Frequently Asked Questions

General

• Where is the CHHS Student Success Center located? 

  • The CHHS SSC is one center with two locations.  We have one location at MacQuarrie Hall Room 533 and a second location at the Health Building Room 105. 

• Is the CHHS SSC open?

  • Yes, MacQuarrie Hall 533 and Health Building 105 front desks are open for making appointments. Advisors will be working virtually to assist you.

• What are your hours of operation?

  • The CHHS SSC is open on Monday-Thursday from 9am-5pm and on Friday from 9am-4pm. 

• Who is my assigned academic advisor?

  • Please check Spartan Connect for your assigned advisor. If you have no assigned advisor, please call the front desk at (408) 924-8601 or (408) 924-2910. 

• How can I make an appointment to see an advisor?

  • Appointments can be made online, via email or over the phone. Our front desk staff will be happy to assist you.

• What can an advisor at the center help me with?

  • Our advisors can help with questions related to GE advising, changing or declaring your major, course selection, mapping out a 2 or 4 year plan, applying for graduation, graduate school advising, study skills, and tips for time management.

• Should I make an appointment to see my major advisor or a GE advisor at the Center?

  • If you have questions related to GE advising/courses, an advisor at our center can support you. If you have specific questions related to your major, it may be best to speak with a major advisor.

• Can an advisor at the center help me with the graduation application?

  • Yes, our advisors can walk you through the process of applying for graduation. 

• I need more information about peitions? 

  •  

• Can I print or use the copier at the center?

  • Printing and copier use at our center is for faculty and staff only. Students may print or copy at the Computer Services Center in the Student Union (Upper Level) or at the Martin Luther King Library.

• Where can I get a full timeline of important dates for spring 2024?

  •  Registrar’s website has this information

Change of Major

• Change of Major Requests from Newly Admitted Students

  • Unfortunately, newly admitted students cannot change their major prior to or during orientation, and must first earn an SJSU GPA during their first semester before being considered for the change of major request. Students will also need to attend orientation with the college housing their admitted major. At orientation, however, students with an interest in changing their major will have an opportunity to let their orientation advisors know this information. This information will be taken into consideration when advising students for their first semester.

• How does one change major?

  • You cannot change your major at-will. You have to apply to change your major. This process is unique for each major. However, you will not be able to change your major until you have completed your first semester at SJSU and earned an SJSU GPA. 

• When can I change my major?

  • Different majors have different deadlines. You will want to consult with a Student Success Center advisor for the college that you are applying to switch into. Again, most majors will require you to have an SJSU GPA, so applying to change your major is not possible your first semester at SJSU.

• What classes should I take for the major I want to change into?

  • Meet with a Student Success Center or Major advisor to discuss this further. You will want to be sure you have completed all lower-division pre-requisites first before you attempt upper-division major courses in most situations. 

• Can I take those classes even if I am not yet in the major?

  • It depends. Most lower-division courses are open to everyone, with some exceptions. Most upper-division courses are restricted to those currently in the major.

• If I change my major, can I still graduate in 4 years?

  • It depends. Some majors share classes, but if your new major is very different from your current major, you are almost certainly behind in pre-requisite courses and major preparation courses. Visit an academic advisor for more information.

Registration

• When can I register for classes?
  • Your enrollment appointment date and time is listed in your MySJSU student center.  Please see this guide for instructions.
• I need to retake a class, but the registration system is giving me an error message.  What should I do?
  • Please see the Office of the Registrar website for information on repeating a class.
• I am repeating a class. Do I need a petition in order to repeat the same class? 

  • If you are repeating a class for the first time, you are able to re-enroll through MySJSU 

    If you are repeating a class for the 2nd time, you will need to complete the Petition for a Repeat Exception. 

