Advising FAQs

All deposited students attend a Future Freshman Course Registration event in the spring or summer prior to their first semester at Carthage. You will be invited to a Future Freshman Course Registration event once you have made your deposit to enroll. At Future Freshman Course Registration, a student success advisor will work with you to create a tentative list of courses for your first semester, and learn more about Carthage academics, student and residence life, meal plans, financial aid, and tuition payment options. In addition, you will receive your Carthage ID card and official email address.

The top of your schedule will list your name, Carthage ID number, the degree you are seeking (BA or BN), your advisors’ name, and your major(s) and minor(s). Classes will be listed:

Course: The capitalized portion stands for the area of study, the four numbers are the course number, and the final two numbers are the course section (some courses have multiple sections).
Title: The title of the class.
Credits: The number of credits you’ll earn.
Grading Type: Some courses are graded by letter (LT) and others as satisfactory/unsatisfactory (SU).
Faculty: Your professors’ names.
Meets: M – Monday, T – Tuesday, W – Wednesday, R – Thursday, F – Friday
Dates: The dates the courses begins and ends (a few courses are only seven weeks long).
Room: Main refers to the main campus and the capitalized letters are the building and the numbers the room number:

• CC — Clausen Center
• DSC — David A. Straz Jr. Center
• HL — Hedberg Library
• JAC — H. F. Johnson Center for the Fine Arts
• LH — Lentz Hall
• SIEB — A. F. Siebert Chapel
• TARC — N. E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center

Student success advisors take many factors into consideration when registering you for classes. These may include: your major, course availability, athletics, and AP scores. Your advisor will identify major appropriate or courses similar to your original requests. Ultimately, all courses will count toward the 138 credits needed to graduate from Carthage.

Prior to your arrival on campus, please contact the Office of the Registrar (registrar@carthage.edu) to add or drop classes during the course change window. Once you are on campus, log into your Workday account to add and drop courses online (you will receive access to this account when you arrive on campus). Students will be able to add and drop courses online until the semester deadline. All add and drop deadlines are listed on the academic calendar.

New students are assigned an advisor from the Center for Student Success to aid in their transition to Carthage and will continue working with that advisor throughout their time at Carthage on an as-needed basis. Carthage utilizes a holistic advising model that includes faculty advisors and career specialists. Faculty advisors and career specialists will be assigned to students following the start of their transition to Carthage and work with students through their graduation.

Many students will declare a major by the end of their freshman year. Students should declare a major before the end of their sophomore year. Students who do not declare by the end of the sophomore year may not be able to graduate in a four-year span. You can declare a major or minor at any time. Please contact the Office of the Registrar (registrar@carthage.edu) if you change your major before arriving on campus.

Certain programs of study may require a minor; however, it is not an overall graduation requirement at Carthage. Some students may decide to pursue a minor to study additional areas of interest without completing another major. Please contact the Office of the Registrar (registrar@carthage.edu) if you want to add a minor before arriving on campus.

Carthage has major and minor programs in more than 50 areas of study, but for students with special interests, Carthage offers the opportunity for students to design their own major/minor programs. Specialized major/minor programs must consist of existing courses; proposals should be thoughtfully prepared in consultation with a faculty advisor and the department chair(s) whose course offerings will be included in the major. A complete proposal must be submitted to the Curriculum Planning Committee for approval before the student has achieved senior standing. For more information on designing your own major, please talk with your advisor.

Yes. Many Carthage students choose to double-major, and typically, students can double-major and still graduate in four years. However, multiple factors affect a student’s ability to graduate in four years, including credit requirements for both majors, whether required classes overlap in each major, and how well a student plans each semester. Your advisor can assist you in this process.

The course catalog consists of the College’s official academic policies, graduation requirements for all programs of study, course descriptions, and the general education curriculum. A new catalog is released each academic year with updates to any college requirements. You are held accountable to the requirements listed in the catalog of the year you enrolled at Carthage. Please consult with your student success advisor if you have questions about the catalog.

J-Term, or January Term, is a special month-long period of study in which Carthage students explore subjects outside their majors or minors, discover new interests, and test their creativity through classes held both on campus and around the world. It’s a month to experiment, create, and dream.

New students can participate in a J-Term study tour in their first year. Study tours are announced in April and typically some will fill up before you arrive on campus, there will still be seats available in a number of study tours. View J-Term study tours

All Advanced Placement (AP) courses are subject to departmental review of scores and/or booklet before credits are awarded. AP scores must be 3 or above to receive Carthage credit.

Credit may be given for International Baccalaureate (IB) scores of 4 or higher in selected higher-level examinations.

Students enrolled at Carthage wishing to apply transfer or correspondence courses taken elsewhere must secure advance approval from the involved department chair and the Registrar by the end of the term prior to enrollment in the course. Upon receipt of an official transcript from institutions accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and similar regional associations, the appropriate value will be given for comparable courses or areas taught at Carthage.

Courses at other institutions are counted as part of a student’s total earned credits. Credit will only be transferred for courses in which a grade of “C–” or better is earned. Credit will not be transferred from a two-year school after a student has accumulated 68 credits. College-level courses taken in high school are credited on the same basis as other transfer credits, provided that the courses have not been counted for entrance requirements. The maximum total credits allowed for specialized testing (CLEP) and correspondence courses is 32. Transcripts from institutions outside of the United States must be evaluated by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.

If you have studied Spanish, French or German, you can take a language placement indicator online, which will determine the course you can take. If you have studied Japanese, you can contact the Modern Language Department to complete a language placement. If you place at or above the 2010 level, you have the option to waive your language requirement. If you completed an online placement, you must retake it on campus in a proctored environment. If you choose to waive your language requirement, you will not receive any credit. If you place into the 1020 level or above, take the course, and earn a “C” or better, you can receive up to 12 retroactive credits for the previous courses (e.g., If you place into Spanish 1020 and earn a “C” or higher, you will also receive 4 credits for Spanish 1010). 

Students with experience in another language will speak with the chair of the Modern Language Department to be assessed for placement.

Carthage does not have a math placement test. Your student success advisor will review your ACT/SAT scores and your high school transcript to determine what level of math would be appropriate based on your program requirements.

Carthage does not have a chemistry placement test. Your student success advisor will review your grades in any high school chemistry courses and determine what level of chemistry would be appropriate based on your program requirements. 

Practices are typically held 4-6 p.m. during the week. Some teams choose to practice earlier or later, depending on facility availability (contact your coach for specifics). Student-athletes in season typically have priority over students in the offseason.

During in-season semesters, you should try to avoid MWF 4-5:05 p.m. and TR 4:10-5:50 p.m. courses. An occasional lab or night course is possible and those athletes will need to communicate with their coaches to accommodate missing practice times for class. These situations are not out of the ordinary and student-athletes should not be concerned about a lab or night class interfering with practice.

Spring athletes may have some class conflicts in the fall. Fall seasons for spring sports are short and are a lower priority in terms of registering for courses that fall into the late afternoon time slot. You can try to adjust your schedule, but we cannot guarantee a change can be made. Coaches are aware of this and will work with athletes.

See advising and registration dates on the academic calendar. To register for classes, you must first be cleared to enroll by your assigned faculty advisor. If you do not have a faculty advisor, your student success advisor can clear you to enroll. Once cleared, you can login to your Workday account, select the “Academics” app, click “Find Course Sections,” and select the start date and your academic level. Check to make sure you do not have any holds on your account that will prevent you from registering. Please contact your advisor for more assistance.

Profile > Actions Items and Holds > Holds can be found on Active Holds tab.

Login to your Workday account and go to your profile. Select the “Action Items and Holds” tab. On that page, you will see a “Active Holds” category and details about your hold(s) if you have any. There are two types of holds. If you have a REG hold, you will need to work with the Office of the Registrar to get the hold removed. If you have a UBAL hold, you will need to work with the Office of Student Financial Services to get the hold removed.

All add/drop deadlines are listed on the academic calendar. In the first week of classes, students can add/drop courses in Workday through the “Academics” app. In the second week of classes, there is a restricted add/drop period. Students need permission from the instructor to add courses. The Office of the Registrar will add courses with instructor permission and drop courses for students during this time. No student is permitted to add or drop a course after the deadline. Any course changes after that date must be made with the permission of the Subcommittee for Academic Review and Recommendation. A student may withdraw from a course after the add/drop deadline (please refer to the academic calendar for specific dates). The course will show on the student’s transcript with a “W.”

Students can drop a course within the first two weeks of the semester. The course is removed from their schedule and does not show up on their transcript. After the add/drop period, a student may withdraw from a course until the withdrawal deadline (please refer to the academic calendar for specific dates). The course will show up on your transcript with a “W.”

Students who wish to completely withdraw from the institution must fill out the Institutional Withdrawal Form, available in the Office of the Registrar. Official withdrawal dates will be determined by the date of receipt. However, in unusual circumstances such as unforeseen illness or events beyond the student’s control, the College may use a withdrawal date determined by the student’s last date of attendance at an academically related activity, as documented by the College. This is the process students will want to follow to complete the official withdrawal process. Failure to do so can result in an unofficial withdrawal.

Resident students must work with Residential Life staff to vacate their assigned rooms within 48 hours of the receipt of withdrawal forms. Extenuating circumstances will be considered by the Residential Life staff. Please refer to the academic calendar for the institutional withdrawal deadline. If you’re considering a complete withdrawal, please talk to your advisor for more information.

