Advising for New and Transfer Students
Assignment to an Advisor
Professional Academic Advisor
Prior to arrival on campus, first-year students are paired with a professional Academic Advisor. You'll meet with your advisor to finalize your schedule of classes. If you enter undeclared, you'll continue working with your Academic Advisor until you select a major and a Faculty Advisor within your chosen discipline.
Faculty or Academic Advisor
Transfer students entering with a declared major are paired with a Faculty Advisor from their chosen discipline, facilitated by the University Advising Coordinator. Only one faculty advisor is assigned at initial enrollment — students interested in double majors or minors must declare and find additional faculty advisors after matriculating.
Transfer students entering without a declared major are assigned an Academic Advisor from University Advising, who will work with you until you're ready to declare a major and transition to a faculty advisor.
Schedule a New Admit Meeting
Transfer students are invited to schedule an individual meeting with University Advising where university policies and procedures will be explained. These meetings help new transfers transition smoothly into Batten University and are separate from the advising meetings you'll have with your faculty advisor. Invitations are sent to your Batten University email address.
Declaring a Major
Upon declaring a major, you'll petition a full-time faculty member in your major field to serve as your Faculty Advisor. You must complete a Declaration of Major Form, signed by both you and your major advisor. At a minimum, you'll meet with your Faculty Advisor during the officially designated advising weeks in the fall and spring before being released for web registration.
Leading up to graduation, you must complete an Application for Degree, at which time your Faculty Advisor will certify that you've completed all university and major requirements.
The final responsibility for meeting all academic requirements rests with the student. Your WebAdvisor account is your primary tool for tracking academic progress and verifying completion of all university and major requirements.
Academic Requirements
Batten University requires 128 or more credits to graduate, along with satisfying various other academic requirements. The resources below outline and explain those requirements.
- Curriculum Guide: Pathways to Graduation An overview of degree components: General Education requirements, majors, and electives.
- Academic Catalog The official guide to University programs, requirements, offerings, and resources.
- General Education Curriculum Introduces a broad range of academic pursuits and teaches students to integrate knowledge across multiple perspectives.
- Majors and Minors Students enter undeclared and have until the end of their sophomore year to declare. Your Academic Advisor will help you choose.
Understanding Your Course Schedule
Batten University runs on a 4×4 system — four four-credit courses each fall and spring semester. Eight semesters at that pace gets you to graduation. You'll also need to satisfy all Academic Requirements along the way.
Your schedule was created by an Academic Advisor who reviewed your high school transcript, SAT/ACT test scores, and your responses to the Building Your Schedule Survey. Your individual schedule was assembled taking into account your math placement, foreign language placement, CHEM placement, general education requirements, and any majors you expressed interest in.
If you'd like to request a change to your schedule, fill out the Schedule Change Request Form and an Academic Advisor will review your request and work with you to see if any changes are possible.
If you have questions or concerns about your schedule, contact an Academic Advisor anytime at studentsuccess@batten.edu.
There are two categories of information on your schedule: your courses and your placements.
Placements
Placements indicate the level of courses you must take to satisfy the General Education requirement for math and foreign language, and whether you are prepared to take CHEM 120.
The CHEM placement only applies if you want to take CHEM 120. You do not have to take CHEM 120 unless it is required for your major. Generally, only science majors take it. Placements appear only in your first semester and can be found afterward on your Academic History in WebAdvisor. They are easy to identify — they display PL under the GS (General Studies) column.
Courses
Courses are the classes you'll actually be taking.
Course Number — Three parts: Department code (each academic department has its own; view the full list), course number (the first digit indicates difficulty level, not year — many first-years take 200-level courses), and section number (which specific class of a given course you're enrolled in).
Title — The course name. When discussing classes with advisors or faculty, you'll usually refer to courses by their department code and number (e.g., POLS 111).
CR — Number of credits. Most courses are four credits; some are two or three.
GS — General education code. Courses that satisfy a General Education requirement are coded accordingly: CA creative arts, HUM humanities, MN math, LAB natural science with lab, SS social sciences, PS professional studies.
