New Student Tutorial There are many resources to assist you ...

1. New Student Tutorial

2. There are many resources to assist you at the University of Pittsburgh, and academic advising is one of them. You will work with an assigned academic advisor throughout your degree program in the College of General Studies. Your advisor will offer you counsel as you progress toward completing your educational goals.� Welcome to the College of General Studies New Student Tutorial

3. Purpose of the New Student Tutorial

4. Expectations Upon Completion of the Tutorial To understand the degree requirements necessary for your Major/Program of Study. To understand and know how to use your Distribution of Studies (Academic Advising Transcript) as a map for your degree progress and creation of your course schedule. To be able to login to PeopleSoft and search for appropriate and open courses. To create a tentative course schedule.

5. Tutorial Overview

6. Distribution of Studies The Distribution of Studies is a CGS document indicating what course requirements you have fulfilled and what course requirements you still need to complete. You should have received a copy of your own Distribution of Studies in the mail. You may want to refer to it while you go through the tutorial. If you did not receive your Distribution of Studies, call 412-624-6600 to request a copy. The following is an example of a Distribution of Studies sheet for �Ima Student.�

7. Distribution of Studies

8. Explanation of the Distribution of Studies The�"A.S. Earned"�column indicates the number of credits earned from another institution. (A.S.= "Advanced Standing") The "Earned to Date" column indicates course credits that have been earned at the University of Pittsburgh. The "To Be Earned" column indicates course requirements that have not yet been fulfilled. Each degree program at the University of Pittsburgh is comprised of at least 120 credits, broken down into 3 subcategories: General Education Requirements, Major Requirements, and Electives.�

9. Explanation of the Distribution of Studies In the very bottom right-hand corner of the sheet, there are several numbers in the row labeled �TOTAL.� The first number in this row is the total amount of credits earned to date, including credits earned at other institutions. For Ima Student, this number is 22. The second number is the number of credits you still need to fulfill in order to graduate. For Ima Student, this number is 98. The third number is the total number of credits needed to graduate. For Ima Student, this number is 120.

10. Advanced Standing An Advanced Standing is an evaluation of your transcript(s) from an outside accredited institution.� This evaluation indicates how many courses will transfer to CGS, and what requirements they will fulfill. At CGS, up to 90 credits from a four-year institution, or up to 60 credits from a two-year institution may be applied to your degree, either to fulfill general education requirements or electives. For more information on Advanced Standing, check out the CGS Advising FAQs.

11. General Education Requirements Each degree program at the University of Pittsburgh will require you to complete general education requirements or prerequisite courses as part of your program of study.� These requirements will vary depending on the school that offers the major that you are pursuing.�

12. General Education Requirements To understand what general education courses are required for your major, visit the links below: College of General Studies CGS General Education Requirements � Courses that Satisfy CGS Degree Requirements School of Arts & Sciences Degree Requirements at SAS Courses that Satisfy SAS Degree Requirements Pre-Professional Program (i.e. Social Work, Pharmacy, etc.) Pitt Transfer Options

13. Major Requirements The College of General Studies offers 11 majors from which you can choose. Courses necessary to fulfill the major requirements for CGS Majors can be found at www.cgs.pitt.edu/majors.

14. Major Requirements For students wishing to pursue a major from the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS), major requirements can be found on the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Advising page. For students wishing to pursue a major in a Pre-Professional field, information can be found on the CGS Pitt Transfer Options webpage.

15. Summary of Advising Tools Before you begin to put together a course schedule, you should be familiar with the following advising tools and the answer to these questions. General Education or Prerequisite Requirements - What are they for your program?� Where can you find a list of classes that fulfill these degree requirements? Major Requirements - What courses constitute your major and where can you find this information? Distribution of Studies Sheet - What is it?�When you look at the sheet, how can you tell which requirements you have completed and which ones do you still need to do?� If you have a good understanding of the above tools, please go on to the next section.���

16. Putting a Schedule Together Overview Review your Distribution of Studies for courses needed. Research course offerings, course descriptions and course prerequisites. Make sure courses fulfill requirements. Search for courses in PeopleSoft.

