University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Determining Undergraduate 
Program Requirements for Graduation

The program of undergraduate academic advisement is outlined in the following statements:

1. The academic advisement of all students (which includes new freshmen, new transfers and continuing students) will be performed by faculty members and professional advisers.

2. Students will be assigned to an adviser according to the student's declared major. New freshmen will be assigned to a professional adviser in the Advisement Center. New transfers will be assigned to the Program Director initially, and may be reassigned to a faculty member at a later date.  In the spring semester of each year freshmen declared in a major will be reassigned to a faculty adviser in that major according to a list provided by the program director.  Undeclared freshmen remain assigned to their professional adviser until they are ready to declare a major, at which time they are assigned to a faculty adviser in the declared major. Advisers can access student information online through ImageNow and Access Stout.

3. The program director will forward the student's name to the appropriate faculty adviser.

4. The students will be referred to their Student Center in Access Stout to view the name of their assigned adviser. The assigned advisers will fulfill the academic advisement function.

5. If students wish to change their major, a change-of-major application form must be submitted to the Advisement Center, room 11 Bowman Hall. Changing one's major requires the student applicant to meet specified acceptance criteria set by the degree program to which one is applying. Application forms, due dates and change criteria are available in the Advisement Center and on the Advisement Center’s web page. The change of major form is scanned and routed electronically for signature approval, and returned to the Advisement Center for processing.  An e-mail is sent to the student and the old and new adviser for notification. An online form is used to change/declare one's minor and/or concentration. If the application to change is not approved, students have the option of remaining in their current program or changing to undeclared.
   
   
6. The following statements should be noted regarding academic advisement:

• The major indicated on a student's application for admission will serve as the student's original declaration of major. The Board of Regents of the UW System allows students to graduate under the provisions of program requirements listed in the university bulletin in effect at the time they begin their program of study at a post-secondary institution. UW-Stout, through its advisement system, provides annually updated program plan sheets for each major. Current program plan sheets reflect the competencies most desired in graduates. While students may choose to follow the program requirements listed in the bulletin, students are encouraged to follow the program requirements as stated on the program plan sheets at the time of their initial conference with their adviser. Students who begin a program of study with the intention of graduating from UW-Stout must meet with a faculty adviser within three years of their initial enrollment at a post-secondary institution, to determine the program requirements under which they will graduate.

• Students changing their major, after their initial enrollment at this university, will be required to complete the program requirements as listed on the program plan sheet in effect at the time the change of major is completed.

• A student may choose to follow the most current program requirements by following procedures determined by the appropriate program director.

• Program requirements may be revised each year and may become effective as early as the summer session.

• Changes to a student's program requirements can be made by the program director. These changes should be submitted electronically using the online substitution and/or waiver forms available on the Provost’s Office website.  Approved forms are retained in ImageNow. Exceptions to the General Education Requirements must be approved by the Associate Vice Chancellor's Office.

• Students who leave the university for a period of more than two years must follow the program plan sheet in effect when they re-enroll, unless other provisions are made, in writing, with the appropriate program director.

• The Registration and Records Office will conduct a “preclearance” review of students who apply to graduate and notify them by e-mail of any deficiencies during their final term.

General Education, Racial and Ethnic Studies,
and Global Perspective Requirements

General Education Requirements
The General Education Program provides the core of what it means to be a well-educated university graduate. The goal is to promote human excellence through a broad foundation of skills and knowledge required to realize a meaningful personal, professional, and civic life. The General Education Program is intended to enable students to contribute to and live responsibly in a diverse, interconnected, and technologically sophisticated global community.

Racial and Ethnic Studies Requirements
Each student must satisfy the racial and ethnic studies requirement as preparation for being an engaged citizen in a highly diverse society. Criteria for meeting the requirement are listed in the Course Timetable each semester. Through approved courses, it is hoped that graduates will come to appreciate, understand, value and respond respectfully to cultural diversity. Through the study of U.S. cultures other than those from a European origin, we hope to discourage racism and thus reduce its effects.

Global Perspective Requirement
To earn a bachelor's degree, students must fulfill a global perspective requirement which will help students appreciate cultural, economic, political, environmental and social differences. Increasingly, graduates will work with people who do not speak English well or whose culture is quite different from their own. Learning a second language and developing an understanding of another culture can provide students with skills they will be able to use in international situations.

Updated: April 2013