Academic Advising

Students in the College of Human Sciences & Education may complete a change of minor form at the Office of Student Services front desk in 1240 Huey P. Long Field House to declare, change, or drop a minor.

You will not need an appointment to complete this paperwork. However, if you would like to review the requirements for a newly declared minor, you will need to schedule an appointment with an advisor.

CHSE students wishing to change their concentration, but remain in the same major can do so by submitting a change of major form at the CHSE Office of Student Services front desk in 1240 Huey P. Long Field House. You will not need an appointment to complete this paperwork. If you would like to review the requirements for your new concentration, you will need to schedule an appointment with an advisor.

CHSE students wishing to change their major to another program within the college, will need to complete admission paperwork for that specific major at the CHSE Office of Student Services front desk in 1240 Huey P. Long Field House.

An appointment is not necessary to complete this paperwork. After being admitted to the new major, you will receive an CHSE Student Handbook specific to your new major by email. This handbook will provide information on your specific major, important resources, and information on university and college policies.

Students will not be admitted into another CHSE program until all admission requirements for that major are met. No exceptions will be made. If you would like to review the requirements for your new major, you will need to schedule an appointment with an advisor.

Students in CHSE who wish to change their major to a program offered by another senior college must contact that senior college to determine admission eligibility, required admission steps, and degree requirements. Students are allowed to switch from one senior college to another once final grades have been posted at the end of the one semester and no later than the last day to add classes in the next semester.

The College of Human Sciences & Education offers eight different degree programs, each of which has its own admission requirements. Freshmen are not directly admitted into CHSE. After initial admission into LSU, students complete their first year of coursework as a student in the University Center for Freshman Year and are able to move into CHSE once they meet the admission requirements for their respective major. The requirements for each major are as follows.

Students pursuing admission into Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Dual Certification must have earned 24 hours of credit with a 2.5 LSU and cumulative GPA prior to admission to CHSE.

Admission into CHSE in Athletic Training requires 24 hours of college credit with a 2.75 LSU and cumulative GPA and a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 1001, MATH 1021 & 1022, BIOL 1201, & BIOL 1202. Students pursuing admission into CHSE in Kinesiology must have earned 24 hours of college credit with a 2.5 LSU and cumulative GPA and a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 1001, MATH 1021 & 1022, BIOL 1201 & 1202.

Admission into Sport Administration requires 24 hours of credit with a 2.2 LSU and cumulative GPA and a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 1001, 6 hours of General Education Analytical Reasoning Coursework (3 hours must be a MATH course), and 3 hours of a General Education Natural Science Course.

Students pursuing admission into Human Resource Education and Human Development & Family Science must have earned 24 hours of credit with a 2.2. GPA and have credit in ENGL 1001 and MATH 1021 or higher with a grade of “C” or better.

If a student earns an “F” in a course, the course must be repeated within the LSU System in order for the student to receive credit and quality points for the course. Students will have to contact the college in which they are enrolled to register for a course in which they previously earned a grade of "F."

Students who fail a course twice at LSU may not retake the course without approval from the dean of the senior college offering the degree program. Appeals to enroll in a course after having failed the course twice need to be initiated immediately following the term in which the second failing grade was earned, but no later than the first class day of the next semester or summer term enrolled. Students pursuing degrees offered in the College of Human Sciences & Education can obtain the required CHSE Academic Appeal form in the Office of Student Services, 1240 Huey P. Long Field House. Students who submit an appeal will be notified of the decision of the appeals committee via email.

CATS, the Comprehensive Academic Tracking System, is designed to assist students in completing their bachelor’s degree in a timely fashion. As part of CATS, each major has a Recommended Path, which outlines the best way to complete the degree in four years and can be utilized when scheduling classes.

Students may request authorization to receive an "I" or incomplete grade in a course if they are unable to complete the class due to circumstances beyond their control. Examples of extenuating circumstances might include an extreme illness, an automobile accident, or the loss of a family member. The mitigating event typically needs to have occurred after the last day to drop courses in the semester.

The LSU Grade Exclusion Policy gives students an opportunity to improve their undergraduate LSU and cumulative GPAs by repeating a course in which a grade of “D” or “F” was earned and requesting that the repeated grade be the only one that is used in the GPA calculations. The specific regulations of the Grade Exclusion Policy can be found in the LSU General Catalog or on the Office of the University Registrar’s Website. Students should review these policies carefully prior to submitting a grade exclusion request.

LSU students may drop courses through a set date each semester without receiving a grade of “W.” This date is typically around the 6th day of class in a fall or spring semester. A” W” grade will be entered on a student’s record for any course dropped after the last day to drop without a “W” and on or before the final date for resigning from the University and/or dropping courses. Students should consult the academic calendar maintained by the University Registrar to determine deadlines each semester.

CHSE students who are not in their graduating semester or who do not have a hold on their schedule, can drop courses via the Schedule Request feature of their myLSU account. Graduating seniors and those students with registration holds must contact the Office of Student Services to request to the drop a course.

The university limits the number of "W" grades allotted to each student. This cap is based on the number of credit hours a student has completed. LSU students who have earned between 0 and 59 hours are allowed 3 "W" grades. Students are allowed an additional 3 “W” grades when they have earned between 60 and 119 hours. Students who have earned more than 119 hours are allowed 1 last "W" grade. With respect to the “W” Policy, advanced standing is not included in a student’s hours earned.

Withdrawals cannot exceed the numbers shown in this table unless authorized by the dean of the student’s college. Additionally, withdrawal allowances cannot be carried forward to the next tier. In certain circumstances, “W” grades do not count toward a student’s allotment of “W” grades. “W” grades received when a student resigns or drops all classes in a semester do not count toward a student’s “W” allowance. In addition, W’s earned in the summer or intersession terms will not count toward the allotted number of W’s in the student’s tier but will still appear on the student’s academic record.

“W” grades do not affect a student’s GPA; however, an excessive number reflects negatively on a student’s record and involves substantial cost by way of tuition, books, room and board, and lost opportunities.

The College of Human Sciences &  Education has minimum scholastic requirements that must be met each semester. These are in addition to the University Scholastic Requirements.

Every semester, CHSE students must earn at least a 2.00 semester GPA tor remain in good standing with the college. Students who fail to earn a 2.00 semester GPA in any one semester, regardless of cumulative grade point average, will be placed on college probation. To be removed from college probation, a student must earn a 2.00 semester GPA (or higher), remediate course deficiencies, and make satisfactory progress in the degree program.

A student who fails to earn a 2.00 GPA for two consecutive semesters, regardless of cumulative GPA, will be dropped from the college.

Each semester the Final Exam schedule can be found in the Schedule Booklet on the Registrar’s Office website.

It is recommended that students check the final exam schedule early in the semester. If a student has three or more final exams covering more than seven hours of credit scheduled within a 24-hour period, the student may request permission to take no more than two exams on the assigned date. In addition, students who have two exams on the same date at the same time may request that one of the exams be rescheduled.

To make these requests, CHSE students must schedule an appointment with an CHSE counselor. Students must have all arrangements completed by 4:30 PM on the last day to resign from or drop classes for the semester.

Human Sciences & Education students must complete the last 25% of their degree program at LSU while enrolled in the College of Human Sciences & Education. This means that all coursework taken during the last 25% of the degree program must be completed on campus through regular enrollment. Students are not permitted to take courses at other institutions or via Distance Learning within the last 25% of the degree program.

To enroll in a distance learning course, LSU students are required to have approval from the college in which they are registered. CHSE students must schedule an appointment with a counselor or advisor to request permission to enroll in these courses.

If you are in University College, you will need to meet with the appropriate office, either UCAC or UCFY, to request approval. It is important to note that no more than 25% of a student's degree can be completed through distance learning and that the final 25% of the degree program cannot include distance learning classes.

