Advising FAQ

Who is my advisor?

Advisors are assigned by major and concentration. You can find your advisor listed on the homepage of your myState account. If you are not assigned an advisor, please email advising@comm.msstate.edu. 

How do I contact my advisor?

All CO faculty advisors’ office locations, phone numbers, and email addresses can be found in the CO Directory posted on the department’s website. If you have issues contacting your advisor, please email advising@comm.msstate.edu.

Why do I meet with an advisor?

Your academic advisor is here to help keep you on track as you work to complete a degree. An advisor helps you with course registration, schedule changes, withdrawal, and general advice regarding your educational and career goals. You should meet with your advisor during the pre-registration period to plan your next semester’s courses, typically during the middle of each semester. It is also recommended that you meet with your advisor anytime you are unsure about some aspect of your academic journey. This could include discussing dropping a class, withdrawing, changing a major, adding a minor, using academic forgiveness for a class, etc.

What is pre-registration advising?

Pre-registration advising is an important time of the semester during which you will meet with your faculty advisor to discuss classes for the upcoming semester, your overall academic plan, and enrichment opportunities such as internships and studying abroad.

When is pre-registration advising?

Pre-registration advising appointments are typically held during a two-week period officially scheduled by the university each semester, otherwise known as the pre-registration period. Advising to register for the winter session and spring semester occurs each October, and advising to register for the summer and fall semesters occurs each March. See the university academic calendar for official dates.

Do I have to attend a pre-registration advising session?

Yes. The only way to be released to register for classes is to attend an advising session. Even if you have a financial hold on your account or are still determining whether you will enroll next semester, you should always plan to attend advising. 

How do I schedule a pre-registration advising session?

You can expect an email from your advisor about a week before the university’s pre-registration advising period begins. Your advisor will contact you through your campus email to set up an appointment, typically providing you with several options and times for the pre-registration advising session to occur. 

How should I prepare for my pre-registration advising appointment?

A few days before your appointment, run a new Degree Works report to see your progress within the curriculum and check the Master Class Schedule in Banner to see course offerings for the upcoming semester. Create a rough list of classes you plan to take the following semester with that information. Although you will likely only enroll in five or six courses, plan to have a list of additional class options prepared as your “backup” choices. Your advisor will review your list with you and guide you on how to proceed best. Also, prepare any questions about your academic progress or related issues before your appointment to maximize your time with your advisor best.

What is Degree Works?

Degree Works helps you and your advisor track your progress toward graduation. It outlines all courses required for your chosen major and concentration area and which courses have been completed or remain to be taken. The system also shows hours earned, GPAs, and transfer hours. All MSU students can access the degree audit system Degree Works in myState.

How do I run a Degree Works report?

Once you log in to MyState, select Degree Works from the Academic Records menu. You do not have to log in again. Additional resources for running and understanding a Degree Works report can be found on the Communication Advising Hub. 

What is the Communication Advising Hub?

The Communication Advising Hub is a central location under the Classroom tab in myState that houses all advising forms, curriculum and department handouts, and information dealing with advising and student success. You can also access the hub in Canvas.

How do I register for classes?

Directions for viewing the Master Class Schedule and registering for classes can be found on the Communication Advising Hub.

What if I encountered an error when registering?

If you encounter an error while adding a course during the registration process, you may need to request an override. Some examples of overrides include prerequisite requirements, course capacity, academic college restrictions, campus restrictions, or student classification. Only the department that teaches the course has the authority to grant an override. 

To request an override for a course, please email the appropriate contact within the department/college (see Override Contact List). Your email must include your name, 9-digit MSU ID number, the reason for the request (e.g., seat capacity issue, college restriction, etc.), the term/semester your request applies to and the course’s information (i.e., prefix, number, section, name; ex. EN 2203-08 Intro to Literature).

What should I do if a class I need is full?

If a Communication class you need to take is full before you register, please fill out the Force Add Request form, which can be found on our website during the advising and pre-registration period. Force adds, or seat capacity overrides, are approved and processed by the department offering the class. We do not process Force Add Request forms for CO 1003 and CO 1013.

To get a seat capacity override for a non-CO class, please email the appropriate contact within the department/college (see Override Contact List). Your email must include your name, 9-digit MSU ID number, the reason for the request (e.g., seat capacity issue, college restriction, etc.), the term/semester your request applies to and the course’s information (i.e., prefix, number, section, name; ex. EN 2203-08 Intro to Literature). 

What is a Force Add Request?

Each semester, our department lowers the seat limits on many of our Communication classes to allow us to force a spot for students who REALLY NEED certain classes. If you have been advised to take any CO class that appears full when you first try to register, please fill out the Force Add Request form on our website for each class you need. Thoroughly read all directions on the form. 

The Force Add Request form is only active during the pre-registration period each semester; for communication override requests during other times of the year, please email your override request to advising@comm.msstate.edu. Your email must include your name, 9-digit MSU ID number, the reason for the request (e.g., seat capacity issue, college restriction, etc.), the term/semester your request applies to and the course’s information (i.e., prefix, number, section, name; ex. EN 2203-08 Intro to Literature).
 

