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Center for Excellence in Spires Teaching and Learning

University of Saint Mary's site for teaching and learning resources and professional development opportunities

Advising view on eSpire

Advising 101 Course Enrollment tips for undergraduates

Advising 101

Take home points:

  • Need 120 hours to graduate 
  • Only 4 activity hours allowed in that 120 – note that First Aid is NOT an activity course
  • Need 42 upper level hours (courses numbered 300 or above)
  • At least 30 hours from USM
  • Of the last 30 hours, 24 must be completed at USM (essentially, students may complete two courses elsewhere as they near completion)
  • Need a GPA of 2.0
  • Need a GPA of 2.0 in the upper level hours of the major  (some majors require a higher gpa)
  • See below for the current Gen Ed requirements 

General Education Requirements By Catalog Year

2020-21 (and earlier) Catalog

2021-22 Catalog

2022-23 and Beyond (Catalog)

Traditional 4 Year Track

  • GE 114 (or HN 114)
  • GE 115 (or HN 114)
  • EN 111 - English Composition I
  • EN 112 - English Composition II
  • TH lower-level (100/200)
  • TH upper-level (300+)
  • 1- Behavioral Science (any PY, any SO)
  • 1 - Literature (EN literature)
  • 1 - Fine Art (AR/THR/3.0 MU)
  • 1 - History (HI)
  • 1 - Math (MA 125+ or higher)
  • 1- Natural Science w/lab (BI/CH/NS/PHY)
  • 1 - Philosophy
  • 1 - Social Science (any EC, any PS, any 
  • 3 - Idea Seminars (IS end code)

Transfer Track

  • COM 120 – Public Speaking
  • EN 310 – Transfer Core
  • EN 111 - English Composition I
  • EN 112 - English Composition II
  • TH lower-level (100/200)
  • TH upper-level (300+)
  • 1- Behavioral Science (any PY, any SO)
  • 1 - Literature (EN literature)
  • 1 - Fine Art (AR/THR/3.0 MU)
  • 1 - History (HI)
  • 1 - Math (MA 125+ or higher)
  • 1- Natural Science w/lab (BI/CH/NS/PHY)
  • 1 - Philosophy
  • 1 - Social Science (any EC, any PS, any 
  • 3 - Idea Seminars (IS end code) – May be less depending on how many credits came in with

Traditional 4 Year Track

  • GE 100 – Saint Mary Experience (3 credits)
  • COM - 120 (speech requirement)
  • 2 - Theology (any theology, no lower or upper req) – 6 credits
  • 2 - Behavioral/Social Science (any EC, PS, PY, SO, SW) – 6 credits (can be from same program code)
  • 1 - Literature
  • 1 - Fine Art (AR/THR/3.0 MU) – 3 credits
  • 1 - History (HI) – 3 credits
  • 1 - Math (MA 125+ or higher) – 3 credits
  • 1 - Natural Science w/lab (BI/CH/NS/PHY)
  • 1 - Philosophy

Transfer Track

  • GE 100 – Saint Mary Experience (3 credits)
  • COM 120 (speech requirement)
  • 2 - Theology (any theology, no lower or upper req) – 6 credits
  • 2 – Behavioral/Social Science (any EC, PS, PY, SO, SW) – 6 credits can be from same program code
  • 1 – Literature (EN Literature)
  • 1 - Fine Art (AR/THR/3.0 MU) – 3 credits
  • 1 - History (HI) – 3 credits
  • 1 - Math (MA 125+ or higher) – 3 credits
  • 1 - Natural Science w/lab (BI/CH/NS/PHY)
  • 1 - Philosophy

Both Transfer Students and Traditional 4 Year Track Students will complete the following:

Spire Foundation (5 credits)

  • GE 101 - Saint Mary Experience (2 credits)
  • TH 112 - Introduction to Spirituality (3 credits)

Spire Core (Minimum of 15 credits)

  • EN 111: English Composition I (3 credits) (Writing competency course. Grades lower than a “C‐” require repeating the course)
  • EN 112 English Composition II (3 credits)
  • Math (3 credits) - Must be MA 134 or equivalent or higher
  • Theology (3 credits) - TH
  • Natural Science with lab (minimum 3 credits) – BI, CH, NS, PHY

Spire Exploration (Respect, Justice, Community, InSpire, Minimum of 15 credits)

  • Arts (Minimum 3 credits) – AR, MU, THR
  • Humanities (Minimum 6 credits) – EN lit., HI, PH (must choose from two different program codes)
  • Social or Behavioral Science (Minimum 6 credits) – EC, PS, PY, SO, SW (must choose from two different program codes)

Spire Integration (2 credits)

  • GE 301 - General Education Capstone (2 credits)

 

*Enroll students in at least 15 hours for full time status to allow for wiggle room if they need to drop a course later on

* Remind students to have any transcripts sent to the registrar's office to have transfer hours documented on their degree audit

 

 

 

Tips for Soft Advising or Mentoring

Our advising role is more than just meeting with students to select courses. Here are some questions you can ask to get to know your advisees so that you can provide guidance and mentoring:

-Tell me about your family, hometown, experiences in high school

-What was your favorite class in high school? Why?

-What are you good at, what is challenging for you?

-What are your hobbies, interests, how do you spend your free time?

-How do you learn best?

-What is your dream job?

-How can I help you be successful?

-Why did you pick this major?

-What do you worry about?

-Favorites: Food, Music, TV Shows, Movies, etc

The better you get to know your advisees as people, the easier it is to help them succeed. And easier to have difficult conversations when they are not succeeding. 

 

Common advising errors to avoid

These are some common errors that result in waivers requested or graduation delays. If you are unsure how to proceed, please contact the registrar's office before making a decision that might cause problems for the student later on:

  • Make sure you are using a current degree plan or degree audit. Course numbers and degree requirements change so be sure you are using the correct one for the academic catalog the student entered USM under.
  • Check prerequisites/co-requisites for a course a student plans to enroll in
  • If a student is a double major or has a minor in a different filed, have the student meet with the other program to ensure all requirements are being met
  • If a student wants to drop a course, make sure they still will be at full time status for athletic eligibility and financial aid purposes
  • To avoid scheduling conflicts be proactive during the schedule development phase and let division chairs know of any possible conflicts you have noticed in previous semesters that may prevent students from enrolling in two courses that may have been offered at the same time previously
  • If students are planning on taking summer classes at a different institution, they should check with the registrar to make sure the course will transfer before signing up for the class
  • Currently, students do not receive credit for 006 EN and should not be figured in as credits towards graduation