Jessica Kate Crowell
Assistant Professor / PhD in Media Studies
Registration - Frequently Asked Questions
Questions answered here (will need to scroll down!) :
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How to setup an advising appointment
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Where advising appointments take place
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How to prepare for advising meeting
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How to use My Schedule Planner
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How to tell if hold on account
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Finding classes for DMJ major or minor
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Media Management majors - info on substitutions
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How many credits to take & policy on retaking a course
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Adding, dropping, or withdrawing from a class
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Changing your major OUT of DMJ
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Permission to register
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How to find time assignment for registration
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Help! I'm short on liberal arts credit, what can I do?
How do I setup an appointment with you to be released for registration?
You can setup an appointment with me on Starfish to talk about your registration schedule. All meetings must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance of your preferred meeting time. Please keep in mind that there are many other students who will also be arranging appointments, so if you wait until the last minute to schedule a meeting, it could delay your registration.
How will our meetings take place?
Monday/Thursday office hours (9:00 AM – 10:30 AM) take place in my office at CSB 43. For students who are not regularly on campus, I offer virtual appointments on Webex Wednesdays (3:00 PM – 4:00 PM). If you sign up for a virtual appointment, I will send the meeting information to you by email the morning of our appointment.
What do I need to do in preparation for our advising meeting to ensure I am released for registration?
The advising checklist is available here https://hawksites.newpaltz.edu/dmjnews/.
Keep in mind that our time is short, thus it will be more important than ever for you to:
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Have My Schedule Planner completed *at time time* you make your Starfish appointment. You MUST have a schedule A, B, and C, with A being your "ideal" schedule.
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Take care of any holds from your account. Note that it is your responsibility to clear any holds on your account (e.g., a hold for an unpaid parking ticket will mean you can't register, even if I've released you!)
How do I use My Schedule Planner?
Students must use My Schedule Planner to register for classes. My Schedule Planner can be found on my.newpaltz.edu under the “Registration” tab. Learn how to use My Schedule Planner here: https://hawksites.newpaltz.edu/dmjnews/2021/08/23/use-my-schedule-planner/
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How can I tell if I have a hold on my account?
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Students will not be allowed to register for classes if they have any holds on their account. To see if you have a hold, go to my.newpaltz.edu and under the Resources tab, click “General” and then “Holds.” All holds must be taken care of before you can register for classes.
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I am not sure what courses I should register for to satisfy my major or minor requirements in DMJ. Where should I look?
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Information on the requirements for majors and/or minors in DMJ can be found by accessing this link:
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https://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/las/digitalmedia_journ/
If you scroll to the bottom of that page, you will find more resources, such as links to course descriptions, 8 semester plans, and information on DMJ faculty.
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I always advise students to review the 8 semester plans for their major prior to registration:
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https://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/las/digitalmedia_journ/8_semester.html
These plans provide you with helpful guidelines on the classes you should ideally take each semester to finish your degree in 8 semesters.
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Another important tool to guide your registration is your progress report. Consult your progress report each semester to evaluate your progress towards graduation. Remember that you must earn a C- or better in certain courses to receive credit towards graduation requirements.
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I’m a Media Management major and I know the major is transitioning to Media Studies. Does this impact my coursework?
So, we are in the process of shifting our Media Management Major to become the broader “Media Studies.” This means there are several course substitutions current Media Management students may need to consider. As these are substitutions, once you have earned a C- or better in these classes, you will need to let me know in your advising meeting so I can file to amend your progress report. Here are the substitutions: 1) DMJ 323 Digital Media Content and Technology - TAKE DMJ 310 Media and Diversity. 2) BUS325 (Marketing) - TAKE CMM 353 Persuasion and Social Influence. 3) DMJ 222 Introduction to Advertising - TAKE CMM315 Introduction to Strategic Communication.
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Note that if you want to take a business course, you can also consider Principles of Management, Legal Environment of Business, or Financial Accounting.
How many credits should I take this semester? Can I take more than 19?
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Students must be enrolled in 12 credits per semester to be considered full time. Students may take up to 19 credits without additional approval. Students with a GPA of 3.0 may enroll in a maximum of 20 credits without additional approval. Course loads in excess of 19 (with less than a 3.0 GPA) or 20 (with a GPA of 3.0 or higher) must be approved by the Associate Dean. A student will be expected to have a very good rationale for taking excess credits and/or demonstrate to the Dean and the Advisor that they will be able to academically handle the high course load.
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A form is also required: https://www.newpaltz.edu/media/records-and-registration/pdfs/38-005excesscredit.pdf
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Can I retake a course?
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Students may only take a course for a grade twice. The better of the two grades will count towards the GPA, although both will remain on the transcript. Students will only be awarded credits for one class. Students may only “replace” grades with courses taken at New Paltz. Please note that a “W” counts as having taken a course once, even though the student may have only been in class for a few weeks.
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How do I add, drop or withdraw from a class?
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Students, except for first years, may add or drop classes online during the first five days of the semester. After that, they will need an electronic Permission of Instructor to add a course. The full policy can be found here:
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https://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/policies/policies_drop.html
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Students may withdraw from a class up to two weeks past the midpoint of the semester. This requires a Course Withdrawal Form signed by the advisor and instructor. Late or retroactive withdrawals must be for documentable non-academic reasons and must be approved by the Associate Dean.
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Check specific deadlines on the Academic Calendar.
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You should also understand that withdrawing from courses could impact your progress towards graduation and/or your financial aid if you drop below the minimum number of credits. Therefore, all students who are considering such a measure should recalculate how it might impact your graduation plan and reach out to Financial Aid with any questions on how it could impact your financial rewards, etc.
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I want to change my major and transfer out of DMJ. Can you advise me on the classes I should take for another major?
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No. When you declare a major at SUNY New Paltz, you are assigned a faculty advisor in the department in which you hope to earn your degree. In this case, I am a faculty member in DMJ and therefore I am well suited to guide you in how to meet the major requirements for the DMJ department. I am not, however, the appropriate person to advise you on how to meet the requirements for another major outside of DMJ. Therefore, if it is your intention to change your major and transfer out of DMJ, you should do that ASAP so that you have the appropriate advisor that can help you select classes to satisfy your intended major in another department.
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How can I tell if I have permission to register for a course?
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Before you attempt to register for a course, you should always check to see if you will have completed all the required prerequisites for that class or you will be unable to register. If you have not met a requirement, an advisor will NOT be able to release you from that requirement. If you are not sure if you meet a requirement due to transfer credits, you should check out the separate section of this site on transfer credits.
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Some courses need special permission by Instructor or Chair to join. This was previously called an “override.” Students can see if they were granted permission by logging on to my.newpaltz.edu and clicking the “Registration” tab and then “Registration Permissions.”
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How do I check my time assignment for registration?
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Students can check the date and time of their registration on my.newpaltz.edu. Select the "Registration” tab and then “Time assignment.”
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Help! I'm short on liberal arts credits, what should I do?
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If you are short on liberal arts credits, you could look into the possibility of changing to a Bachelor of Science. This is an option that can be particularly helpful for some Production majors. Check out this link with more information and instructions:
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