Advising and Registration

Your adviser is here to help; however, you can make the most of your advising session if you come prepared. Think ahead about what courses you want to take and bring your questions about majors/minors, internships, study abroad programs, career opportunities, etc. To get more tips on what to expect from your advising session, see the Academic Advising section of the Marquette undergraduate bulletin.

The Office of the Registrar provides extensive information on class registration topics including what to do before you register, what to do while you register, and how to get additional help if you need it. These topics can be found on the Marquette Central Course Registration page.

The most important information on how to register through CheckMarq can be found on the Marquette Central webpage.

If you still have concerns, call the Diederich College records office at (414) 288-7075.

Students in the Diederich College are required to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours with a 2.0 GPA in order to graduate. This means that a student taking an average of 15 credits for each of the 8 semesters will have the right number of credit hours required.

The Undergraduate Bulletin provides a list of requirements for each major and minor within the university as well as sample curriculum.

• Taking less than 15 credit hours in any of eight semesters (fall and spring semesters for four years) leaves a student short of the required number of credits. Some students take a few 16–18 credit semesters to make up the difference, whereas others take some summer courses in order to graduate in four years. Full-time students can register for 12-19 credits, but taking only 12 credits during a semester will slow your progress toward completing the 120 credit hours required to graduate.
• Students wanting to take an overload (more than 19 credits) must complete an overload request form to our college records office (JH 120). Since full-time is 12 or more credits, dropping below 12 credits could negatively influence financial aid, health insurance and progression within the academic program.

If you are majoring in advertising or public relations, completion of ADPR 3986 for three (3) credits is a graduation requirement. All other majors are strongly encouraged to complete at least one internship prior to graduation.

More information can be found on the college's internship page or by contacting Sheena Carey, Internship Coordinator.

You should have been notified if you received AP or IB credits, but if in doubt, contact the records office in JH 120 for clarification: (414) 288-7075.

This will happen to all students on occasion, and although it is frustrating, you will survive. In most cases, you can simply put off taking the course for a semester and take something else that you need to satisfy your major, minor, college core, or university core requirements. If delaying the course potentially delays your graduation, contact an administrator in the college that offers the course to see if you could be added. For example, if you are trying to register for Intro to Marketing and the class is full, contact the Assistant Dean or Associate Dean in the College of Business.

If a class that you absolutely must have is full, you can seek special permission to enroll from the instructor, or from the department chair if no instructor is listed. Please note, however, that permission to enroll in a full class is granted only in exceptional cases.

Download the Special Registration Permission Form or from the college Records Office, Johnston Hall 120. If consent is granted, you will be given a permission number to enroll in the course.

If you have a grade below a "C" at midterm, talk to the instructor and find out what you can do to raise your grade. If after taking any steps possible to raise your grade, you still think you are risking a "D" or "F" in the class or the class is taking so much of your time that it is pulling your grades down in other courses, drop the class. If you can get a "C" or above, stay in the class so you don't lose the credits. An occasional "W" on your transcript won't matter, but don't get in the habit of dropping courses or you will delay your progress toward graduation. If dropping a class puts you below 12 credits and changes your status to part-timer, call MU Central for guidance.

During the first week of classes, you can log onto CheckMarq and drop or add a class yourself. You can also exchange one class for another using the “swap” feature on CheckMarq. Any class you drop during this time will not show up on your transcript; however, after the first week of classes, you will no longer be able to drop the class yourself. You will need to fill out the form for withdrawal from a single course and turn in the completed form to the College Records Office in JH 120. Your transcript will show a grade of “W” for the course.

To declare or change a communication major, complete a form available in the Records Office, JH 120. It is also available on the college website under “Forms” in the current students section. Non-Communication majors can also use this form to declare one of the areas of Communication as a second major.

However, students declaring a second major outside of the College of Communication fill out a form available through the college that offers the major. To declare any minor within MU, fill out the minor declaration form through the MU Central/ Office of the Registrar website.

The Marquette Core Curriculum (MCC) is the center of every Marquette University student's educational experience. With five different themes, the MCC's Discovery Tier offers you an opportunity to pursue further studies across a range of passions. The MCC is designed with the expectation that students declare a Discovery Tier Theme before the end of their sophomore year. You can declare or change via CheckMarq.

If you find inaccurate information on the checklist or the Academic Requirements page (e.g., a course you transferred from another institution has not been credited), please inform the college Records Office in JH 120. Any changes in your major, minor or adviser must be initiated through the Records Office.

If a class requires consent of the instructor or department, you must secure that consent before you can register. Get a Special Registration Permission Form or from the college Records Office, Johnston Hall 120. If consent is granted, you will be given a permission number to enroll in the course.

To enroll in an independent course, download the independent study form or pick one up in the college Records Office, Johnston Hall 120. You also need a faculty member’s agreement to supervise the course. For independent study courses, the form will be sent to the Registrar’s Office, where you will be automatically enrolled.

If you plan to take courses at another institution, you must complete a Transfer Course/Credit Request form available at the MU Central’s website.