Academic Advising
All students at UW-Platteville are assigned an academic advisor each semester to assist them with course registration, academic planning, general academic questions, connecting with campus resources, and more.
Many students are assigned to faculty advisors in their major or professional advisors in their College. Some students will be assigned to a professional advisor in Student Advising and Academic Resources, including students deciding on their major. All students will also work with an academic advisor during the New Student Experience to register for their first semester at UW-Platteville.
Faculty and professional academic advisors work closely with their assigned program areas to ensure they provide students with the best possible support in course selection. They also train in other program areas to knowledgeably advise all students on career and major exploration.
Resources
- Preparing for your Academic Advising appointment
- Course Catalogs: Consult appropriate catalog based on "Undergraduate Year/Requirement Term" for approved courses.
- Majors at UW-Platteville
- Bachelor of Arts Core Curriculum
- Bachelor of Science Core Curriculum
- Distance Student Resources
- Academic Calendar
- Registration Dates
- Academic Policies and Procedures
- Tuition and Fees
- PASS
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Facts about GPA
- Major GPA: This includes only the coursework required in your academic major (just those courses taken within a specific major or specific college).
- Cumulative GPA: This automatically appears on your academic history/unofficial transcripts (PASS). The cumulative GPA is a weighted average of all of your letter-graded courses taken at UW-Platteville.
- Repeats: Any student at UW-Platteville may repeat any given course a single time, with the grade from the second attempt replacing the grade from the first attempt in the calculation of overall GPA. See the UW-Platteville course repeat policy for information on repeating a course more than once.
- Transfer courses: Transfer courses do not count in your UW-Platteville GPA. Your cumulative GPA is your overall UW-Platteville GPA, recalculated each semester to include your most recent grades.
How to Calculate a Specific GPA
Identify your major classes
- Go to your PASS account (view unofficial transcripts)
- Note the courses (and course credits) that directly apply to your major
- Confirm major courses
Assign a grade value for each course
Refer to the following chart for grade value
- A = 4.0
- A- = 3.7
- B+ = 3.3
- B = 3.0
- B- = 2.7
- C+ = 2.3
- C = 2.0
- D+ = 1.3
- D = 1.0
- Next, multiply the course credits by the grade value for each course
- Credits x grade value = grade points
- Graduate students: assign values only to grades for classes taken while in graduate standing
Calculate Your MAJOR GPA
Total the number of credits you completed and the number of grade points; divide the total number of grade points you earned by the total number of credits; round your answer to the nearest hundredth (.01); do not round up
Example
Course Credits Grade Grade Value Grade Points General Psychology 3 C 2.0 6.0 Behavioral Research 1 2 D 1.0 2.0 Child Psychology 3 B 3.0 9.0 Social Psychology 3 B 3.0 9.0 Psychology and the Law 3 A 4.0 12.0 Total 14 38.0 - Step One: Total number of credits = 14
- Step Two: Total grade points = 38.0
- Step Three: Average = 2.714 (38.0 divided by 14) Major GPA (for this semester) = 2.714 or 2.7
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Does your grade point average give prospective employers an accurate picture of your abilities and potential? Right or wrong, employers will judge you by your GPA. So, if your GPA is lower than you like, you have some strategizing to do before you embark on your job or internship search.
- Don’t mention your GPA There is no law that says you have to include your GPA on your résumé or talk about it during interviews. Instead, talk about your many strengths. Even if you don’t bring up the GPA topic, be prepared for it to emerge at some point. If and when it does, consider one of the following strategies.
- Play up your major GPA You might be one of the many students out there who is far more interested in your major courses than your general/core courses (and does better in major courses). In this case, talk about your major GPA on your résumé and in interviews. At the very least, discuss both your major GPA and your cumulative GPA. This approach serves a dual purpose: it puts your cumulative GPA in its proper context and it shows employers you are capable of earning good grades if you are studying something that interests you.
- Calculate your GPA for a selected time span Your cumulative GPA at graduation might not truly reflect how well you did in your classes during your junior and senior years and even your major GPA might not tell the whole story. So, consider calculating your GPA for your last four semesters in school, then sell that number to prospective employers. “Like many freshmen, I struggled with the transition to college-level academic work,” you might say to an interviewer. “But as you can see from my GPA for my junior and senior years, I learned how to become a high-performing student.”
- Retake troublesome courses Before repeating a course, review UW-Platteville’s course repeat policy at www.uwplatt.edu/registrar/course-repeat-policy. Repeating a course may or may not be in your best interest. If you need help with deciding whether you should repeat a course, consult with your advisor.
- Market yourself in person Many employers use GPA to weed people out. You will see job or internship listings that require a GPA of at least 3.0. If your GPA does not meet the standards employers are seeking, you’ll have difficulty making a case for yourself on paper alone. So, find ways to talk to employers in person. Join a professional organization in your field and start attending meetings. Do some informational interviewing so you can meet people in your field and they can get to know you as a real person, not just a GPA. Attend career-related events. The more you can sell yourself in person, the less impact a low GPA will have on your internship and job prospects.
If you have questions about your GPA (major or cumulative), contact the appropriate campus resource:
- Academic advisor/department
- Office of the Registrar can be contact at 608.342.1321
Other Resources: