Advising Process
Undergraduate Students

This Web page provides a guideline concerning various issues associated with the advising process, as well as policies and procedures for registering for courses. Please review the following information as it pertains to you to gain a better understanding of what it takes to complete your degree. 

Current Students can pre-register for classes for the next semester, which takes place in late-October for winter classes and mid-March for summer and fall classes.

Re-Entry Students need to re-activate their admissions application before they can register for classes.

LPM students enrolled in the Loss Prevention Management degree program are traditionally considered online students, therefore, please comply with the LPM information as it may differ slightly from on-campus students.

• Academic Probation: If you are on academic probation you will need to meet with Dr. Kapla to have your adviser hold removed before you can register for classes. If you are a freshmen probation student, you will need to meet with your adviser in Academic and Career Advisement Center.

• Adviser: Find who your adviser is so he/she can assist you with the advising and registration process.

• Adviser Meeting: Find your adviser contact information and set up an appointment to assist you with the advising and registration process.

  • Additional meeting times will be set up a week prior to the pre-registration period, usually late-October for the winter semester classes and mid- to late-March for summer and fall semester classes. Regular faculty office hours will be suspended during this period. 

  • Schedule an appointment with your adviser by contacting the CJ department secretary 906-227-2660. LPM students please contact Robert Hanson, loss prevention coordinator, at bhanson@nmu.edu or (906) 227-1783, to receive advising and have the adviser hold removed. Update your advising sheet so you can e-mail it to him to discuss your academics.

  • Bring a list of questions and advising sheet with you to the meeting so your adviser can assist you.

• Advising Sheet: Department policy requires you to use the respective criminal justice advising sheet and make it available to your adviser for review and discussing your degree requirements. Use of other general advising sheets are unacceptable. Download the appropriate CJ advising sheet and fill in all of the blocks (sem/yr, grade, credits) with the information for the courses you have completed. Also include the courses you are currently enrolled in. Save the form to your computer for future reference.

  • Review Instructions For Filling Out Your Advising Sheet. If you attended other colleges be sure to include your transfer courses and their transfer equivalencies. Bring the updated sheet with you for your adviser appointment. LPM students please e-mail your updated LPM advising sheet to the LP coordinator a day prior to your scheduled meeting for review. We recommend you keep an updated copy on your computer.

• Bulletin: The Bulletin used on the academics toolbar is for the current academic year. If you entered NMU under an older bulletin and intend to graduate using that curriculum, be sure you check the requirements for your major/minor.

• Course Selection: Work out a tentative list of courses and review them with your adviser. You are responsible for your degree completion which means you need to know what is required for the degree. Advisers will assist you in checking your advising sheet and recommending possible alternatives. View CJ/LPM course offerings for the upcoming semester.

• Degree Evaluation:  A degree evaluation tracks your progress toward earning a degree at NMU. It is intended to assist you and your adviser plan your academic career, NOT to replace the advising process. The evaluation you run has not been checked for errors and omissions and should not be considered official. Discuss any discrepancies with your adviser so the appropriate paperwork can be submitted to have corrections made.
  (NOTE: The CAPP Degree Evaluation only lists courses from fall 1993 to present and degree programs from fall 2004 to present.)

• Degree Options: Consider earning your associate degree in Criminal Justice while working towards your Bachelor in Criminal Justice. When selecting liberal study courses, it is more advantageous to take courses from different departments which are required in the the associate degree. These courses will ladder over to the bachelor degree. By earning your associate degree it will put you at a better advantage for employment purposes if for any reason you are unable to complete your bachelor degree. Talk with your adviser for more details.

• Drop Class? If you are not doing well in a course and are contemplating dropping the course to avoid a failing grade, now is the time to make a decision. Refer to the add/drop schedule to see what is the last day to receive a "w" grade. 

• Graduation: If you are graduating, you must register for CA 000 Graduation. Even if you are not marching in commencement ceremonies, you still need to register for graduation. This ensures that your degree audit is finalized and puts you on the official graduation list.