Where do I find the Force Add Request form?

The Force Add Request form is on our website under Current Students, Advising. The Force Add Request form is only active during the pre-registration period each semester; for communication override requests during other times of the year, please email your override request to advising@comm.msstate.edu. Your email must include your name, 9-digit MSU ID number, the reason for the request (e.g., seat capacity issue, college restriction, etc.), the term/semester your request applies to and the course’s information (i.e., prefix, number, section, name; ex. EN 2203-08 Intro to Literature).

Do I have to fill out a separate Force Add Request form for each class I request to be forced into?

Yes. A form is filled out for each class needed. We do not process Force Add Request forms for CO 1003 and CO 1013.

How long does it take to find out about my Force Add Request status?

Hearing back about the status of your Force Add Request will take up to two or three weeks after the registration process begins. If your request to take the class is approved, a seat capacity override will be processed for you, and you will be notified via email that you may go into Banner and register for that course/section. Not all force-add requests are approved for the class or section desired.

How long do I have to add a course to my schedule once notified that my Force Add Request was approved?

Override approvals are only valid for two weeks; you must add the class within two weeks of being notified that your request was approved. This time frame is necessary because there are other students on a waitlist who also need this class. If you have a hold on your account or another reason you are unable to add the class, please notify the department’s advisor at advising@comm.msstate.edu. 

What happens if I need to be forced into a class after the Force Add Request time has passed?

If the Force Add link is no longer posted on the website, this means the link is not active. You will need to email the department’s advisor at advising@comm.msstate.edu. Your email must include your name, 9-digit MSU ID number, the reason for the request (e.g., seat capacity issue, college restriction, etc.), the term/semester your request applies to and the course’s information (i.e., prefix, number, section, name; ex. EN 2203-08 Intro to Literature).

How do I add or drop a class after advising is over/once the new semester starts?

Once you enroll in classes for the upcoming semester, you can make any changes you wish through Banner for several weeks. Once the semester starts, you have until 5 p.m. on the fifth day of classes to drop and until 8 a.m. on the sixth day of classes to add. 

Dropping a class after the fifth day of classes through the mid-point of the semester will result in a “W” grade for the class and a $50 drop fee being added to your account. To drop a class after the fifth day of class, you must complete a Drop form, obtain your advisor’s signature, and hand deliver the completed Drop form to the A&S office (Allen 513) by that semester’s posted Drop deadline. The Drop form can be found in the Communication Advising Hub. 

After the semester's mid-point, students can only withdraw from their schedule entirely. See the university academic calendar for each semester’s Drop/Add, Drop with a “W” & Withdraw deadlines.
 

What do I do if I want to take a course at a community college or a college other than MSU?

If you want to take a class somewhere other than MSU, you must get the class approved before taking the class off-campus. Once you know what class(es) you want to take and what college you plan to attend, fill out an Off-Campus Request form on the Communication Advising Hub. Email your Off-Campus Request form to advising@comm.msstate.edu. You will be notified via email if your request is approved. 

How can I check if a course at a community college or other college will transfer to MSU?

To verify that an off-campus course will transfer over to MSU, you can use the Transfer Course Equivalents page. In addition, if your Off-Campus Request form is approved, that verifies the credit will transfer over. 

What is the GSP Exam, and how do I take it?

The GSP Exam is the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Exam. This exam is a rudimentary measurement tool to ensure you are familiar with basic GSP rules learned via primary, intermediate and secondary schooling before beginning any CO writing courses. All students are required to take the GSP Exam and pass with a score of 70% or better before registering for CO 2413 Intro to News Writing or CO 3223 Comm & Media Research. Please review the GSP resources, such as the GSP FAQs, study guides, exam directions and additional documentation about the exam available on the Communication Advising Hub. 

How do I change my major and/or concentration?

Before changing your major, you are encouraged to talk to your current major’s advisor and the advisor of the new major. To change your major or concentration, you will need access to the Change of Major eForm, which you can find in your myState portal. eForms are linked in the left-hand navigation menu. Information about your Change of Major will be sent to your NetID email address after it is reviewed by the college/department. How to submit a major change eForm is available here: https://www.registrar.msstate.edu/students/major-change.

Can I request that my advisor assignment be changed?

Changing an Advisor: If you are unhappy with your assigned advisor, you can request an advisor change. However, you do not get to choose who you are switched to. To initiate an advisor change request, please email your request and details related to your request to advising@comm.msstate.edu. 

Selecting an Advisor: If you want to switch to a specific advisor, you need permission from that advisor. To initiate an advisor change request to a specific advisor, written confirmation of this agreement between the advisor and student must be emailed to advising@comm.msstate.edu. Note. Suppose the advisor’s assignments are at full capacity (18 or more assigned advisees). In that case, in the agreement correspondence, the advisee must acknowledge that agreeing to advise this specific student would put them over the department’s average advisor assignments and, in turn, their service obligations but that they are still willing to take on the prospective advisee.