Carthage does not have a leave of absence policy. Any student intending to leave Carthage for a semester or more should fill out the Institutional Withdrawal Form. If a student wishes to return in a future semester, they will need to reapply and be readmitted through the Office of Admissions.

Full-time students may register for 12-18 credits during the 14-week terms. While students can register for 12 credits, students planning to graduate in four years should take 16 credits each semester. Students wishing to register for more than 18 credits must obtain approval for the overload from the Subcommittee for Academic Review and Recommendation no later than the last day to add a regular course. There is an additional charge for registration over 18 credits.

To update your majors(s) and/or minor(s), log into the Workday system. When in your student profile, click on the “Academics” tab. On the overview screen, you can add a new program of study or a request a program change. To request a program change, click on the “Request” button and remove/add your preferred program(s) of study.

Specialized major/minor programs must consist of existing courses; proposals should be thoughtfully prepared in consultation with a faculty advisor and the department chair(s) whose course offerings will be included in the major. A complete proposal must be submitted to the Curriculum Planning Committee for approval before the student has achieved senior standing. Student success advisors can help you navigate the self-design process, but cannot sign-off on proposals. For more information on designing your own major, please talk with your faculty advisor.

Carthage utilizes a holistic advising model designed to meet each undergraduate student where they are on their college journey and provide guidance and mentorship along the way. At the core of this model are three key roles: student success advisors, faculty advisors, and career specialists who will work with you to plan coursework, discuss co-curricular and extracurricular engagement, and create short- and long-term academic and career plans. Career specialists will be assigned in your first semester. Your faculty advisor will be assigned at the start of your first semester, as long as you have a declared major.

The College maintains progress records that are furnished to students on a regular basis. Upon completion of a course, each student is assigned a letter symbol: “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” “C-,” “D+,” “D,” “D-,” “S” and “P” for passing grades; “I” for incomplete, which is given only in special cases of illness or some other uncontrollable factor; “W” for official withdrawal; “U” for unsatisfactory; and “F” for failure or unofficial withdrawal. All incomplete work must be satisfied 30 days following the final exam. If not, the grade will be recorded at the professor’s discretion. Letter grades convert into the following point system for determining cumulative grade point average:

• A 4.00
• A- 3.67
• B+ 3.33
• B 3.00
• B- 2.67
• C+ 2.33
• C 2.00
• C- 1.67
• D+ 1.33
• D 1.00
• D- 0.67
• F No points

Freshman — 0-31 credits
Sophomore — 32-67 credits
Junior — 68-101 credits
Senior — 102 or more credit

At the midpoint (7th week) of each term, all faculty members are asked to submit midterm low-grade reports for all students doing “D” or “F” work. Reports are distributed through the Office of the Registrar to students and their advisors. If a student receives two or more reports, the student’s parents also will be informed unless the student is financially independent. Financially independent students must bring proof of their independence to the Office of Student Financial Services (Financial Aid) at the beginning of the academic year. Students who have not shown proof of their independence are assumed to be financially dependent on their parents.

Only courses with a grade of “C-” or lower may be repeated. When a course is repeated, the earlier grade remains on the student’s transcript. However, only the last enrollment and grade will be used in computing the cumulative grade point average, regardless of whether it was an improvement. Courses must be repeated at Carthage for the grade to be replaced in GPA calculation. 

Students can view their degree requirements in the Carthage catalog. If your major(s) and/or minor(s) are declared in the system, you can also view your degree requirements and progress towards graduation on your Academic Progress Report in Workday.

Field placement and internship programs provide students with meaningful work experiences that either directly relate to their career objectives, or assist in determining those objectives. The central feature of the programs is the opportunity for significant interaction between students’ work experiences and academic programs. The following policies govern field placement and internships during the regular term. 

Summer studies at Carthage meet the needs of traditional and nontraditional students. There are two sessions during the summer: Summer I and Summer II. All courses are offered in a 7-week accelerated format. Summer classes are open to Carthage Adult Undergraduate Studies students, Carthage traditional students, college students from other institutions, teachers, other professionals, and high school students with special permission. 

Yes. Once you have an idea of the course(s) you want to take, you need to fill out a transfer credit approval form through the Office of the Registrar.

Courses at other institutions are counted as part of a student’s total earned credits and can fulfill degree requirements if the course has an appropriate equivalency. Credit will only be transferred for courses in which a grade of “C-” or better is earned. The grade for your transfer course will not be recorded on your Carthage transcript and will not factor into your GPA. For this reason, students wishing to retake a course to replace a grade should only retake the course at Carthage. Credit will not be transferred from a two-year school after a student has accumulated 68 credits.