Eligible CHSE students can enroll in distance learning coursework at any time in a semester. Additionally, while distance learning courses do count toward a student’s credit hour maximum for the semester, they do not count towards a student’s status as a full-time student as determined by the Registrar’s Office. When an CHSE student enrolls in a distance learning course during a fall, spring, or summer semester, the completion deadline for that class will be the Friday of finals week. Students can obtain information regarding available distance learning courses and policies on the Distance Learning website.

Each semester the Final Exam schedule can be found in the Schedule Booklet on the Registrar’s Office website.

It is recommended that students check the final exam schedule early in the semester. If a student has three or more final exams covering more than seven hours of credit scheduled within a 24-hour period, the student may request permission to take no more than two exams on the assigned date. In addition, students who have two exams on the same date at the same time may request that one of the exams be rescheduled.

To make these requests, CHSE students must schedule an appointment with an CHSE counselor. Students must have all arrangements completed by 4:30 p.m. on the last day to resign from or drop classes for the semester.

Courses are typically purged due to failure to complete registration. If a student's classes are purged prior to the last day to add courses according to the academic calendar, the student can re-add available courses via myLSU.

If the last day to add has passed, the student must contact the college in which they are enrolled to explore options for re-adding courses. CHSE students should contact the Office of Student Services in 1240 Huey P. Long Field House to explore their options.

Students are able to drop courses through myLSU until the last day to drop for the semester. Students are responsible for knowing relevant university deadlines such as the last day to drop classes without a "W" and the last day to drop classes in a semester.

Students wishing to cancel their registration prior to the first day of class in a semester must contact the college in which they are enrolled in order to initiate this process. Students needing to resign or drop all of their courses once a semester has begun must also meet with a counselor in the college in which they are enrolled. Please note that it is NOT possible to resign or drop all of your classes using the MyLSU website.

CHSE students should schedule an appointment with an CHSE counselor/advisor or report to the Office of Student Services, 1240 Huey P. Long Field House, to initiate a cancellation of registration or resignation.

If you are ill and unable to come to class, please contact your course instructor. If you are anticipating a significant absence and/or may not be able to complete the semester, please contact the Office of Student Services to speak with your academic counselor as soon as possible.

Once a student has earned senior standing, meaning that the student has completed 92 credit hours, an anticipated date of graduation must be declared. Students can declare their graduation date via their myLSU accounts by selecting the Student Services link in the navigation menu.

Alternately, CHSE students can complete a Declaration/Change of Graduation Date form in the Office of Student Services. An appointment is not needed to complete this paperwork.

The CHSE Office of Student Services is located in 1240 Huey P. Long Field House. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Office of Student Services is closed on weekends and during University designated holidays.

The PRAXIS Series is a set of teacher certification tests required in the state of Louisiana. There are two required portions of the PRAXIS Series: the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators and the PRAXIS II. Students pursuing degrees resulting in teacher certification must pass all required portions of the PRAXIS prior to graduation.

Students can obtain information on PRAXIS requirements for their specific major and certification area, registration information, and study tips in the CHSE Office of Student Services or on the Office of Student Services website.

Students who have an official ACT composite score of 22 or higher OR an SAT composite score of 1030 or higher on file with LSU, are eligible for the PRAXIS Core waiver and will not need to take the PRAXIS Core. Students who do not meet this requirement must take the PRAXIS Core. It is recommended that students meet the PRAXIS Core waiver or have passing scores on file by the end of the fall semester of the sophomore year.

If you have already earned a bachelor’s degree in an area other than education and you are seeking teacher certification, you will want to explore options for alternative teacher certification. LSU offers the Secondary Holmes program, a master’s degree program which results in certification in grades 6-12 in one of the following specific subject areas: English, math, biology, chemistry, physics, or social studies.

This is a one-year, full-time graduate level program in which students complete on-campus coursework, two student teaching internships, and a teacher research project. Upon successful completion of the Secondary Holmes Program, students earn a Master of Arts in Teaching and are recommended to the state of Louisiana for certification in their respective content areas.

