You have a complete staff of professional advisers for College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) majors who can assist you with your academic needs. You are not assigned a specific adviser within CAS, but are welcome to request a meeting with a specific adviser if you wish. We do have advisers who specialize in the academic programs within the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. If you have an interest in one of these majors, be sure to mention this when scheduling your advising appointment.  CAS also has a faculty adviser for every major. You are welcome to meet with these advisers, particularly if you have questions about your specific major or minor, or the individual major courses that make up your degree plan.

How can I be sure to graduate on-time? How do I apply for my degree?

The best way to ensure that you are making progress toward completing your degree is to familiarize yourself with all of your degree requirements. Students should carefully read the areas of their Undergraduate Catalog pertaining to university requirements, college requirements, and major requirements. Students should meet as often as necessary with an Academic Adviser to be sure they understand all requirements for their degree and to obtain a completed degree program checklist. When you are within two semesters of graduation, you should meet with an Academic Adviser or request a Senior/Graduation Check. This way, you can ensure that you have not missed any degree requirements. If a problem is uncovered, you can make the necessary scheduling plans to fulfill any requirements you may have overlooked.  Finally, you must complete the Undergraduate Application for Degree form before the deadline for the semester in which you intend to complete your remaining degree requirements. Deadlines for each semester are established by the Academic Records office.

How and when do I register for classes?

Oakland University opens full year registration at the end of March each year. Consult the Important Web Links section of this site for information on the Class Schedule and registering for classes. Registration for classes each semester is done in reverse order of your class standing based on the number of credits earned at the time of registration.  Details on registration and important dates for each semester can always be found on the Registrar's webpage.

What is the maximum number of credits I can take?    

You can enroll in a maximum of 18 credit hours in a Fall, Winter or Summer semester.  In some cases, students may request an override to register for as many as 21 credits in a Fall, Winter or Summer semester. To seek permission to exceed the maximum credits allowed per semester, a student must have earned at least 12 credit hours at Oakland University and must have a GPA of at least a 2.60. You can stop by our office in 221 Varner Hall and request an override form if you meet these requirements. The override form is presented to the Office of the Registrar in 101 O'Dowd Hall. They will process the override that will allow you to register for the additional credits via SAIL.

How many credits are needed to graduate?

All CAS majors require a minimum of 124 credits to complete a degree. Some degrees will require more than the minimum. In most cases, your major will require you to complete several "free" elective credits to reach the minimum number of credits required to finish your degree.

What are free elective credits?

Free elective credits are additional credits that are not a part of your university or College of Arts and Sciences requirements, or your major coursework. In other words, they are courses that can be completed in almost any subject of interest.  Many students will use these elective credits toward the completion of a minor or concentration. Others will simply take courses of personal interest to them. The number of elective credits will vary, depending on the major you select. Your adviser can help you determine how many free electives you will need.

How do I declare/change my major?

You must complete a Change of Major form and return it to the CAS Advising office in 221 Varner Hall. We strongly recommend that you first meet with an adviser to review the degree requirements for your chosen major and complete a degree program checklist.

What is General Education and why do I have to take it?

A General Education curriculum is required at all accredited U. S. universities. General Education programs are designed to introduce all university students to a broad base of knowledge as well as the analytical and evaluative tools needed to lead productive and fulfilling lives of leadership and service. The goal of any university's general education program is to create a well-educated person, not a narrowly trained specialist.

What are OU's specific General Education requirements?

In general, all students must complete at least one approved course in each of the 10 Knowledge Areas (categories). The categories and list of approved courses for each area are listed in your OU Undergraduate Catalog.  If you have any questions, consult your academic adviser to determine your remaining general education requirements. 

What is the College Distribution requirement?

College distribution is a set of requirements for all students entering the Oakland University College of Arts and Sciences prior to Fall 2011. It is a core set of requirements for all majors. In the College of Arts and Sciences, these are known as the College Distribution requirements. In general, students seeking the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete 16 additional credits from at least 4 of the 7 areas approved for College Distribution. Students seeking Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees must complete 12 additional credits from at least 3 of the 7 areas approved for College Distribution. Details and restrictions will be explained in the Undergraduate Catalog under the College of Arts and Sciences section or in some cases, under the specific major requirements for your degree.

What is the College Exploratory requirement?

College exploratory is a set of requirements for all students entering the Oakland University College of Arts and Sciences for Fall 2011 or later. This requirement replaces the college distribution requirements. In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements, all students with majors in the College or Arts and Sciences* are required to complete at least three courses outside of their major rubric for a minimum of 12 credits. A student may select these courses from either of the following:

Are there grade point average (G.P.A.) requirements that I should be aware of in order to complete a degree?

Overall G.P.A. requirements or G.P.A. requirements for a particular major or minor can vary depending on the student's major or minor, but will never be lower than 2.00.

Students planning to apply for the Secondary Teaching Education Program (STEP) must have a minimum of a 3.0 average in their major and minor coursework, and a 2.8 overall. Meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admission into STEP. Students interested in this program should discuss their specific program requirements with their adviser.

I am a transfer student and am wondering if there are a minimum number of credits I must complete at Oakland University?

Yes. Any OU student must complete at least 32 credits at Oakland University, of which at least 16 credits must be in the student's elected major, in order to receive a degree. Some majors may require more than these minimums. Refer to your Undergraduate Catalog for details on your chosen major.

I want to take classes at another school and transfer them to Oakland University. How do I know if a course will transfer?

Consult the transfer equivalency guides for transfer credit information on all Michigan community colleges. There are also links to transfer course equivalencies in Communications and Mathematics for most Michigan universities. If you do not see a school or a course listed, consult your Academic Adviser or the Faculty Adviser for your major.

Does OU have any restrictions on transfer credits?

Yes, there are restrictions on transfer credits for OU students. For example, students can only transfer 62 credits from any combination of community colleges to use for a College of Arts and Sciences degree. Additionally, all OU students must satisfy the university's residency requirement, which requires them to complete a minimum of 32 credits and their last 8 credits at Oakland University.

It is always a good idea for an OU student to consult with his or her Academic Adviser before they plan to complete any courses at other schools.