Advising FAQs

Every semester, the CNMS Advising Office publishes updated advising assignments (typically in October and March). Please refer to the published Advising Assignments for assistance. Advising assignments will also be available on a student’s myUMBC profile page.

All degree-seeking students must consult with an academic advisor each semester to obtain advising clearance for the next semester. Registration advising occurs prior to a student’s registration for the next Fall or Spring term. Typically, it occurs during the weeks before and during Advance Registration. Advising is not mandatory for Summer and Winter session registration.

During your registration advising session, your advisor will grant advising clearance, removing the electronic hold on your account. Additionally, you will discuss topics such as your current grades in courses-in-progress, predicted grades for those courses, academic and personal goals, and a proposed schedule/course list for the next semester including any Summer/Winter coursework. Learn more about preparing for Registration Advising.

Advising is available throughout the year however faculty and staff tend to have limited availability outside of the advising season as their campus obligations shift. Due to this shift in campus obligations, students may experience a delayed response during summer/winter session.

Students may receive advising from a department or program other than the department of the student’s declared major(s). Common examples of supplemental advising include Scholars Programs, minors/certificates, and Pre-Professional support.

Please refer to our Registration Frequently Asked Questions page for assistance.

Students may not register for a course more than two times. Students are considered registered for a course if they are enrolled after the end of the schedule adjustment period. Students may petition the Academic Success Center for a third and final attempt of a course taken at UMBC [or] another institution. An attempt is defined as enrollment in a UMBC course (or its equivalent at another institution) in which the student has received a grade or an official withdrawal noted on the transcript.

For more information on this policy and the petition process, please visit the Academic Success Center website.

The degree audit is an advisement tool that helps students choose appropriate coursework and determine their progress towards graduation. Students should work closely with their advisor and review their degree audit regularly to determine appropriate enrollment. Within the degree audit, students will see how their applicable UMBC coursework, transfer coursework and test credits are being used towards UMBC requirements. Watch our video on how to navigate your Degree Audit.

The What-If Degree Audit is a planning tool that allows you to see how your existing classes will adapt to a change of major or the addition of a second major and/or minor. The report will identify what additional classes are required to complete different majors. You can find the What-If Degree Audit in the Degree section of your myUMBC profile. This is a great tool to use when you are exploring new majors and minors!

The bachelor’s degree at UMBC consists of multiple components such as university, general education program, and major requirements. For a comprehensive overview of all graduation requirements, check out this video.

Students must satisfy the requirements of a major program which provides the focal point of a student’s undergraduate study and ensures depth of knowledge in that field. Students may choose to major in an established discipline within one of the available major curricula or develop a self-designed program within the framework of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. A list of major programs, with links to departmental websites is available at the Degrees and Programs at UMBC website.

• Students pursuing multiple majors must complete the requirements of both major programs, complete the general education requirements, and a minimum of 120 degree credits.
  • The number of required Culture GEP credits is dependent upon the student’s primary major.
• Students pursuing multiple degree programs must complete the requirements of all degree programs, complete the general education requirements and a minimum of 30 credits above the 120 credit minimum for each additional degree at the time of graduation.

Students may elect to declare a minor, which is a survey of an academic field, but in less depth than a major program. Minor programs are recognized only when completed concurrently with and as part of a bachelor’s degree program and shall not be the same as the declared major. A list of minor programs with links to departmental websites is available at the Degrees and Programs at UMBC website.

Students may elect to declare a certificate as part of their degree program to achieve mastery of a skill or content area. A certificate is a set of courses that demonstrate knowledge and skill in a particular area, often more pre-professional in nature than minors. In general, students must complete the requirements of a certificate in conjunction with and as part of a bachelor’s degree program.  A list of certificate programs, with links to departmental websites is available at the Degrees and Programs at UMBC website.

You can submit a Declaration of Major Form in order to make any necessary changes. Please watch this video to assist you in changing or declaring your major.

Courses taken for personal interest or enrichment in any field.

Without exception, at least 45 of the minimum 120 credits required for graduation must be in courses numbered at the 300-level or above. Courses taken at UMBC as well as those accepted in transfer that are numbered 300-level or above will be applied towards the 45 upper level credit requirement. A student’s major will naturally include some, but generally not all, upper level credits.

Yes, students are prohibited from the following combinations due to the extensive overlap in the requirements.

• Biochemistry, BS  and Biology minor
• Biochemistry, BS and Chemistry minor
• Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, BS and Biology minor

• Students who are Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BIOC) majors who wish to also pursue a Biology (BIOL) major may use core BIOL, CHEM, MATH, and PHYS courses from the BIOC major towards the BIOL major but must take separate electives for the two majors.
• Students who are Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BIOC) majors who wish to also pursue a Biology (BIOL) major may use core BIOL, CHEM, MATH, and PHYS courses from the BIOC major towards the BIOL major but must take separate electives for the two majors.
• Students who are a Bioinformatics & Computational Biology minor who wish to pursue a Biology or Biochemistry & Molecular Biology major must take separate electives between the minor and major.

