Enrollment Tutorial

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• GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

  There are 3 components to earning a degree at CSUSM: University Requirements, General Education Requirements and Major and/or Minor Requirements.

  

  COMPONENT 1: UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

  Diversity & Equity Requirement:

  Students must satisfy two Diversity and Equity requirements by taking two courses certified for Diversity and Equity in the United States (DEu) and Diversity and Equity in Global Contexts (DEg). Diversity and Equity certified courses can double-count with other general education, major, minor and/or elective courses.

  Minimum Grade Point Average:

  Grades for major and/or minor coursework must be a “C” or higher.
  Students at CSUSM must maintain a 2.0 minimum GPA (“C” average).
  Failure to maintain a 2.0 GPA may result in academic probation or disqualification, even after your first semester!

  Unit Requirement:

  The minimum number of overall units required to graduate at CSUSM is 120 units. After you have completed all of your general education and major requirements, you may still need additional electives to reach 120 units.

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  COMPONENT 2: GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

  General Education requirements are referred to as Areas A through E. You must complete all subsections of these areas prior to graduation. You can review your GE Requirements on our GE Worksheets, your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) and your Degree Planner.

  Area A: Basic Skills

  A1 – Oral Communication
  A2 – Written Communication
  A3 – Critical Thinking

  Area B: Math & Science

  B1 – Physical Science
  B2 – Biological Science
  B3 – Science Lab
  B4 – Mathematics
  BB – Upper-division Mathematics or Science

  Area C: Arts & Humanities

  C1 – Fine Arts 
  C2 – Humanities
  C3 – Language other than English
  CC – Upper-division Arts or Humanities

  Area D: Social Sciences

  D7 – Interdisciplinary Social Science
  Dh – United States History
  Dc, Dg – U.S. Constitution/CA Government 
  DD – Upper-division Social Science

  Area E: Lifelong Learning

  For Area E, the majority of first year students take GEL 101, a course designed to assist in your transition to university life. We strongly recommend that first years students enroll in GEL 101 in the first semester. Liberal Studies – Elementary Subject Matter should take PE 203 for Area E. 

  Notes about your General Education Requirements:

  • A grade of C- or higher is required for courses used to satisfy the A1, A2, A3 and B4. If any general education courses are also counting towards your major and/or minor, a grade of C or higher is required. For Liberal Studies – Elementary Subject Matter majors, all General Education requirements and major courses must be passed with a C or higher. 
  • There are 3 upper-division GE courses listed above (BB, CC, DD). These requirements are not to be taken until after you have completed GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4. First year students should not enroll in BB, CC or DD courses in their first semester.

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  COMPONENT 3: MAJOR AND/OR MINOR REQUIREMENTS

  Every major and minor possesses their own particular set of requirements. They are listed in the catalog, major/minor worksheets, Academic Requirement Report and in your Degree Planner.  Your Degree Planner will let you know which classes to take and when. 

  Learn more about ..

• UNIT LOAD

  Setting a Pace That's Right for You

  It's important you consider the other factors of your life when selecting your unit load. Different students require different paces, depending on outside obligations. Be sure to set a pace that works best for you.

  First Year Student

  Graduation Goal  (entering as a first-year student)	Units Per Year	Units Per Semester
  4  year pace	30	15
  5 year pace	24	12
  6 year pace	20	10*

  Transfer Student

  Graduation Goal  (entering as an upper-division transfer student)	Units Per Year	Units Per Semester
  2 year pace for ADT students	30	15
  2 year pace for non-ADT	30	15

  *Twelve units or above is generally considered full-time for Financial Aid purposes.

• HOW TO ENROLL IN CLASSES

  Enrolling the Cougar Way:

  You'll enroll in classes using your Degree Planner, an individualized plan based on your specific graduation requirements.

  SELECT CLASSES FOR NEXT SEMESTER

  1. Login to MyCSUSM go to Student Center Click Degree Planner and follow prompts Continue

  2. View the upcoming semester plan. For each “Not Selected” requirement line, click Select and choose any course from the list. All listed courses will meet a graduation requirement.

  BUILD A CLASS SCHEDULE

  3. Once all courses are selected for the upcoming semester, click on   Schedule Assistant   at the top of the page.   Open Schedule Assistant  (Enable pop-ups).  Save and Continue  for location (Main Campus).

  First-time Freshmen, please note: A few classes may be tagged “Required” for Fall 2020 in your Schedule Assistant.

  4. Use the “ click here ” link in the message box located under the Courses section to import the selected courses from Degree Planner. 

  5.  Generate Schedules . A list of possible schedule combinations will display.

  6. Click  View , choose a class schedule, and  Send to Shopping Cart . A prompt will display to leave Schedule Assistant and return to MyCSUSM to proceed with enrollment.

  COMPLETE ENROLLMENT 

  7. Import Cart.

  8. Click  Next  for each class to add them to the Shopping Cart. 

  9.  Proceed to Step 2 of 3.  

  10.  Finish Enrolling .

  Check  My Class Schedule  to view your enrollment status. Be sure to check back regularly for updates (location changes, class status, and waitlist position).  

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  NEED MORE HELP?

  Enrollment Instructions Visual Aid (PDF)

  If you missed the How to Enroll the Cougar Way Workshops, view the recorded webinar for a demonstration of the enrollment steps.

   Visit the How to Enroll website for more information about the advising tools. 

  Visit the Enrollment Tips website for additional enrollment strategies, including waitlisting, adding and dropping courses, and finding other class options to build your schedule. 

• SUMMER ACADEMIC ADVISING OPTIONS

  Ways to Virtually Connect With Us:

  We are offering the following advising services for new students who have completed the Tutorial and self-enrolled or attempted to self-enroll in courses.

  • We will be utilizing Microsoft Teams for all of our virtual advising services. 
  • Instructions on how Access Microsoft Teams via Web, Desktop or App can be found online.
  • Make sure you have access to Microsoft Teams prior to utilizing advising services.

  • Guests may not accompany a student into their advising session (including teleconference/virtual sessions) without a FERPA Release [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]

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  New Student Virtual Front Desk

  Message the New Student Virtual Front Desk on Microsoft Teams, a public channel to ask general questions. Please do not share confidential information. View Instructions on how to access Microsoft Teams.

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  Email an Advisor (eAdvisor)

  An Academic Advisor will answer your question as soon as possible via email.

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   Virtual Drop-in Advising

  Fifteen-minute Virtual Drop-in Advising for incoming transfer students will begin May 14. 
  Fifteen-minute Virtual Drop-in Advising for first-time freshmen will begin June 11. 

  Engineering Majors: Please contact Jeffrey Morales at jmorales@csusm.edu for Academic Advising.

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     Schedule a Virtual Advising Appointment

  Thirty-minute Virtual Advising Appointments via MS Teams will be limited because we are also offering Virtual Drop-in Advising.  If you are unable to schedule an appointment, visit us during Virtual Drop-ins.

  Engineering Majors: Please contact Jeffrey Morales at jmorales@csusm.edu for Academic Advising.

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  Email a Peer Advisor

  Student to student support for basic questions and help with advising/enrollment tools.

Congratulations, you have almost completed the Enrollment Tutorial! The last step is to submit an acknowledgment that you have read and understand the advising and enrollment expectations required of you.

With your submission, you are acknowledging:

1. You have reviewed all topics in this tutorial.
2. You have or have attempted to self-enroll in your first semester courses on or soon after your enrollment date.
3. You may access Academic Advising services after you have completed both of the above.