FAQs

Changing Your Major

  • A student may declare their major at any time during the semester by simply following the steps below.

    • Log onto Owl Express.
    • Select the Student Records tab.
    • Select the Declare or Change Major/Minor option.
    • This will open a form which will allow you to make changes to your major/minor.
    • Please allow 2-10 business days for processing your change. You can return to Owl Express at any time to check the status of your request. Some majors have a separate application process.
    • Check with the department of your intended major.

  • A minor is typically 15-18 credit hours or five-six classes in a specific subject. These courses are usually taken junior and senior year. Contact the department to meet with an advisor to discuss the required courses for each minor.

DegreeWorks

  • DegreeWorks is a web-based tool that is designed to aid and facilitate academic advising, as well as help students monitor their academic progress.

  • Students can access DegreeWorks through Owl Express.

    • Log into Owl Express using your NET ID and password
    • Click on the Registration tab
    • Click on DegreeWorks

    NOTE: You can use the “What if” option on the left hand side to look at the different majors Kennesaw State University offers.

  • Information in DegreeWorks is refreshed every night. Any changes made today will be reflected in DegreeWorks tomorrow.

  • If you believe that your information in DegreeWorks is incorrect, you should contact the Registrar’s Office.

  • Yes. Once your final grades have been posted at the end of the semester, they will be visible in DegreeWorks. Courses that are in-progress are listed with an “IP” grade.

    • Once AP scores are received from College Board and credit is awarded, they are posted to the student’s record and will appear in DegreeWorks.
    • Once college transcripts are received and evaluated by the Registrar’s office, any transfer work will reflect in DegreeWorks.
  • The “What If” feature allows students to explore major or concentration options. It will show students the coursework required for the new major or concentration, what areas have already been satisfied by and what areas still need to be satisfied.
  • No. By using the “What If” feature you are only reviewing the requirements for the new major.
  • Not within DegreeWorks, but you can save a ‘what if’ scenario to your computer, or print it out.

Exam Credit

Focus Areas

  • A major, a degree and a degree program all refer to the same thing: a specific list of courses you complete to earn that diploma in a certain subject. A focus area is a grouping of majors or degree programs which share common introductory courses. As you take the suggested courses, you will have opportunities to explore your interests and pick a degree that is right for you. By starting with the suggested courses, you'll know that your classes will apply to the majors included in your selected focus area.

    More information on Focus Areas

  • Starting in your declared degree program allows you to connect earlier with the faculty and experiences you'll need to be successful. You'll have a head start on future success.

General Education Requirements

  • KSU’s general education consists of 42 to 45 credit hours of courses required of all KSU students. These courses are in fundamental subjects such as English, math, and science. Individual courses within the general education can depend on a student’s intended major. Check DegreeWorks for a list of general education courses specific to your major.

  • No. Students should begin taking Area F - Lower Division Major Requirements as soon as they know the major and satisfied any prerequisites for those courses.

Grades

  • Institutional GPA

    Your institutional GPA is used if you repeat a course at Kennesaw State University. If you received a D, F, or WF in a course and you wish to retake the class and receive a C or higher, then your lower grade will be replaced with the higher grade.

    Cumulative GPA

    Your cumulative GPA is the grade point average for all grades earned each semester at Kennesaw State University. This GPA averages all grades together. Your cumulative GPA does not replace any grades and is typically the GPA used to calculate HOPE and financial aid eligibility.

    Term GPA

    Your term GPA is broken down by semesters. For example, if you made all A’s in your fall 2020 semester, your term GPA for Fall 2014 would be a 4.0.

  • This depends on the course. A “D” is considered passed in many general education courses. A “C” or higher is required for ENGL 1101 and 1102. Some majors require higher than a C average in certain courses for entry into programs. A “C” or higher must be earned in all major level courses.

