Course Information

• Course Selection and Registration
• Course Registration
• Course Load
• Ungraded Option
• Advanced Placement
• Exemption and Placement Exams

Course Selection and Registration
Materials needed for registration, including class schedules, course descriptions, and a wealth of other information, are available on online.

Students register for courses and make all changes to course registration via ISIS, the online registration system.
That website also contains extensive information about how to use ISIS. Any lingering questions can be answered by the staff at the registrar’s office.

During the advising period, students schedule appointments with their faculty advisors; advisors normally post a list of available times. The appointment provides student and advisor a chance to discuss progress in the semester’s work, long-range goals, proposed course selection, and major and distribution requirements, and to map out a proposed course schedule. Returning students must be cleared by their faculty advisor in order to complete an initial course registration. During the normal dates for drops (the first three weeks of classes except for first-year students in their first semester) and adds (the first two weeks of classes) the signature of the academic advisor is not required; however students are encouraged to discuss significant changes with their academic advisor.

After the early registration periods in November and April (for continuing students) and during the summer (for new students), ISIS will be available again at the beginning of each semester for dropping, adding, and making other registration changes.

Course Registration
Students must register themselves in courses. Faculty and the registrar’s office can open space in a course for a student, but she must herself register for the course, either via ISIS or in the registrar’s office. It is every student’s responsibility to meet the deadlines for final course registration; these are published regularly on the registrar's web page, in The College Street Journal, and in registration instructions. A final semester course schedule, reflecting all changes, must be filed with the registrar by the tenth day of classes. No Five College courses may be added after that date. The only way a student may begin a course after the tenth day of classes is with the approval of an academic dean, under extenuating circumstances. A late fee may be charged for schedules received after the deadline. No changes may be made in the ungraded option after the first fifteen days of classes (except for first-year students who have until the final date for dropping courses). It is suggested that students bookmark and refer to the "Due Dates and Deadlines" on the Academic Calendar 

Course Load
The normal course load is sixteen credits each semester; the minimum load is twelve credits. Requests for fewer than twelve credits must be approved by an academic dean.
A maximum course load is twenty credits, nineteen for first-year students in their first semester. A schedule in excess of twenty credits requires the approval of the academic advisor and an academic dean. Normally, students must be in satisfactory academic standing to enroll for more than twenty credits. A student may not register for courses in which regularly appointed hours conflict. This includes "fourth hours," extra meetings beyond the basic class times.

Ungraded Option
An ungraded option is available to all undergraduate students. The ungraded course will not be counted in the cumulative grade-point average. A course for which this option is elected will be recorded as CR (Credit) if passed and will be recorded as NC (No Credit) if failed.
This option was approved by the faculty to encourage students to be more adventurous in their course choices by taking courses in areas unrelated to their regular program of study. In keeping with the intended purpose, the ungraded option is subject to the following limitations:

1. The option may be elected only for courses outside a student’s major department or departments.
2. No course taken under this option may be used for distribution credit, to fulfill a language requirement, to fulfill the multicultural perspectives requirement, or to count toward the minor.
3. No more than one course may be elected on an ungraded basis per semester. No more than four courses (or sixteen credits) may be elected under the ungraded option during a student’s four years.
4. Because it should be possible for a student to identify the kinds of courses for which the option was intended before the beginning of classes, no changes in the option will be permitted after the fifteenth day of classes, except that first-year students may declare the option through the fiftieth academic day of classes.

Advanced Placement
Regular college courses taken while in secondary school may be eligible for transfer to Mount Holyoke. See Advanced Placement for details.
Mount Holyoke grants four credits for scores of four and five on the Advanced Placement Examination. With the approval of the department, advanced placement credit may be used for exemption from the distribution requirement in art, biological sciences, chemistry, economics, mathematics, music, physics, and psychology. In English and foreign languages, the credit may be applied toward the degree but may not be used as exemption from the distribution or language requirements (except for Spanish). Students simply enter at a more advanced level.

Exemption and Placement Examinations
A student may be exempted from distribution requirements by demonstrating proficiency in a subject. Exemption may mean no further courses in the subject need be taken, or it may entitle the student to enter an intermediate or advanced course without taking the prerequisite. (Credit is not granted for the courses not taken.) If, however, a student wishes to continue a foreign language in which she has presented admission units, an exemption exam is not required; the student is expected to elect the course for which her admission units meet the stated prerequisite. Placement examination results do not satisfy requirements, but merely help students or departments know the best course for a student to be placed in. For more information look on exemption and placement exams online.

International students seeking exemption from the language requirement should consult the McCulloch Center of Global Initiative language requirement.