SUCCESSFUL HSOC MAJORS:

• Know how many and what kind of courses they need for the major

               --What counts as core courses, HSOC electives, concentration courses and capstones
               --The difference between the capstone requirement and the senior thesis
               --The rules for independent studies
               --How to petition courses for concentrations

• Master the approach of the discipline, not just the content of the courses
• Get to know their instructors and advisors by coming to office hours
• View mistakes as opportunities, not disasters
• Utilize resources such as CAPS and Weingarten Learning Center when they have difficulties
• Understand their academic worksheet (see below)

WHAT  TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR HSOC WORKSHEET

• You cannot update your own official worksheet.

          Once your worksheet has been made official you cannot make any changes to it, but you may create an unofficial one for your own use.

• The HSOC worksheet requires regular manual override (by major advisors) to make it correct.  Thus the worksheet may contain temporary errors because the software cannot read your mind.

          If you register for a course, the software puts it onto your worksheet; if you drop it, the software does NOT take it off, if must be removed manually.

• Red Xs: Some courses that fulfill requirements may show up as Red Xs until there is manual override (if they are new courses or concentration courses).
  Sometimes approved courses revert to Red Xs when the instructor submits your grade.  This is a software problem.  Manual override required.
  
  
• You cannot double-count a course within the major.  A course might be listed as able to fulfill more than one requirement, but it can only be used to fulfill one requirement; it cannot be used more than once within the major.
  
  
• The requirements on the website is always more accurate than the worksheet.  The worksheet may be inaccurate because of the aforementioned software issues.  The website is accurate.  If the course is not pre-approved or listed on the website, it is not pre-approved, even if the worksheet software allows it. 

• Your worksheet and your transcript are two different documents with two different purposes in two different systems. 

          The transcript is a legal document of the university (think of it as your academic passport). 
          The worksheet is more like a blackboard record of your courses.  Changes to the worksheet do not change the transcript because they are two different systems.  
          Major advisors cannot change your transcript but must send that information to a person with access to the transcript system.

 

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT WORKSHEETS

 I have a "red X" on my worksheet for a course that is supposed to count for the major.  

• Are you sure the course actually fulfills the requirement? Check the website, which is always more accurate than the worksheet.
• The course is not yet in the software behind the worksheet page
• Software Glitch: The software sometimes over-rides corrections and put Red Xs back in when grades are submitted at the end of the term.
• Minimum grade: The minimum grade for a course to count for HSOC is a C-, BUT the software tags any course below a C as not counting.
  
  

There is a red circle with a line through it next to a course that I took and passed. 

• Minimum grade problem: The minimum grade for a course to count for HSOC is a C-, BUT the software tags any course below a C as not counting.
• Incomplete problem: A red circle with a line through it can indicate an Incomplete that has not been resolved.  Contact the course instructor and your College advisor.
  
  

Courses are in the wrong place on my HSOC worksheet.

• The software puts the course into the place most logical to the software; it does not read your mind.  HSOC is individualized. You can always send your advisor a list of what goes where.
  
  

I took a course for the major but it’s not on my HSOC worksheet. 

• Are you sure it counts for the major?
• If it is not pre-approved for the concentration, have you petitioned the course?
• It may not be there because it is not in the software, or because the worksheet hasn't been updated yet. Talk to your major advisor.
  
  

My General Requirements are not up to date.

• Speak with a College adviser about your general requirement.
  
  

How do I know if I have enough credits to graduate? Review your HSOC worksheet with your major adviser, and go to the College office to go over the general requirement:

• You need 14 credits for the HSOC major
• You need 20 credits from outside the major, made up of Foundation and Sector requirements, free electives, and courses for minors.  
• At least 16 have to be from the College.  A maximum of 4 can be non-College courses.  (Non-College courses in the HSOC major do not count toward this total of 4.
• You must have at least 34 cu to graduate, but you may need more than 34 credits to get all your requirements fulfilled.
  
  

What can I double count?

• You may double-count one course between the major and the sectors.
• You may double count as many as you want between the major and the foundation, between the foundation and the sectors, and between minors and anything, though HSOC only can double count 3 cu with any minor.
• You may not double-count within the major, because then you won't have 14 cu to graduate. The capstone is a separate course and you may not double count it as an elective because then you won't have 14 c.u. and you will not graduate.
  
  

What is the minimum grade needed for a course to count for the major? 

• You must get at least a C- in a course to have it count toward the major.
• As long as you passed the course you get the credit toward your general requirement, but the course cannot count for the major.