these courses in order to help guarantee a seat in your preferred lab:

a.      Biochemistry I Lab (ref #0213)
b.      Microbiology Lab (ref #1431)
c.      Genetics Lab (ref #1681)

9.      The prerequisite check system will once again be enforced during registration.  If you are not able to register in one of your courses due to prerequisite issues, you will need to contact the Department that offers the course for assistance in registering.  For example, if it’s a math course, you will need to contact the Math Department for registration assistance.  If it’s a Chemistry course - contact the Chemistry Department, Physics course - contact Physics, etc.

10.      If a lab for a course is listed as zero credit, you won’t be able to register in the lecture portion of this course unless you also “simultaneously” register in the corresponding lab section.

11.     The General Zoology Lab that will meet on Fridays from 11am-1:45pm (ref #2171) in the Fall 2013 semester is reserved for students who are enrolled in the UWF Honors program only.  If you are not participating in the UWF Honors program, you will need to select one of the other General Zoology Lab sections in order to register in this course and lab.

12.     If any other course requires department permission to register other than those mentioned above, you will need to contact the instructor of the course for permission to register.  If the instructor for the course is by chance not listed, then you will need to contact the department that offers the course for this permission.

13.     If a course or lab is full, you will need to contact the instructor of the course or lab for permission to register over the limit.  If no instructor is listed for the lab, you will need to contact the instructor of the lecture portion of the course for this permission.  If no instructor is listed for the lecture, you will need to contact the department that offers the lecture for this permission.