Course Registration and Other Regulations

Office of the University Registrar
106 Nellie Craig Walker Hall
www.MiamiOH.edu/registrar/

Important academic dates and deadlines are published in the Academic Calendar online at MiamiOH.edu/OneStop. Dates are subject to change without notice.

University registration includes the issue and validation of your student identification card. ID cards are issued at the Campus Services Center (34 Nellie Craig Walker Hall). Regional students should go to the Office of IT services on their campus for ID cards.

Course offerings and other registration information are available online through the Course List (www.apps.miamioh.edu/courselist). Course offerings and availability are subject to change without notice.

New undergraduate students are required to meet with an academic advisor to select their required courses and electives. First year students register during Summer Orientation in June. Continuing students are encouraged to contact their advisors for further academic and career counseling before registering.

Register for classes at Miami University online through myMiami/Banner Self Service (www.mymiami.MiamiOH.edu) and receive immediate confirmation of your schedule. You can register, confirm and change your schedule through Banner Self Service only on the assigned days and at the assigned times.

Before you can register, the system will ask you to supply emergency contact information. The university requires that you provide emergency contact information so that we may readily notify a family member or significant other in case of an emergency or should a critical matter arise.

You are required to provide your local contact information and the name of a family member/guardian/spouse or another significant person and their contact information. You will be delayed in registering for your next semester courses until you enter the requested information. All students are also required to sign a Financial Responsibility Agreement every fall and spring semester. The system will not allow you to register until you have signed the agreement.

Before registering for courses, consult your advisor to make sure that you are meeting your degree requirements.

Minimum and Maximum Registration

Information regarding Graduate Minimum and Maximum Registration, and Course Load may be found in the Policy Library: https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/graduate/graduate-academic-regulations/registration.html

Change of Status or Program

Any change of graduate standing, such as moving from continuing graduate status (CGS) to degree status, must be approved by your major department or division and the Graduate School. To change from continuing graduate status to regular or conditional standing, you must reapply to the Graduate School.

Students with a grade point average below 3.00 who wish to change majors and/or degree programs must have approval of the Student Petitions Committee of the Graduate Council.

Transfer Credit

Information regarding Graduate Transfer Credit may be found in the Policy Library: https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/graduate/graduate-academic-regulations/registration.html

Course registration may only be changed in the prescribed time stated in a student's registration time ticket and the University academic calendar ( http://miamioh.edu/academic-calendar/index.html ). No change is official until the registration transaction is recorded in the student registration system.

Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from a Course

Information related to adding a course, dropping a course or withdrawing from a course may be found in the Policy Library.
Undergraduate: https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/undergraduate/academic-regulations/registration-undergraduate.html

Graduate: https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/graduate/graduate-academic-regulations/registration.html

Course Section Change

To change sections online, you must drop the section in which you are currently enrolled, then add the new section. Since many students may be competing for available space in the same course, there is a significant risk that you will lose your place in the course altogether.

Undergraduate credit hour load information may be found in the Policy Library: https://miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/undergraduate/academic-regulations/registration-undergraduate.html
 

Independent Work

Independent work comes in two forms:

1. internship or co-operative education (https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/employees/faculty/academic-policies-procedures-for-instructional-staff/internships.html), and
2. independent study.
   Undergraduate: https://miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/undergraduate/academic-regulations/graduation-requirements.html
   
   
   Graduate: https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/graduate/graduate-academic-regulations/registration.html
   
    

For more information, see Special Course Numbers in the Courses of Instruction General Information section.

Consult the University Policy Library for full information on the undergraduate Course Repeat Policy.

Consult the Policy Library for information: https://miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/undergraduate/academic-regulations/classification-of-students.html

Consult the Policy Library for information: https://www.miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/graduate/graduate-academic-regulations/registration.html

Full-time Miami students can take courses through the Greater Cincinnati College Connection during the academic year and summer. This association can provide courses that are not generally available at the institution where the student is enrolled.