Location, Date & Time — Building code (view all location codes), room number, course type (LEC lecture, LAB lab, SEM seminar, PL placement — not an actual class), days, and start/end time.
Placement Guides
Your high school coursework and SAT/ACT scores determine which courses you're eligible or required to take in certain areas. These placements appear on your schedule your first semester. The guides below explain what each placement means.
To graduate, you must take ONE course from the list below according to your math placement level — or receive AP, IB, or transfer/dual enrollment credit from the Registrar.
| Placement | Course Options (First-Year) |
|---|---|
| H | Contact Dr. Margaret Reese at mreese@batten.edu |
| A | CS 107 Introduction to Python Programming CS 110 Introduction to Programming with Visual BASIC (Spring) CS 112 Programming I (Fall, Spring) Math 150 Topics in Modern Mathematics (Fall, January, Spring) Math 171 Calculus I (Fall, Spring) |
| B | CS 107 Introduction to Python Programming CS 110 Introduction to Programming with Visual BASIC (Spring) CS 112 Programming I (Fall, Spring) Math 150 Topics in Modern Mathematics (Fall, January, Spring) Math 170 Precalculus with Trigonometry (Fall, Spring) |
| C | CS 100 Computer Concepts and Applications (Spring) Math 104 Algebra and Its Applications (Fall, January, Spring) |
Placement Level Descriptions
H placement — Indicates AP Calculus in high school. Speak to the Mathematics department for a course recommendation. AP or IB exam credit may satisfy the mathematical sciences breadth requirement.
A placement — Indicates sufficient preparation for Calculus I. Not all A-placement students need or want calculus — CS 107, CS 112, CS 110, Math 150, and Math 210 (after first year) are all valid options.
B placement — Indicates success in Algebra 2 but not yet ready for Calculus I. Students interested in calculus should take Math 170 Precalculus first. Other options include CS 107, CS 110, CS 112, Math 150, and Math 210 (after first year).
C placement — Indicates limited success in Algebra 2. All C-placement students take Math 104 Algebra and Its Applications.
D placement — Indicates significant difficulty in high school math. All D-placement students complete the Algebra Readiness Program. Support is available through the Learning Center; the Algebra Readiness Assessment is offered each semester during Advising Weeks.
To challenge your mathematics placement, contact Dr. Lydia Kennedy at lkennedy@batten.edu.
All students must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Proficiency can be demonstrated by:
- Completion of one language in high school through the third level with a final grade of C or higher
- AP test score of 4 or higher in French Language, German Language, Latin, or Spanish Language
- Score of at least 600 on the CEEB Foreign Language Achievement test
- Transfer credit for college-level coursework through the intermediate level
- Completion of Batten University's 111/112/213 language courses
- CLEP (Registrar's approval required)
- Demonstrated proficiency in a language other than English (interview required)
| Placement Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FLP 1 | Begin a 111-level course in a language of your choosing. |
| FLP FR/GER/SPAN/LAT 2 | Prepared to begin at the 112 level of the indicated language.* |
| FLP FR/GER/SPAN/LAT 3 | Prepared to begin at the 213 level of the indicated language.* |
| FLP 7 | Foreign Language Proficiency requirement satisfied. |
| FLP 6 | Language placement is pending. |
* Students can also choose to begin a new language at the 111 level regardless of placement.
For further assistance, contact Dr. Benjamin Haller, Chair of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Classics, at bhaller@batten.edu or 757.233.8811.
Chemistry placement (CHEM PL) only applies if you intend to take CHEM 120, which is generally only required for science majors.
If you took high school chemistry and earned at least a B, you have the preparation needed for CHEM 120. However, you are not required to take CHEM 120 as your lab science course unless it's required for your intended major. There are many other lab science options available.
For detailed information on AP credit policies and which scores earn credit at Batten University, see the Advanced Placement Guide on the Registrar's page.
Questions about your advising, schedule, or placement? Reach us anytime at studentsuccess@batten.edu or schedule a meeting below.
Schedule an Appointment