The Student Handbook is a good source for general information concerning student life at the University of Utah for both current and prospective undergraduate students.
For questions specific to the Political Science Department degrees and Programs, not answered below, the Undergraduate Academic Advisor is the most knowledgeable:
Jessica Taverna
Office: Orson Spencer Hall, Room 252
Phone: 801-581-3241 - or - 801-581-7031
Email: jessica.taverna@poli-sci.utah.edu
Appointments can also be made through the Political Science Department Office Staff during standard office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions for Undergraduate Students:
How do I declare a major in Political Science?
Can I minor in political science?
How do I transfer course credit to the University of Utah and the Political Science Department?
What is a DARS (Degree Audit Report) and how do I get one?
Will courses from other universities or colleges fulfill political science requirements?
How do I register for classes?
What if I try to register and it says I need a "permission number"?
When can I take my Senior Seminar? Which one should I choose?
What do I have to do to get ready for graduation?
How do I declare a major in political science?
A "major" or an "academic plan" is a set of courses within a particular subject area that must be completed along with University-wide Graduation Requirements in order to receive a bachelor's degree. The U's Major Declaration Policy states that you are expected to be admitted to a major by the end of your sophomore year (60 semester credit hours).
In order to declare your major, you must make an appointment to meet with the Undergraduate Academic Advisor, Jessica Taverna.
You can do this by contacting Jessica directly by telephone, (801) 581-3241, or through email jessica.taverna@poli-sci.utah.edu. Students are welcome to contact the Political Science office, (801) 581-7031, to schedule an appointment at any time.
Can I minor in political science?
The Political Science Department at the University of Utah only offers a major (either B.A. or B.S.) at this time.
There are two related undergraduate programs available and open to students in any major:
Certificate in International Relations
Minor in Campaign Management
How do I transfer course credit to the University of Utah and the Political Science Department?
An application for admission, a processing fee, and supporting credentials must be filed with the Admissions Office, http://www.sa.utah.edu/admiss/trans.htm. Official transcripts must be mailed directly to the University Admissions Office from the records office of all colleges or universities previously attended. Transcripts submitted for admission become the property of the University and are not returned Policy does not permit the University of Utah to duplicate transcripts from other universities or colleges or to return a transcript to a student.
Applicants transferring from another college or university are expected to have previously graduated from an accredited high school. If the student seeking transfer admission has completed less than 30 semester hours of acceptable transfer work, a high school transcript and ACT or SAT test scores are required. Applicants who have not graduated from high school seven years prior to the term of admission must have the high school preparation described in the freshman section, http://www.sa.utah.edu/admiss/requirements.html.
All new transfer students are required to meet with an advisor AND attend an orientation session before they can register for their first semester at the University of Utah. Political science majors must meet with the departmental advisor as soon as they have been admitted
You can do this by contacting Jessica directly by telephone, (801) 581-3241, or through email jessica.taverna@poli-sci.utah.edu. Students are welcome to contact the Political Science office, (801) 581-7031, to schedule an appointment at any time.
Contact the Orientation Office, http://www.sa.utah.edu/orientation, to sign up for the earliest Orientation possible.
For students transferring from universities or colleges within Utah, the list of approved course transfers can be obtained from the Utah System of Higher Education Course Transfer Guide, http://oche.utahsbr.edu/portal/page?_pageid=193,32291,193_32295&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL. Any courses not listed in the guide, or courses from universities or colleges outside Utah, may require review and approval from department faculty. To assist in the approval of transfer credits, have the syllabi from these courses available for the departmental advisor.
Once reviewed and/or approved, the departmental advisor will update the courses that will fulfill the requirements for the major, including any allied course hours, and the students' DARS reports will reflect these hours. To receive review and/or approval for courses that can fulfill University graduation requirements but not major requirements, students must meet with a University of Utah academic advisor. Appointments can be made by contacting the University of Utah Advising Office, http://www.sa.utah.edu/advise.
What is a DARS (Degree Audit Report) and how do I get one?
DARS is the Degree Audit Reporting System. DARS assists the advising process and greatly simplifies the preparation of student graduation audits. The DARS is an advising report that shows progress toward a degree. Students can request a degree audit report, at no cost through the Web, for the degree program(s) in which they are enrolled or for degree programs in which they are interested.