• I have a CHHS  Academic Advising hold on my account. What should I do?
  • The CHHS - Academic Advising hold will prevent you from registering for classes. If you are a CHHS major, please check your email inbox and MySJSU message center for a message from Talisha Teague.  Follow the instructions in the message in order to get the hold lifted.  If you are in the UPN program, please check your email inbox and MySJSU message center for a message from Max Estrada. Follow the instructions in the message in order to get the hold lifted.
• I have an Academic Advising hold on my account. What should I do?
  • We invite you to make an appointment with a CHHS SSC academic advisor. 
• What is the difference between Academic Notice, Continued Academic Notice, and Academic Disqualifiction?

  • Academic Notice (formerly Academic Probation) refers to the academic standing category for students with a SJSU cumulative GPA below 2.0. 

    Continued Academic Notice refers to students to obtain a semester GPA of a 2.0 but have not brought their SJSU cumulative GPA to a 2.0 or higher 

    Academic Disqualification refers to the academic standing category for students on academic notice who have not met the criteria to remain on continued notice (term GPA of at least 2.0), or return to good academic standing (SJSU cumulative GPA of at least 2.0).  

• Where can I get more information about Petitions or Withdrawls?

  • You can visit this link to find about more information about Petitions.

    You can visit this link to find information about late drops as well as semester withdrawls.

• I have another SJSU hold on my account. What should I do?
  • You can visit this link to find information on the most common SJSU holds as well as what actions you can take to work towards clearing them. 
• I have put courses in my shopping cart, am I done registering?
  • No, putting courses in your shopping cart does not constitute having registered for a class. You must now select those classes and finish the enrollment process.
• I’m not sure if the class I’m looking at is in-person, online synchronous, or online non-synchronous. How can I tell the difference?
  • For the classes that are being held in-person, you will see days, times, and a room number listed. Synchronous classes will have scheduled online meeting times via Zoom. For these classes you will see days, times, and “TBA” listed as the room number. Non-synchronous classes will not have scheduled online meeting times. These classes will show “TBA” for Days & Times and the Room number.
• I’ve been trying to register for a class forever, and the system won’t let me.  What should I do?
  • Science classes like CHEM 1A often have several components; a LEC (lecture), a SEM (seminar), & a LAB. You must put all of the components in your shopping cart (open classes only - no wait listing!) and then complete registration for all 3 components at the same time.  If you don’t register for all components at the same time, you will get an error message.
    Or you may also get an error message “Prerequisites have not been met,” which means that your enrollment category will not let you register for those classes and/or you still have some courses to take before you can enroll in the course
• My error message says "Department Consent Required." What does this mean?
  • This means you will be unable to add the class without a permission number ("addcode"). You will need to contact the instructor of that class and ask them for a permission number. If the instructor is "Staff" please contact the department the course belongs to.
• My error message says “This Course is Outside Your Career Field.” What does it mean?
  • This means you are trying to enroll in a course not approved for your status, i.e. your enrollment category and/or major.  You must choose another course.
• What does the "Time conflicting / overlap” error message mean?
  • The class you’re trying to register for conflicts with the day and time of another class you are either already enrolled in or are also trying to enroll in at the same time. You cannot register for two classes that meet at the same time. You must choose another class without a time conflict. 
     

Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement (UDW DSP)

• What is the UDW DSP? What happended to the Writing Skills Test (WST)?
  • In the past, a passing score on the Writing Skills Test (WST) was a prerequisite to enrolling in SJSU Studies courses. However, due to COVID-19 and public health considerations, SJSU suspended the WST until further notice.  To prevent any barriers to students' progress to degree, SJSU has created an alternative process, the Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement (UDW DSP) exercise. The UDW DSP will help you learn about the 100-level writing courses that are available to you (both 100A and 100W) and choose the course that is right for you. Once a student has completed the UDW DSP, their WST requirement will be fulfilled and will never expire. We strongly encourage you to complete the UDW DSP before your enrollment date to prevent any delays in registering for your 100-level writing course. Please visit this website[BROKEN LINK] for more information about the UDW DSP.  
• Why is this necessary?
  • Completing the UDW DSP will allow you to take your SJSU Studies Upper Division GE's R, S, and V. It will also allow you to take the 100W course for your major.