• Minor: If you have not selected a minor, now is the time to get advice from your adviser or review the suggestions on What To Consider When Choosing a Minor. If your minor is not correct on your Degree Evaluation, you will need to officially change or declare your minor.

• Police Academy: Students who plan to attend the Police Academy must be aware that in addition to the minimum requirements for an Associate's Degree, a separate application process is required by the Public Safety Institute. This application process should be completed several months in advance of the beginning of the academy, which is usually held in the summer semester. Students who complete the Police Academy can also use the 12 credits toward their bachelor's degree as part of their general elective credits.

  • Degree Completion Verification Letter: For students who have not completed the minimum two-year degree at the beginning of the academy will be required to obtain a Degree Completion Verification Letter from the Criminal Justice Department. This letter basically states that the student will obtain a degree (associate's or bachelor's) upon successful completion of the academy. Please view Letter for Police Academy: Instructions for more details.

• Questions: If you have questions concerning your degree requirements, contact your CJ adviser. They are the professionals who understand the intricacies of the degree and are here to assist you. General advisors, friends, and co-workers, although helpful, do not always know the in depth information critical to your eventual graduation.

• Register for Courses: After you have met with your adviser and you have cleared your registration holds, you can register online for courses during your specified registration date/time.

• Registration Date/Time: Your registration date/time for classes is based on the number of credits you have completed to date. This does not include the courses which you are currently enrolled. 

• Registration Holds: You will be prevented from registering for courses if you have any registration holds (academic, adviser, disciplinary, financial, medical, transcript). Contact the appropriate office to have it removed.

• Residency Requirement: Only on-campus and web courses are considered to meet the residency requirement. Courses transferred to NMU at the end of your degree must not conflict with the stated Residency Requirements below. You must meet one of the following two Residency Requirements:
  1. Students must be enrolled at Northern Michigan University for their last 8 credit hours preceding the awarding of their degree
  2. Students must complete 20 of their last 30 credits at NMU. To qualify for this option students must:
     • have a minimum NMU cumulative GPA of 2.00
     • meet the minimum GPAs as established by their major and minor departments
     • obtain written approval from their department head as well as the Registrar's office
     • have all courses approved prior to enrollment at another institution
     • have processed a Guest Student Application form through the Registrar's office
     • enroll in no more than 10 credits at guest institution

• Tuition and Fees/Payments: Be sure to check your e-bill after you have registered for your courses. Be sure to pay your tuition bill before the deadline to ensure your classes are not dropped.

• Tutoring or Support Services: If you are having difficultly with one of your current classes and are concerned about a passing grade, it's not too late to rethink your study habits. Check out Tutoring Services or Student Support Services. Both of these offices can assist you with your studying skills. Perhaps your  instructor has a teaching assistant that can help you; and/or you may want to consider starting or getting involved in a study group. In addition, the Writing Center provides excellent help with term papers. Don't wait until it is too late to seek help. Maybe life in general is bringing you down. Check out some ideas from Counseling and Consultation Services to help you cope with everyday life problems.

• Undergraduate Bulletin Index: Please utilize the Undergraduate Bulletin Index page to obtain better clarification of the most often used topics associated with degree completions.

• Web Course Offerings: One easy way to view online course offerings is by searching for Web courses. Keep in mind that not all Web courses are considered true online courses. Pay close attention to the notes for the course offerings on My NMU. Additional on-campus instruction and proctors are included in the course syllabus.
  • Hybrid courses: Some courses are considered hybrid courses which require you to meet on campus for a portion of the class.
  • Proctor’s required: Some Web and hybrid courses require you to have a proctor for some or all of the exams.
  • LPM Web Courses are true online Web courses and do not require any on campus instruction and/or proctors.

• Where do I go from here? If you have read the above material, have prepared yourself for discussions with your adviser and completed all of the issues pertinent to your degree requirements, you have done your job.