Overrides

Probation & Dismissal

  • A student will be placed on academic probation at the end of any semester in which his/her adjusted grade point average Institutional Grade Point Average falls below 2.0. Students may remove themselves from academic probation by raising their Instituional Grade Point Average to at least 2.0.

  • Students on academic probation will be dismissed for any one of the following reasons:

    • They fail to maintain a 2.0 grade point average for courses attempted in any semester.
    • They fail to remove themselves from academic probation after completing three terms of attendance

    For counting semesters and terms of enrollment, audits, withdrawals and incompletes will be used. 

    Students who are dismissed are not in good academic standing at KSU and are not eligible for immediate readmission.

    After the first dismissal, a student may be considered for readmission after an absence of one semester or summer term. Dismissed students must reapply for admission prior to posted deadlines. After the second dismissal, a student may be considered for readmission after an absence of one calendar year from the end of the semester or summer term in which the second dismissal occurred. After the third dismissal, the student will not be eligible for readmission. Any exceptions to this policy must be appealed and approved by the Academic Standing Committee.

  • The Institutional Grade Point Average is used if a student has retaken eligible courses. Otherwise the cumulative average is used

  • No. Only courses taken at KSU are used in the KSU grade point average. Transfer course grades may be used for program admission and financial aid.

  • Academic Fresh Start is an option for a student who was previously enrolled at KSU and has discontinued her/his college studies for at least five years.

Registration Problems

  • Holds can be placed on a student’s account for a number of reasons. A list of holds can be found on the Registrar’s website.

  • The most common registration errors are:

    • Prerequisite error, meaning you do not meet the requirement to enroll in the course. For example, you cannot take ENGL 1102 without completing ENGL 1101 first.
    • Corequisite error means you must take specific courses together like CHEM 1112 and CHEM 1112L. Learning communities also have corequisite requirements.

    Click here for a complete list of registration errors.

Registration Time and Procedures

  • New students register at orientation. If you do not attend orientation, you register during Final Registration and Drop/Add registration.

    Current students are assigned a registration time for the Early and Final Registration phases by the Registrar’s Office.

    • Early Registration occurs during current semester for upcoming semesters
    • Final Registration occurs immediately prior to each semester
    • Drop/Add occurs during the first-week of classes

    All registration dates can be found at the Academic Calendar on the Registrar's Office web page.

  • Registration Time Tickets are assigned for the Early Registration phase, Registration phase and Drop/Add Session. Assigned registration times are based on student classification, hours earned (including transfer hours), and academic standing status. Times are assigned one week prior to the beginning of each registration phase.

    Time tickets are assigned one week prior to the registration period and can be found through your OwlExpress account under the Registration tab and then opening the Registration Status and Time Ticket option. Please check the academic calendar for specific registration dates.

Transcripts

Transfer Credit

  • The KSU Registrar’s office will complete an evaluation of your official transcript. If you have questions regarding your transfer credit, you will need to speak with the Registrar’s office.

  • It is possible. Transfer students should check DegreeWorks (under Registration) via Owl Express to see how transfer coursework has been applied to the General Education Requirements.

  • If the student has not changed majors, Area F is satisfied; however, the student must satisfy prerequisite requirements for any major courses.

  • Yes. It is often brought in as SCI 1101 or SCI 1102 for convenience when viewing course requirements in DegreeWorks.

  • Yes, KSU will need official transcript from any institution you attended no matter how long ago it was or what your grades were.

Waitlist

  • Yes, if a course has a waitlist, students are able to register for a chance to get into the closed class. Although the class is currently full, you can be added to a waitlist (WL). A waitlisted course should appear on your schedule as a zero credit class until you are added to the class. If someone who is currently enrolled drops the course and you are the next in line, an email will be sent to your student email informing you that a slot is available. You will then have exactly 18 hours to log on to OwlExpress and add the course to your schedule. Failure to do so will automatically remove you from the waitlist and then give that spot to the next person on the list.

    Click here for more information on waitlists and how they work.

 

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