You can generate a DARS through the University of Utah Advising website (http://www.sa.utah.edu/advise/ms) where majors, degrees and programs are listed in alphabetical order, or by logging in to the Campus Information System (http://gate.acs.utah.edu) and selecting "Generate Degree Audit Report."
For help running a DARS report, click here.
Instructions on creating a DARS Report
Instructions on accessing a DARS Report once it's been created
Will courses from other universities or colleges fulfill political science requirements?
Transfer course equivalencies for University of Utah course requirements are included in a DARS Report. When students request their DARS, transfer courses from these institutions will automatically be equated to a U of U course as outlined in the State Transfer Articulation Guide. Transfer courses that don't have U of U equivalencies are listed in the audit, but are only used to show completion of requirements such as total hours, General Education and/or Bachelor's degree requirements. Students must contact the Undergraduate Academic Advisor in order to determine if courses will be accepted for departmental credits toward a degree.
Once your courses have been transferred through the Admissions Office, make an appointment with the Undergraduate Academic Advisor, Jessica Taverna, directly by telephone, (801) 581-3241, or through email jessica.taverna@poli-sci.utah.edu. Students are welcome to contact the Political Science office, (801) 581-7031, to schedule an appointment at any time. Jessica will be able to assist in determining which courses will count towards the requirements for the political science major. Political science courses must go through an approval process if the courses are not listed in the State Transfer Articulation Guide; this is most common for courses from out-of-state universities.
Any political science courses not in the State Transfer Articulation Guide, for which you seek credit, will have to be reviewed and approved by department faculty. If possible, obtain the syllabus for the course, in order for a review by faculty. If a course syllabus in unavailable, the Undergraduate Academic Advisor will need to consult with transfer students in order to provide the faculty with the appropriate information for a course evaluation. Once courses are approved, the Advisor will update the necessary changes to your record.
How do I register for classes?
Students register via the Campus Information System (CIS) on the Web at gate.acs.utah.edu. To use it you will need your student ID number (UNID) that is assigned to you when you were admitted and your personal identification number (PIN). The first time you log into the CIS you will be prompted to change your pin to a password.
A registration date will be assigned to you by the Registrar's Office based on your class standing (senior, junior, sophomore, freshman). Check your assigned registration time by logging into the Campus Information System and clicking on "View Your Registration Dates."
REGISTER AS SOON AS YOU ARE GIVEN A REGISTRATION DATE!!!
THE DEPARTMENT CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT AN INSTRUCTOR WILL GIVE PERMISSION CODES TO STUDENTS WHEN A COURSE IS FULL!!
TOO OFTEN STUDENTS ARE UNABLE TO GET INTO COURSE THEY NEED FOR GRADUATION BECAUSE THEY WAITED TOO LONG!!!
If you have any questions about the registration process you can contact the Registrar's Office in 250 N. SSB, 801.581.8969, or speak with an advisor in University College.
What if I try to register and it says I need a "permission number"?
There are two types of "Permission" numbers that you will encounter: A "Withheld" number and a "Permission" code. Withheld numbers are required for courses that have pre-requisites that must be fulfilled prior to students being able to register for the course. These courses don't have a number listed in the "Class Number" column on the schedule.
Students must contact the Political Science Department, (801) 581-7031, to obtain any necessary withheld numbers. When registering for a course that requires a withheld number, click on "Add Class;" choose to add by "Class Number" and select the course. You will then be prompted to input the withheld number you were given by the Political Science Department staff.
Most often the reason you need a "Permission" code for a course is that the course is full. Permission codes are also required for all courses beginning the second week of the term, regardless of whether the course is full or not. To obtain permission codes for courses that are full, students MUST contact the instructor for permission to add the course. Instructors are NOT required to add students over the allowed number of students for a course.
If an instructor chooses not to give students a permission code, DO NOT contact the Political Science department staff to intervene on your behalf.
If an instructor provides a permission code, click on "Add Class;" choose to add either by "class number" or "class schedule" and select the course. At this point you should be able to enter your permission code in the red "Permission Code" bar.
Instructors and students that have been given permission codes that are not working or if the Permission Code bar is unavailable, call Registration at 581-8969 for assistance.
