: 
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I declare my major or minor?
- Should I get a B.A. or a B.S.?
- Do I need a minor?
- What can I minor in?
- Where do I get a degree plan?
- When should I get a degree plan?
- Do I need to take a foreign language?
- What is a formal science?
- What is "double counting"?
- Can I finish my degree sooner by "double counting" classes?
- Do POLS 1336 and 1337 count toward my major hours?
- What happens if I do not pay my tuition bill on time and get dropped from my classes?
- How do I apply to graduate?
- How do I graduate with honors?
- What are the GPA requirements for graduation?
- What is a Graduation application?
- Where do I go to submit a petition?
- How do I check the status of my petition?
- Where does my petition go when it leaves my hands?
- When is the deadline for registration?
- How do I register?
- I am trying to register for a POLS class and it is full - what should I do?
- I have a CLEP, AP, TASP or other college test to take. Where should I go?
- Do I need to take the TASP?
- How do I satisfy the writing intensive portion of the core as a transfer student?
- Why have both of my Government core classes transferred as the same class?
- What are the residency requirements?
Degree
Financial
Graduation
Petitions
Registration/Enrollment
Testing
Transfer
Answers
Question: 1 How do I declare
my major or minor?
Please see an advisor in the department of the desired major. For POLS, you
may go to room 382, 384, or 390 in PGH.
Question: 2 Should I get a
B.A. or a B.S.?
This is ultimately up to the student.
Take into account:
1. BA requires 6 hours of second year foreign language (usually means 10
hours of first year).
2. BS requires 12 hours of formal science (math or math reasoning) which
is six hours over the core requirement.
3. BS requires 8 hours of natural science which is 2 hours over the core
requirement.
Question: 3 Do I need a
minor?
You may choose between a minor, double major, or interdisciplinary studies
cluster. Please see an advisor for more information.
Question: 4 What can I
minor in?
The Political Science department does not restrict students to certain
minors. You may take any university approved minor. Please consult the
Undergraduate Catalog.
Question: 5 Where do I get
a degree plan?
From the advising offices. These offices are rooms 382, 384, and 390 in
PGH.
Question: 6 When should I
get a degree plan?
According to the Undergraduate catalog, you should apply for a degree plan
as soon as you have finished 60 hours of course work. However,
checklists are available on line and in our offices to make sure you are
on the right track from start to finish.
Question: 7 Do I need to
take a foreign language?
If you are pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA), you must have 6 hours of
sophomore foreign language (ie. 2301 and 2302). These classes generally
have prerequisites, so be sure to check the catalog and/or schedule
before registering. If you are pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BS), you
are not required to have any foreign language.
Question: 8 What is a
formal science?
Formal sciences (as opposed to natural sciences) are sciences of concepts
(as opposed to physical properties). Mathematics, computer science,
formal logic, and statistics are formal sciences at the University of
Houston. Formal science courses, for the BS degree, are the Math and
Math/Reasoning core classes, plus continuations of those (i.e. Calculus
II, Logic II, etc.). The explicit requirement is 12 hours of Formal
science, 6 hours of which MUST BE IN MATH. Your core College Algebra and
core Math/Reasoning cover 6 of the 12 hours, so you need 2 classes (six
hours) beyond the core classes. Please see an advisor with any
questions.
Question: 9 What is
"double counting"?
Double counting is when a certain course counts for two requirements. The
extra hours, however, always must be made up with an elective.
Question: 10 Can I finish
my degree sooner by "double counting" classes?
It may seem so, but not really. You need a certain number of hours to
graduate (120 for POLS) and it does not matter how you get there.
Question: 11 Do POLS 1336
and 1337 count toward my major hours?
No, they do not count toward major hours, nor do they count toward the
calculation of the major GPA.
Question: 12 What happens
if I do not pay my tuition bill on time and get dropped from my classes?
You will be dropped from your classes. By state law, you have until the
20th class day to pay your tuition. If you pay by the 20th class day,
you will be reinstated. If you do not, you must submit a written reason
for missing the deadline and add/drop form(s) from each class signed by
your professors to the CLASS office in 110 Heyne.
Question: 13 How do I
apply to graduate?
See your major advisor.
Question: 14 How do I
graduate with honors?
Please consult the Undergraduate Catalog online
here.
Question: 15 What are the
GPA requirements for graduation?
You must have a cumulative 2.0 GPA in all your work at UH. For POLS majors
and minors, you must have a 2.0 in all your major or minor coursework as
well (average of all major or minor classes). Please check with your
minor department for GPA requirements.
Question: 16 What is a
Graduation Application?
It is the piece of paper that you absolutely must have filed in order to
graduate. If you are close to graduating, please see an advisor for more
information.
Question: 17 Where do I
go to submit a petition?
Please submit all petitions to your major advisor. In the event the
petition should go to another department, your advisor can route you
correctly.
Question: 18 How do I
check the status of my petition?
Please check with your major advisor. The petition may originate anywhere,
but it will always end up in your major advisor office. If that option
does not work, please feel free to check with us.
Question: 19 Where does
my petition go when it leaves my hands?
Once the petition is submitted to the POLS department, it will generally
be signed by the academic advisor or the faculty advisor. It is then
forwarded to the chairperson of the department to be signed. Once this
is done, it is sent to the CLASS office for final approval or
disapproval. If it is a core question, however, it will be forwarded to
the Office of the Provost for approval and then it will come back to the
major department of the student.
Question: 20 When is the
deadline for registration?
The deadlines vary from one semester to the next. The particular deadlines
may be found in the academic calendar at the front of the published
class schedule.
Question: 21 How do I
register?
During priority and regular registration periods, students may register
either by phone (713-743-8484) or online
here. Please consult the schedule for actual dates and times and
the catalog for prerequisites. Between the end of the enrollment period
and the 12th day of classes, students may only be registered by
submitting ADD/DROP forms with the appropriate signatures to the Office
of Registration and Academic Records.
Question: 22 I am trying
to register for a POLS class and it is full - what should I do?
Please see a Political Science undergraduate advisor. If you are trying to
register for a full section of POLS 3311, 3313, or 3341, please bring
proof that you are a graduating senior in the current semester. If you
are not a current semester graduating senior, you will not be added.
Question: 23 I have a
CLEP, AP, TASP or other college test to take. Where should I go?
Please direct all testing questions to the
Testing Center. You can also call 713-743-5444.
Question: 24 Do I need to
take the TASP?
Please contact the TASP office for information, room 320 of the Student
Service Center, 713-743-8984 or go
here.
Question: 25 How do I
satisfy the writing intensive portion of the core as a transfer student?
The writing intensive component is not required in the evaluation of
transfer classes for application to the core curriculum. Any core
requirement satisfied by a transfer course is exempt from the writing
intensive requirement, ie. if you transfer 6 hours of core social
sciences, the writing intensive component is considered fulfilled.
Question: 26 Why have
both of my Government core classes transferred as the same class?
This has to do with inaccuracies in the transfer tables and
inconsistencies in the ways different universities structure their
American government classes. This is usually not difficult to remedy.
Please see your advisor for more information.
Question: 27 What are the
residency requirements?
UH has a 30-hour residency requirement for a bachelor degree with the
stipulation that the last 30 hours of the degree must be taken in
residence. The Department of Political Science requires 15 hours in
residence, 12 of which must be advanced for a POLS major, and at least 6
advanced hours for a POLS minor. In residence means classes taken at UH
Central Campus.