If you are interested in learning more about the Secondary Holmes program, please visit the School of Education website at: lsu.edu/education On the left side of the page, select “Graduate Programs.” Scroll down, and within the Master of Arts in Teaching section, select “Secondary Holmes.”

The School of Education Office of Professional Experiences works with schools and districts to design clinical experiences of sufficient depth, breadth, diversity, coherence and duration to ensure that candidates demonstrate their developing effectiveness and positive impact on all students’ learning and development. Clinical experiences, including technology-enhanced learning opportunities, are structured to have multiple, performance-based assessments at key points within the program to demonstrate candidates’ development of the knowledge skills and professional dispositions associated with a positive impact on the learning and development of all P-12 students. 

Students must meet specific requirements in order to enroll in 3000- and 4000-level EDCI courses. These requirements include having LSU and cumulative GPAs of 2.50 or higher. Additionally, students must have passing scores on all parts of the PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators (Reading, Writing, and Math) or have an official ACT composite of 22 or higher or an SAT score of 1030 or higher. These scores must be on file with LSU.

Some courses may have additional prerequisites. Students will not be permitted to register for upper-level EDCI courses until all prerequisites are met.

Once a student has earned senior standing, meaning that the student has completed 92 credit hours, an anticipated date of graduation must be declared. Students can declare their graduation date via their myLSU accounts by selecting the Student Services link in the navigation menu.

Alternately, CHSE students can complete a Declaration/Change of Graduation Date form in the Office of Student Services. An appointment is not needed to complete this paperwork.

Students must satisfy all of the requirements of their colleges, schools, and departments in order to be awarded a baccalaureate degree with honors. Additionally, two GPAs will be computed for each student. One GPA will include all undergraduate classes that have been completed. The other GPA will include undergraduate classes that have been completed at LSU, including all LSU system campuses. Both GPAs will include all grades. This includes grades which were previously excluded through the Grade Exclusion Policy. All grades will be used to determine University Honors. If the two computed GPAs are different, the lower of the two will be used to determine eligibility for Latin honors as follows:

• A student will earn summa cum laude if the GPA is at least 3.90.
• A student will earn magna cum laude if the GPA is at least 3.80.
• A student will earn cum laude if the GPA is at least 3.70.

At each commencement, the University Medal is awarded to the undergraduate student (or students) graduating with the GPA of 4.0 or higher, provided that the student (or students) earn all A-level grades and more than 50 percent of the credits required for the degree has been earned at LSU A&M. In semesters where no student qualifies based on the above criteria, no medal will be awarded. Grade-point averages will be computed for (1) all work completed and (2) all work completed at LSU A&M with the lower of the two averages determining eligibility for the medal. Course grades that were excluded previously through the Grade Exclusion Policy will be included in determining the University Medalists. All grades will be used to determine medalists.

College of Human Sciences & Education students must complete graduation checkout one semester prior to graduation.

Students with a declared graduation date for the following semester will be contacted via email with graduation checkout instructions one to two weeks prior to the start of course registration for their final semester. Checkout must be completed by the deadline specified in the email.

As a part of the check out process, students must complete an Application for Degree and an CHSE Graduation Survey and submit both to the Office of Student Services, 1240 Huey P. Long Field House. Upon submission of these forms, students will review and sign their final degree audit indicating their remaining requirements for graduation. It is not necessary for students to set up an appointment to complete graduation check out unless they received an email indicating otherwise.

Students who do not complete graduation check out by the set deadline will have a hold placed on their registration for the upcoming semester and the hold will not be removed until the graduation checkout process has been completed.

Human Sciences & Education students must complete the last 25% of their degree program at LSU while enrolled in the College of Human Sciences & Education.

This means that all coursework taken during the last 25% of the degree program must be completed on campus through regular enrollment. Students are not permitted to take courses at other institutions or via Distance Learning within the last 25% of the degree program.