What is the Academic Requirements page?
The PAWS academic requirements page is a degree “audit” page. The top of the page lists academic information with program enrollment. The page lists all aspects of degree requirements. The page is a tool to assist students in tracking their progress towards completion of degree requirements.
Requirements that are already satisfied show as closed (collapsed); pending requirements show open (expanded). The planner is unique to the student, and showing completed and pending requirements, including processed transfer credit. A tutorial on how to use the report is available online (http://www.tcnj.edu/~it/paws/tutorials/CS_AAR/AAR.html).
What is the Course History page?
The PAWS course history page shows grades earned for every course completed at The College as well as accepted transfer credit. Courses can be sorted by term or name.
What is the Shopping Cart used for?
The PAWS shopping cart allows you to select classes that you are interested in taking prior to your registration window. Once classes are placed on the cart, you can use the validate feature to check requisites or class reservations. Adding classes to your Shopping Cart or using the validate feature does not guarantee enrollment, is not a waitlist, and does not give any priority placement into the course.
Saving your selections to the shopping cart can help you narrow down your alternatives as you prepare for your registration advisement session. Once your registration window opens, you can use your shopping cart selections to register for classes.
I have a hold on my account. How do I clear it?
You can view holds in the “holds” section of the Student Center page of your PAWS account. If the box is blank, there are no holds posted on your account. The holds section will list any existing holds. By selecting the detail option, you can view the effective date of the hold and the department responsible for placing the hold. Please note that the hold can only be lifted by the department/unit that placed the hold. Please contact the office that placed the hold on your account if you have questions as to how to get the hold removed.
Can I take courses at another institution towards my major?
The first step is to consult with academic policies for your major and in advance with your faculty advisor or department chair for approval, as some courses may be required to be taken at TCNJ. Getting advanced authorization will ensure that the credit will be accepted by TCNJ, provided you earn a grade of C or above and have transcripts sent to The College.To ensure that courses taken at another institution will be transferable towards your current major, you should ensure that the course you want to take is a match to one of our offerings. Transfer equivalencies for courses from NJ community colleges are posted online (http://www.njtransfer.org/). If the course you want is from another institution, you should fill out a Course Authorization form: (http://www.tcnj.edu/~recreg/policies/documents/CourseAuthorizationForm.pdf).
How are transfer credits related to course units?
One course unit equals four (4) semester hours. For example, a 3-semester hour course will equal .75 course units. If you earn three transfer credits as the equivalent of a TCNJ course that is worth one course unit, you would have that course completed towards degree requirements, but only earn 0.75 course units towards the course unit total required of your degree program. You would need to make up the remaining 0.25 course units to satisfy degree requirements. You can do so with elective credit (regardless of content), or by taking an extra class in any subject that is worth at least 0.25 course units.
What is the maximum number of credits I can transfer to TCNJ?
You can transfer up to 16 course units (64 credits) from a community or junior college. You can transfer all credit from a complete AA/AS degree but the maximum number of credits may not exceed one-half of the credits required to complete the TCNJ corresponding degree program. You can transfer up to 20 course units (80 semester hours) from all sources (four-year institutions and community/junior colleges).
I am a new TCNJ transfer student. Who determines what transfer credit I am awarded?
If you are a transfer student, the Records and Registration office will evaluate credit from other institutions and post approved equivalencies to your PAWS account. The department chairperson evaluates major-related course equivalencies during Transfer Orientation. Requests for re-evaluation of Liberal Learning equivalent coursework must be forwarded to the Associate Provost for Liberal Learning, Dr. Christopher Murphy at http://liberallearning.tcnj.edu/
I am a current TCNJ student who wants to take a course at another institution. Who determines what transfer credit I will be awarded?
Current students should determine transferability of courses prior to enrolling in another institution. If the course of interest is offered by a NJ community college, students can consult the equivalency tables listed on www.njtransfer.org (TCNJ must be set as the receiving institution; the sending institution is where you want to the course at). If the course is not offered by a NJ community college, then the student needs to present a course description and/or syllabus for consideration to either the department chair (for major requirements) or the Director of Liberal Learning (for Liberal Learning requirements), along with a Course Authorization form. Upon receiving approval from either their department or Liberal Learning Office, the form is submitted to the Office of Records and Registration for further processing. The course authorization is conditional upon earning a minimum grade of C or above from the offering institution in order to receive transfer credit. Transcripts need to be sent to R&R at TCNJ for credit to be applied to a student’s transcript. Students seeking to take courses elsewhere to satisfy major requirements must first consult department academic polices and secure approval from their department chair in order to ensure compliance and avoid potential disruption of plans for degree completion.