Members of the Cincinnati Consortium include the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Chatfield College, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Gateway Community and Technical College, God’s Bible School & College, Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Miami University, Mount St. Joseph University, Northern Kentucky University, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences,Thomas More College, Union Institute & University, University of Cincinnati, Wilmington College, and Xavier University.

The One Stop can provide you with additional information.

Full-time Miami students can take courses through the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) during the academic year and summer. SOCHE is the collaborative infrastructure for higher education, helping colleges and universities transform their communities and economies through the education, employment, and engagement of more than 120,000 students in southwest Ohio. This association can provide courses that are not generally available at the institution where the student is enrolled.

Members of the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education include Air Force Institute of Technology, Antioch College, Antioch University Midwest, Cedarville University, Central State University, Cincinnati State – Middletown Campus, Clark State Community College, Edison Community College, Franklin University, Kettering College, The Kettering Foundation, Miami University Regionals, Ohio University, Sinclair Community College, Southern State Community College, Union Institute & University, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton,  Wilberforce University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University, and Wright State University.

The One Stop can provide you with additional information.

Changes in Policy

For complete information on changes in any academic policy on student conduct, grievance procedures or petitions consult the University Policy Library. You are responsible for knowing about any changes in these policies that may affect you.

Electronic Directory

Miami’s electronic directory, like those of other institutions, is accessible worldwide across the Internet. To preserve the privacy of students, faculty, and staff, the following data is only accessible within the Miami University community:

• University-supplied data:
  Division (staff, faculty)
  Office address (staff, faculty)
  Home address and phone number
     (students, staff, faculty; if authorized)
  School address and phone number (students)
• Optional individual-supplied data:
  e-mail address and phone number
  Mobile phone number
  Office hours
  High schools attended
  Other colleges attended

FERPA Release and Directory Restriction

Under provisions of the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA, Buckley Amendment), all students are able to request exclusion from the university's electronic directory.

All first time Miami students are included in the electronic directory beginning August 1st, but the student can request exclusion from the electronic directory by filling out a form available on the One Stop website (MiamiOH.edu/OneStop).

Freshmen may do so any time prior to July 15; continuing students may do so at any time during his/her enrollment at Miami.

Exclusion requests are reflected in the electronic directory approximately 24 hours after being processed by the University Registrar’s Office. Emergency exclusions, requested by Miami University Police or the Office of Student Affairs, are processed as soon as possible by the IT Services.

Right to Privacy and Access: Student Records

Miami University maintains records on all Miami students that include academic and demographic information. To protect our students’ privacy, and to ensure that their records are accessible to them, Miami has designed a policy for maintaining and administering student records.

Miami’s policy is in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). The complete policy is included in the online University Policy Library.

Academic action: Academic actions are defined as academic warning, removal of academic warning, academic probation, removal of academic probation, academic suspension, and academic dismissal. Academic actions are taken at the end of each fall and spring semester, and at the end of the summer term. Any student with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 is subject to academic action, regardless of the number of hours taken in any semester or summer term.

Academic record: A record of courses taken, grades received, and degrees earned by each student while attending Miami. It includes transfer credit, advanced placement credit, and other credit awarded or earned.

Admission prerequisites: See “High School Preparation” in the Admission chapter. If you did not complete these units in high school, you must complete additional courses at Miami. These courses count toward graduation and many fulfill other requirements. You must complete these units within your first 64 semester hours (normally, during your first two years). Questions about prerequisites should be directed to the Office of Admission.

Associate’s degree: Two-year degree, generally offered only on regional campuses. An associate's degree requires completion of 64 semester credit hours and should not exceed 65 semester credit hours unless it can be shown that the additional coursework is required to meet professional accreditation or licensing requirements.

Audit: You attend classes, but do not receive credit or a grade. The instructor may require you to take exams and participate in class discussion. Since not all courses can be audited, you must have the instructor’s written permission to audit. A course can be changed from credit to audit or audit to credit up to 60 percent of the class meetings. See the Grades chapter for more detail.