18. Course Description Quiz What does prerequisite mean? Search for the course descriptions for STAT 0200 in the current term. Use the School of Arts and Sciences drop down menu to find Statistics (STAT). What is the prerequisite for this course? How many credits is this class?

19. Answers to Course Descriptions Quiz A prerequisite is a basic course where the information learned is required for use in a subsequent course. The prerequisite for STAT 0200 is MATH 0031. STAT 0200 is a four credit course.

21. CGS & Arts and Sciences Requirements

22. Pre-Professional Requirements For courses that fulfill Pre-professional program requirements, review Transfer Options, and then choose the appropriate�department.

23. How to Use PeopleSoft

24. View Schedule of Classes

25. How To Use Basic Search Select �Pittsburgh Campus� in the campus field at the bottom of the page, unless you plan to attend classes at a Regional Campus. Subject Field:�This is the Department code. To locate a department code, you can refer to the Course Descriptions Website . The code in parentheses after each department name is the code you want to use.� (e.g., for Sociology, use SOC) Or, access the PeopleSoft Department Code reference guide . Catalog Number is four-digit course number associated with a particular course.

26. How To Use Basic Search

27. How To Use Basic Search

28. Understanding Search Results Each inverted triangle ( ) on the left side indicates a lecture and an enrollment section. Make sure you click on the �View All Sections� near each course title. Some, but not all, courses require a recitation and/or lab. A recitation is a required supplement to a lecture. Recitations (and labs) are listed below the lecture. You need the five-digit class number of the lecture and any recitation/lab components to register successfully. Note day, time, instructor, available seats, and location.

29. Understanding Search Results

30. Course Search Quiz Based on the previous slide, try to answer the following questions. If you come up with the wrong answer, go back and look again. What does SOC stand for? How many lecture sections for SOC 0471 are showing on the screen? What is the name of this course? Are there any recitations associated with SOC 0471? What is the class number for the SOC 0471 lecture?

31. Course Search Quiz Answers SOC is the department code for sociology. There is only one lecture section for SOC 0471 showing on the screen. The name of SOC 0471 is �Deviance and Social Control.� Yes, there are four recitations showing on the screen for SOC 0471. Make sure you check for recitations and labs when searching for classes in PeopleSoft. The class number for SOC 0471 lecture is 13271

32. Advising Questions At this point, you should have a good understanding of the structure of your degree program and the courses that you still need for graduation.� Also, you should have a list of courses that you would like to take during the upcoming term. If you still have questions, review the list of Advising Frequently Asked Questions. Jot down any unanswered questions you want to ask your advisor during your first appointment.

33. Responsibilities of the Advisor To understand the University's academic policies and procedures and relay that information to students. To discuss suitable educational objectives as demonstrated by student abilities and interests. To assist the student in planning a course of study. To help the student become an independent, self-confident, educated decision maker. To refer the student to other resources when appropriate.

34. Responsibilities of the Student To acquire the skills needed to assume final responsibility for course scheduling, program planning, and�graduation requirements. To become knowledgeable about�University policies, procedures, and�its academic programs. To be actively engaged in seeking the academic and career information necessary to meet their educational goals. To access important dates, University email, resources and course information via my.pitt.edu.

35. Schedule an Advising Appointment You are now ready to schedule your first appointment with your advisor.� You should have received a welcome packet that indicates who your advisor will be. During this appointment your advisor will answer any questions that you have about your program, future plans, and course choices.� Call 412-624-6600 to schedule your appointment. Mention that you are a new student so that the appointment will be scheduled for one hour. CGS advisors are located on the 4th floor of the Cathedral of Learning in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.� There is on-street parking adjacent to the Cathedral; go to www.umc.pitt.edu/tour for a map and directions.

36. First Appointment Questionnaire The following survey must be completed prior to your first advising appointment. Please click here . Thank you for completing this tutorial.