When can I take my Senior Seminar? Which one should I choose?
Senior Seminars (POLS 5810) should be taken in the academic year prior to graduation. The only pre-requisites for enrolling in a Senior Seminar are: 1) the student has declared a major in Political Science, and 2) the student is a senior in standing at the University of Utah (a minimum of 90 total credit hours completed and a minimum overall GPA of 2.0).
Each Fall and Spring semesters, the Political Science Department attempts to schedule one Senior Seminar that is representative of each field of study: American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics and Political Theory. There is no guarantee that a specific instructor or specific topic will be available each semester, rather, the department attempts to provide a broad overview of subjects. Students are welcome to contact the Undergraduate Academic Advisor if they would like assistance in choosing a topic that would most closely fit the student's interests.
Students must contact the Political Science Department, (801) 581-7031, to obtain the necessary withheld number for a Senior Seminar. When registering for a course that requires a withheld number, click on "Add Class;" choose to add by "class schedule" and select the course. You will then be prompted to input the withheld number you were given by the Political Science Department staff.
If a Senior Seminar is full, both a withheld number AND a permission code will be required to register for the class. The permission codes are available from the instructor, not from the department.
What do I have to do to get ready for graduation?
- Check to see that your declared major(s) is correct:
- Log into the Campus Information System using your student ID number and password.
- Your declared major can be found in the Student Profile box.
- Contact an advisor in the department(s) where your major(s) is located to have your records updated if this information is incorrect or incomplete.
- Print a Graduation Application for each major for which you are applying.
- For help printing a Graduation Application, click here.
- Follow the instructions carefully.
- Verify that you are on track to graduate before registering for your last semester by printing a DARS report for each major for which you are declared.
- Print a current DARS to ensure that you have met general, bachelor degree, and major requirements. Make sure that all incomplete "I" grades on your record have been replaced with a letter grade "A" through "E" or credit/no-credit.
- For help running a DARS report, click here.
- Make an appointment with the Undergraduate Academic Advisor to verify that your final term registration will complete all major requirements.
- Plan to make your appointment well in advance of the application deadline to allow your advisor time to meet with you.
Jessica Taverna
Office: Orson Spencer Hall, Room 252
Phone: 801-581-3241 - or - 801-581-7031
Email: jessica.taverna@poli-sci.utah.edu
- Plan to make your appointment well in advance of the application deadline to allow your advisor time to meet with you.
- If Political Science is not your only major, and/or if you have a minor in another department, arrange a meeting with an academic advisor for each of your major(s) and minor(s).
- Plan to make your appointment well in advance of the application deadline to allow your advisor time to meet with you.
- Please note that a minor is not required to graduate. It is an attribute to a degree and not an entity by itself. A minor can only be received at the same time that a student graduates with a major.
- At the meeting with your advisor you will:
- Review your degree audit report and review the courses you need to satisfy departmental requirements.
- If necessary, review any exceptions, substitutions, etc. to major requirements.
- The advisor will document and enter the exceptions into DARS.
- Obtain the advisor(s) signature on the Undergraduate Degree Application.
- Make an appointment with an advisor in The University College if you have any questions regarding your general education and bachelor degree requirements.
- Bring the completed Undergraduate Degree Application(s) to the Graduation Office before the deadline to file your application for graduation. You will be required to show picture ID when you submit your application.
- Remember to submit a "Repeated Class Notification Form" to the Registrar's Office when a course is repeated. Failure to report repeated courses may adversely affect credit hours, GPA, and delay your graduation.
- The Graduation Office will review your records and mail a post card to you.
- Follow the instructions to check your graduation status online.
- If you have any questions regarding requirements that have not been completed, please contact:
- The University College (581-8146) for general University graduation requirements.
- The advisor in the specific department for major and minor requirements.
- The Graduation Office (581-7852) for credit hours.
- The Honors Program (581-7383) for Honors Degrees.
In order to avoid paying a late fee to the graduation office, you should apply for graduation by the following dates (in the year in which you plan to graduate):
- Spring Graduation (May): November 1
- Summer Graduation (August): February 1
- Fall Graduation (December): June 1
With a late fee, applications are accepted by the Graduation Office until the last day of finals for the semester in which you wish to graduate.