Bachelor’s degree: A four-year degree. Basic requirements include: (1) at least 124 semester hours—at least 32 must be from Miami; (2) at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA; (3) fulfillment of the Miami Plan; (4) fulfillment of divisional and major requirements.

Cancellation: If you do not pay your fees on time, your schedule will be cancelled. You will need to re-register.

CAS-A, B, etc.: Abbreviations for sections of the College of Arts and Science requirement. See the College of Arts and Science chapter.

Certificate program, graduate: A specialization program that enhances a graduate degree. Available to students who have been admitted to the Graduate School and have met program prerequisites for a graduate degree.

Certificate program, undergraduate: A formal award certifying the satisfactory completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level and typically carrying 12-18 credits. Certificates should be designed as: (1) supplementary to other degree programs by providing students with new competencies for professional development or lifelong learning; or (2) building blocks toward future degree completion.

Change of schedule (or drop/add): Dates and times when you can make changes in your term courses. Consult the academic calendar for specific dates and times.

Class standing: Freshmen have earned 0-29 semester hours; sophomores have earned 30-63 semester hours; juniors have earned 64-95 semester hours; seniors have earned 96 or more semester hours.

Closed class: When maximum enrollment in a course has been met, no more students can be accommodated.

Co-Major: is designed to provide a complementary perspective to a student’s primary major and carries at least 30 credits. Students receive the degree designation of their primary major with the co-major listed on the transcript. Some co-majors may have areas of concentration.

Co-requisite: A course that indicates the courses required to be taken in the same semester as the course in question. Co-requisites are indicated in General Bulletin course descriptions.

Course level: (See Course number below.) 100-level courses are generally introductory; 200-level more advanced; 300 and 400-levels for juniors and seniors; 500 and above for graduate students.

Course modifier: A letter or numeric symbol designating a different content within a general course.

Course number: Three-digit number that follows a departmental abbreviation used to identify a course, for example ENG 111. The course number is an indication of course level.

Course reference number (CRN): A five-digit code used to identify each section of a course for registration. It is in effect only for the current term.

Credit/no-credit:  Credit/no-credit courses are not calculated in your GPA and are not recorded using standard letter grades. See the Grades chapter for more detail.

Degree Audit Report: A report of your completed course work and current registration matched with degree requirements of your declared major; it identifies deficiencies and lists courses to satisfy specific requirements. Degree audits are available online at https://uachieve.miamioh.edu/selfservice/general/home.html.

Division: An academic part of the university with its own requirements. Miami has seven divisions: College of Arts and Science, College of Creative Arts, College of Education, Health and Society, College of Engineering and Computing, Farmer School of Business, Graduate School, and College of Liberal Studies and Applied Science.

Doctoral Degree: The highest award a student can earn for graduate study. Doctoral degrees generally require the successful completion of at least 90 semester credit hours (or 135 quarter credit hours) of work beyond the bachelor’s degree or at least 60 semester credit hours (or 90 quarter credit hours) beyond the master’s degree. Deviations from these credit hour guidelines require proper justification and state approval. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a research degree and involves preparation for the conduct of independent research and the discovery of new knowledge. Doctoral degrees may also recognize preparation for professional practice.

Incomplete grade: May be assigned when a student and an instructor formally agree to a plan to complete unfinished course work. See Grades section for more detail.

Independent Work: see full definition

Late registration: Late registration is held just before the term begins for new students who have not registered.

Major: is a curriculum component that enables students to make an in-depth inquiry into a discipline or a professional field of study. It is organized around a specific set of goals, objectives and student learning outcomes that are accomplished through an ordered series of courses whose connections define an internal structure. A major that focuses on a discipline typically draws its courses predominantly from one department. A major that encompasses a professional field of study or is interdisciplinary usually obtains its courses from more than one department/division.
Departments or divisions have the responsibility for administering majors within their unit and for approving particular programs of study and appropriate course substitutions for students. Those departments involved with interdisciplinary majors perform the same functions as individual departments. Students may not declare a major and a minor in the same discipline.

Per the Ohio Department of Higher Education guidelines, a major must comprise a minimum of 30 semester hours in a particular discipline.

