Psychology
Advising & registration
Advising
Advising takes place several weeks before registration opens in WINGS. All Psychology majors will receive an email from their designated advisor in WINGS with information on how each advisor is handling advising appointments. Some advisors may schedule one-on-one meetings, some may offer walk-in hours, etc. Please carefully read all the advising emails you receive from the Psych department, from Records and Registration, and from your advisor.
Advising holds for students with fewer than 75 credits will be posted on WINGS approximately two weeks prior to the start of registration. You must communicate with your advisor in order to have the hold removed. All students are strongly encouraged to set up advising appointments even if they do not have holds in WINGS. The department wants to encourage you to get to know your faculty advisor so they can help your career development as you progress through the major. Students are required to complete a course planning worksheet (linked above) to use in their advising appointments.
Steps to Prepare for your Advising Appointments:
- Check your UWL email inbox, clutter folder, or junk mail folder for a message from your advisor in WINGS. If you don’t know your advisor, you can find it in the right column in the Student Center when you log in to WINGS. Sign up for advising according to your advisor’s instructions. Some will schedule via online calendar link.
- Read all of the registration information for the upcoming semester.
- Log in to WINGS and use your Advisement Report (AR) to check progress on General Education, College Core, progress on 40 credits of 300- and 400-level courses, your major(s), CASSH Program Option/emphasis/minor(s), and any pre-health or law requirements. Going through all of the requirements will help you identify potential courses. You can also run your own What-If Reports in WINGS to see how requirements would change if you changed majors or minors.
- Download and complete the Registration Course Planning Document (on your mobile device or printed). Students who come to appointments without preparation may be asked to reschedule.
Registration Information
Advising for registration may occur in a variety of formats - in person, by email, or video conferencing. Your faculty advisor will contact you by email with specific information about advising by late March/October. Please contact your faculty advisor by April/November 1-ish, if you have not heard from them by then. The AAC advisors schedule meetings using Navigate.
NOTE: You need to be signed in to your browser with your UWL Office 365 account to access the documents linked below.
- You can find your advisor and your registration time for the summer and fall in your WINGS account.
- Please consult your Advisement Report on WINGS to see what course requirements you have yet to fulfill to complete your Psych major and other requirements. Here's an excellent tutorial on how to read your Advisement Report.
- Registration course planning document.
- Sample Graduation Plan. Instructions on how to create a detailed graduation plan using sections from your Advisement Report (example shows old curriculum categories but the steps are the same).
During Registration: use the waitlists and SWAP feature in WINGS for classes that are full during your registration time. Enroll in a full schedule during your registration time, even if you have to change courses later.
- Waitlists: If a class you want/need is closed, add your name to the waitlist in WINGS, but register for a back-up class. If an enrolled student drops the class, the first person on the waitlist will be offered the spot. If you’re #1 on the list, you have a pretty decent chance someone will drop and you will get in. If you’re further down the list, that chance gets increasingly smaller - that is why back-up classes are crucial.
- SWAP feature: Make sure to use the SWAP feature in WINGS so that your back-up class does not interfere with your waitlisted class if a spot does become available. https://www.uwlax.edu/globalassets/offices-services/wings-help/students/swapping-onto-a-waitlist-in-wings.pdf
FAQs
How do I declare psychology as a major?
- Once a student reaches 75 credits, they may no longer declare a Psych major. If a student has more than 75 credits and wishes to declare psychology as a first major, the student should first contact the Psychology Associate Chair to discuss their plan and how their future goals necessitate a Psych major. Under very rare circumstances an exception to the 75+ credit rule may be granted. A student may not declare psychology as a second major if they have already accumulated more than 75 credits (no exceptions).
- Complete the CASSH/VPA Change of Program/Plan form. If you are adding psychology as a second major, please discuss the process with your current advisor or reach out to the Associate Chair of the Psychology Department.
- Although you still may need to complete required coursework to be allowed full access to psychology courses, the process described above results in Psychology being listed as your official major after the college and department reviews and approves your change of major form.
- After Psychology is your official major, you will be assigned an advisor in the Academic Advising Center (first and second year students) or a faculty advisor in the department as you progress through your degree.
I have accumulated more than 75 credits - why can't I declare a Psych major?
As mentioned above, Psych is a popular major with many students. To ensure that everyone can graduate in a timely manner, we have to limit the number of majors who declare Psych late in their undergraduate career.
If you have accumulated more than 75 credits, we ask that you strongly consider Psych as a minor and choose from one of the many other excellent majors at UWL.
If you feel strongly that Psych is the one and only option for you, you may apply for a waiver to the 75 credit rule using this Qualtrics form. Note that exceptions are very rare, but all requests will be reviewed carefully in bulk twice a year (October and February).
What is the process if I am a transfer student?
We value the previous experiences of transfer students and will work with you directly to review possible transfer credits, discuss your plans in psychology, and support your goals as a new UWL student. Since Psychology is a popular major, we also recognize the challenge in registering for courses depending on the timing of your application and acceptance, and provide guidance on creating a course schedule that works for you. If you are thinking of declaring Psychology as your major at UWL, please complete the required steps for transfer majors available from the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities. Depending on your progress in our degree requirements, you might start working with the Academic Advising Center for a short time, or be assigned directly to a faculty advisor in the Psychology Department. Feel free to contact the Department Chair or Associate Chair if you have any questions prior to transferring.
What is Advising Week?
Each semester the department faculty will set aside time dedicated to advising majors before registration begins. All Psychology majors will receive an email from their designated advisor prior to registration. Typically, faculty plan to meet with their advisees the week before registration begins. All Psychology majors with less than 75 credits will have an advising hold that prevents registration. Attending an advising appointment will remove the hold. Students are expected to prepare a list of possible courses/schedules (with alternative options) and specific questions prior to their advising appointments.
Who is my advisor and why should I meet with them?
Access WINGS to find your advisor. When you first start at UWL, you will be assigned to an advisor in the Academic Advising Center (AAC). After you have completed your sophomore year (sometimes a bit earlier), you will be assigned permanently to a full-time psychology faculty member.
Why should I care? You and your advisor are the primary individuals who will be able to access your academic progress on WINGS. It is best if you see them regularly; however, you may see ANY faculty member for advice. In fact, as your career plans become clearer you may wish to talk with someone whose interests are closer to yours to get more information about the field.
What kinds of questions should I ask of my advisor? Your psychology advisor will be best for answering questions about course sequencing, course content, careers and graduate school.
In addition to AAC and faculty advisors, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities provides academic advising services. After you apply to graduate in your WINGS Student Center, the college will do a degree check to make sure you are on track to graduate. If you have any questions for the college advisor pertaining to graduation, you may email Britta Osborne (bosborne@uwlax.edu) or call 785-8123.
I'm a Psych major on a pre-professional track (pre-health, pre-law, etc) - what do I need to know?
Many psychology majors are interested in careers in law or the health professions such as physical therapy (PT) and/or occupational therapy (OT). Students interested are well served by declaring themselves as a "pre" student in their area of interest, but note that the "pre" courses do not qualify as a major or minor - you will still need to declare a minor. The CASSH program option works well for many students on a pre-professional track.
The "pre" courses prepare students for the admission requirements of most graduate programs associated with each specific field. Check out the pre-professional programs website for more information. Many of the pre-professional tracks have dedicated advisors who can answer questions on topics that your Psych advisor might not be all that familiar with.