DEGREE PLAN REPORTS: PeopleSoft makes Degree Plan Reports (DPRs) available to students. Students should be aware that, at present, these documents are advisory only and may contain errors. For purposes of planning and potential graduation, the document governing academic progress is the degree plan generated by the staff of the Advising Center and approved by the Faculty Academic Advisor of the department of the relevant major and the Dean. If you have any questions concerning your academic progress, contact your academic advisor at the NSM Undergraduate Advising Center.

The policies and procedures that apply to your degree are outlined in the University of Houston Undergraduate Catalog, which is available exclusively online. To find out what catalog applies to you, see “Graduation Under a Particular Catalog.”

The catalog explains policies, course information, faculty information, degree plans, etc. Review NSM Policies and Procedures. In addition, the NSM Academic Regulations form, which all NSM students initial upon completion of 60 semester hours, is available on the Undergraduate Advising Center webpage under Important Forms.

Students are responsible for all Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements that apply to their degree at the university, college, and departmental levels, including those that apply to their chosen major(s) and minor(s).

Important Steps to Success

• Meet with your academic advisor in the NSM Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) regularly.
• Request a degree plan at the NSM UAC by the start of your junior year. Review your degree plan with your UAC academic advisor to ensure you understand what is needed to complete your degree.
• File for graduation online through your myUH (PeopleSoft) account before the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. If you do not graduate in the semester in which you have applied, you must re-apply in the next semester you plan to complete your degree.
• Be proactive in managing your enrollment. Check your enrollment on myUH regularly and print a copy for your records. This is especially important each time you add or drop a class. When you pay for your classes, print a copy of your fee statement showing a zero balance and retain it along with your other academic records. If you withdraw from a class, retain your copy of the withdrawal form. Keeping track of these forms is your responsibility.
• All classes in which you are enrolled on the Official Recording Day (ORD) will count toward your total number of hours attempted and will therefore count toward your Enrollment Cap. If you withdraw from a course after ORD (and before the last day to receive a W for a course), you will receive a W that will count toward your six Ws. Please see the Policy on Dropping Courses.
• Grades in all classes count toward your GPA (including art, physical education, and repeated courses).
• Abide by the NSM Code of Honor and the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.
• Do not walk away from a course and assume you will be dropped by the instructor. It is your responsibility to submit the required paperwork and keep a copy of the signed, dated, and (in some cases) stamped receipt. There are no refunds for classes dropped after the deadline. Some laboratories run concurrently with certain lecture sections and some do not. Keep in mind that if you drop a lecture, the lab does not necessarily drop, and vice versa. Also, some labs are not required.

Tips for Academic Success

It’s important to take the right classes at the right time; pay attention to the specific prerequisites for the class you wish to take. You should not attempt to enroll in a class without the required prerequisites.

• Attend class regularly; many instructors follow attendance requirements to the letter. Your instructor and/or syllabus is your guide for attendance requirements for the class/lab you are taking. Don’t sign up for classes you know will be difficult for you to attend.
• Take notes in class. Study the notes you take; strive to study three hours for every hour of class. Read your textbooks and underline or take notes in them. Study these notes also.
• Contact your teacher or teaching assistant as soon as you have a problem with learning the material. You also can see your academic advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Center who can refer you to campus resources that may help you. Do not wait until you are behind in the class.

Participate! Get involved, join campus organizations, attend department seminars, meet people, explore and learn. A university education is a big opportunity and a big adventure.