A residency requirement means that specific coursework or credits must be completed at UMBC.

• The Biology majors require that at least half of the required BIOL courses and electives must be completed at UMBC.
• The Biochemistry & Molecular Biology major requires that students complete CHEM 437, CHEM 437L, and CHEM 438 at UMBC.

MATH 155 is an elementary applied calculus course that has the prerequisite of college algebra or a score of 61% or higher on the math placement exam. In general, given that MATH 155 has lower prerequisites compared to MATH 151 (Analytical Calculus), the course is often considered the less complex calculus course option. MATH 155 can be used for the Biology, BA (BIOL BA) and most pre-health programs – students should review health professions requirements with the respective advisor.

MATH 151 is a calculus and analytical geometry course which requires a placement score of 76% or above or completion of a MATH 150 equivalent course. MATH 151 prepares students to proceed to Calculus II, if necessary.

All CNMS majors, besides BIOL BA, require MATH 151. For BIOL BS students who previously completed MATH 155, the combination of MATH 155 plus MATH 155B (1 credit winter only course) can be requested to be used as a substitute for MATH 151 via Petition to Waive/Substitute Program Requirements.

Math 104 (Quantitative Literacy) focuses on algebraic and numeric skills in a context of applications and problem-solving to prepare students for Stat 121 (Introduction to Statistics for the Social Sciences) or Math 100 (Contemporary Mathematics).

MATH 104 is NOT an acceptable math course for any CNMS major nor health professions student as the course does not provide the prerequisites for calculus sequence coursework.

If a student completes MATH 104 and then changes to a major which requires calculus sequence coursework, Math 104 can serve as a prerequisite for Math 106 (Algebra and Elementary Functions). In order to request a prerequisite override, please contact the math department.

If UMBC was not your designated institution listed on your answer sheet, online requests for score reports can be made through your College Board account. UMBC Code: 5835

AP scores and course equivalencies will be reported on your Advising Profile (myUMBC >> Profile >> Degree >> Advising Profile). More information about Advising Profile can be found here.

Yes, even if AP scores or equivalencies are posted on the transcript from your previous institution, you need to send an official score report from College Board to UMBC. Online requests for score reports can be made through your College Board account. UMBC Code: 5835

AP scores and course equivalencies will be reported on your Advising Profile (myUMBC >> Profile >> Degree >> Advising Profile). More information about Advising Profile can be found here.

Although these courses may be listed on your high school transcript, you will need to send UMBC an official transcript from the college or university in which the coursework was offered. Directions on how to send a college transcript to UMBC can be found here.

All current UMBC students are required to obtain permission from the Registrar’s Office to take courses away from UMBC. Failure to obtain permission prior to enrolling in courses off-campus may result in the course not being accepted for transfer and/or applied to degree requirements. This process allows students to ensure time nor money is wasted on a course that may not transfer to UMBC the way they anticipated.

Students must complete the electronic Verification of Transferability (VOT) form. Only courses required for a student’s major or minor require an advisor’s signature. An advisor’s signature acknowledges that they are aware the student plans to take the course somewhere else and does infer transferability of the course. Transferability of coursework is ultimately determined by UMBC’s Registrar’s Office.

The form must be submitted at least 3 weeks before the course begins. Montgomery College and University of Maryland University College require an approved VOT prior to registration. Students should anticipate a 1- 2 week processing time for VOT forms.

Watch this video to learn more about submitting a Verification of Transferability form.

Once the transfer course is completed, the student will need to send UMBC an official transcript from the transfer institution in order to have the coursework posted to their UMBC record.

Ultimately, if a student is interested in transferring a course to UMBC, they should not rely solely on TES and/or ARTSYS and should ultimately submit a Verification of Transferability form.

90 credits can be transferred to UMBC but only 70 of those credits can be from a community college.

If a course completed at another institution did not transfer as the desired and/or direct equivalent, you may request that the course is reevaluated for general education and/or major requirement equivalency through a Course Review.

In order to have the course evaluated, you should complete the Course Review electronic form and upload a PDF of course syllabus and/or common course outline. If you did not retain a copy of the course syllabus, contact the institution and/or instructor to request a copy of the syllabus.

After the completed course review form and syllabus are submitted to the Registrar’s Office, the documents will be forwarded to the academic department for review. Once the review is completed by the designated department, the Registrar’s Office will then make any necessary updates on the student’s Transfer Credit Report and will notify (via myUMBC email) the student of the final decision regarding the course evaluation. The course review process can take up to 20 business days.