Master’s Degree: An award that requires the successful completion of at least 30 semester credit hours of work beyond the bachelor’s degree. Master’s degrees such as the Master of Arts and the Master of Science are typically considered research graduate degrees, and involve preparation to carry out research and to discover new knowledge—whether the field is pure or applied. Master’s degrees may also recognize preparation for professional practice.

Miami Plan (MP): Miami’s liberal education requirement. See the Miami Plan chapter.

Minor: is a designated sequence of courses in a discipline or area of undergraduate study. Like the major, it is expected to have coherence and increasing sophistication. A minor is 18 (minimum) and typically up to 24 credit hours, or approximately half of the major. The minor is independent of the student’s major and students may not declare a major and a minor in the same discipline. Students must formally declare a minor, similar to the process by which they declare the major. Minors are designated on University transcripts.

MUNet password: By default, your password is the month and day of your birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number in the format mmddnnnn. Please include the leading zero for single digit months and days. For example, a birth date of March 1 with Social Security number 123-45-6789 would have a default password of "03016789". For security reasons, you will be required to change your default password to another value the first time you login to myMiami. In addition, to create a new password, you will have the opportunity to create a Secret Question/Answer that can be used in the event that you forget your password. You will then be required to change your password every six months. To change your password, go to www.MiamiOH.edu/password. For login problems, contact the IT Services Support Desk through myMiami at www.mymiami.MiamiOH.edu.

myMiami: Miami University's web portal. myMiami contains links to Banner Self Service, the online campus directory, Knowledge Base, and other Miami services, as well as information about university offices, activities and news and events. myMiami can be accessed from anywhere in the world at www.mymiami.MiamiOH.edu using your Unique ID, MUNet password, and web browser.

Nontraditional credit: College credit given for a nonacademic learning experience, such as knowledge you have acquired from a military service or your own study. For information, contact the One Stop for Student Success Services.

Placement exams: Offered in foreign languages, mathematics, chemistry and physics to help you enroll in an appropriate first course for your skill level.

Prerequisite: Course(s) that are approximations of the necessary specific or general academic knowledge, background, or semester classification required to succeed academically in a specific course. This is indicated in a course description of the Courses of Instruction section of this General Bulletin.

Proficiency exams: Tests used to obtain credit in subjects for which you have adequate preparation. Each department administers its own test, and credit applies toward graduation. You must pass the test with a C or better to earn credit. See the Fees and Expenses chapter.

Section: One class of a course. Courses with large enrollments are divided into sections. Sections are identified by letters, for example ART 171A, ART 171B. Each section has a unique CRN.

Semester credit hour: Unit used to measure course work. The number of credit hours is usually based on the number of hours per week the class meets; for example, a three-hour course typically meets three times a week for 55 minutes each time. One credit hour is usually assigned for two or three hours in laboratory and studio courses.

Sprint course standards: Courses that meet for less than the full 14 week term. The sprint parts of term are Q, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. Sprint course meeting dates are listed in the course schedule.

Terminal degree: A degree that is either highest on the academic track or highest on the professional track in a given field of study. At Miami, the terminal degrees offered are doctoral degrees or Master of Fine Arts (MFA) which is a terminal degree for creative field in the visual and performing arts as well as creative writing. The MFA degrees carry at least 35 semester hours.

Time conflicts: Registration/Change of Schedule checks for time conflicts and will not permit you to add courses that meet at overlapping times.

Transcript: An official copy of your academic record.

Unique ID: Every student, faculty, and staff member has been issued a Unique ID to identify them in the processing of university information. It consists of the first six letters of the last name, followed by the first and middle initials. Some Unique IDs end in a number rather than a middle initial because common last names and initials mean that a particular Unique ID is already in use. The Unique ID is not case sensitive. Both your Unique ID and MUNet password are required to login to Miami's web portal, myMiami.

Variable credit hours: Range of credit hours for courses (usually independent study, special topics, thesis hours). Indicated with cumulative maximum in course description; for example (2-8; maximum 16).