General Information | Registration

REGISTRATION

Information concerning registration may be obtained from the Academic Calendar provided in this publication or from the Registrar’s Office. Detailed registration procedures are included in the Schedule of Classes which is published twice each year — Summer School/Fall Semester and Spring Semester. Copies of the Schedule of Classes may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions or the schedule may be viewed online.

ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT FOR REGISTRATION

Sam Houston State University began its Academic Advisement System effective September 1, 1996.

Each student is responsible for ensuring that the courses selected will meet his/her degree requirements. A student should contact his/her academic advisor or refer to the current undergraduate or graduate catalogue in order to confirm which courses will meet his/her individual degree requirements.

GENERAL STUDIES PROGRAM

The program in General Studies is designed for those students who have not selected a major. This program allows the student to explore a variety of academic fields while completing basic course requirements. General Studies students are encouraged to utilize the Student Advising and Mentoring Center (SAM Center) and to declare a major and file a degree plan as soon as possible.  The Center is located in Academic Building IV, corner of Avenue I and Bowers Boulevard; telephone (936) 294-4444.

Members of the faculty serve as advisors and counselors. The General Studies advisor will assist the student in selecting courses and in determining the choice of a major as indicated by interest and ability.

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE (ADDING AND DROPPING COURSES)

Students may make schedule changes during periods of enrollment by accessing SamInfo in any SHSU computer lab, or on the internet. Hours of operation are stated in the Schedule of Classes. No schedule changes may be made after the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. A course dropped after the stated deadline is entered on the student’s permanent record with a grade of F.

Off-Campus Courses

Students may register for off-campus courses during the regular registration periods as listed in the current Schedule of Classes. Courses taught at a location away from the main campus carry residence credit. Off-campus tuition, fees, and procedures for resignations, and schedule changes (Adds or Drops), are the same as for students attending classes on campus. See the current Schedule of Classes for a complete listing of courses and locations.

Sam Houston State University has approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer various degree programs at The University Center. Courses completed as part of these programs carry residence credit.

NAME CHANGE

Appropriate documentation which substantiates a legal name change for a student must be submitted to the Registrar prior to the student’s next registration. Registration under a name different from that used in the student’s last enrollment cannot be accomplished without the above certification, which becomes a part of the student’s permanent file. All degrees, grade reports and transcripts are issued under the student’s legal name as recorded in the Registrar’s Office.

CORRECT ADDRESSES

It is necessary to have on file with the University a correct residency address. A student who changes an address after completing registration needs to immediately report this address to the Registrar’s Office. The University assumes no obligation for failure of a student to receive communications. A student may change his/her address online or provide the Registrar’s Office with a written request for an address change.

VETERANS ASSISTANCE OFFICE

The Veteran Assistance Staff in the Registrar’s Office can assist in the processing of claims for the Montgomery G I Bill (MGIB), Chapter 30 – Veteran status, Chapter 31 – Vocational Rehabilitation and Chapter 1606 – Reservist. Other services provided in conjunction with the MGIB are late payment inquiries, changes in dependency status and changes in academic status (major/minor/semester hour load). Students who were Texas residents at the time of their entry into active duty, and who have exhausted their MGIB educational benefits, should inquire about their eligibility for benefits under the Texas Hazlewood Act.

TEXAS ACADEMIC SKILLS PROGRAM (TASP)

In 1987, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2182 requiring students entering any Texas public community college or university in Fall 1989 or later to take the TASP Test. The TASP is designed to ensure that all students attending public colleges and/or universities in Texas have the reading, mathematics, and writing skills necessary to perform effectively in college-level course work. The TASP Test must be taken before a student will be allowed to register for any courses.

The Texas Education Code (TEC 51.306[e]) stipulates that a student whose performance is below standard in one or more tested areas (on the TASP Test) must participate continuously in a developmental program until all sections of the test are passed. Failure to regularly attend required developmental courses can result in the student being resigned from the University.

Update on Changes to the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP)

As a result of legislation and subsequent Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board action, the following changes have occurred in the TASP. (July, 1995; July, 1997)

Deaf and Blind Students

Blind and deaf students who completed three semester credit hours prior to Fall 1995 are exempt from the provisions of the Texas Academic Skills Program. Beginning Fall 1995, blind students will be required to take the TASP Test with proper accommodations such as large print, Braille audio cassettes, or readers. Deaf students will be required to take the Stanford Achievement Test as nationally normed on the hearing-impaired population by Gallaudet University.

TASP Test Exemptions

Currently, the standards for exemptions under this law:

• ACT — Composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on both the English and mathematics tests, scores valid for five years from test date; or
• SAT I — Combined verbal and mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum of 500 on both the verbal and the mathematics tests (recentered scale for tests taken April 1995 and thereafter), scores valid for five years from test date; or
• TAAS — A minimum scaled score of 1770 on the writing test, a Texas Learning Index (TLI) of 86 on the math test and 89 on the reading test; scores valid for three years from test date.
• Students who graduate from a public high school or an accredited private school and complete the recommended or advanced high school curriculum with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent are exempt. The exemption is effective only for students who enroll on or before the second anniversary of their high school graduation date.
• Military personnel stationed in Texas attending a Texas public institution of higher education are exempt as long as they are on active duty. If they become inactive during a semester of enrollment, they must then meet all TASP requirements prior to reenrolling.
• Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited institution.

Individual institutions will determine exemptions due to ACT, SAT or TAAS using the score requirements specified above. Students who meet any of the above score requirements may be exempted from TASP requirements even if they were already in developmental work due to TASP. Once a student meets one of the exemption requirements, he/she will continue to be exempt. None of the above precludes an institution from using local placement tests to place students into a developmental class until institutional requirements are met. For more details, refer to the current Schedule of Classes.