Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions:

1. When can/should I register for classes?
2. How do I know what I need to take?
3. How do I get my DARS report?
4. How do I read my DARS report? (undergraduate)
   • How many hours do I have left?
   • Where are my classes I took at _____ (IvyTech, Vincennes University, ect.)?
   • Do I really have to take PE101?
   • Can I test out of anything?
   • I took criminal law at IvyTech/Vincennes University....do I have to take CRIM420?
   • Can my work count as my internship?
   • What do I do if I think my DARS is not showing something correctly?
5. How do I read my DARS report? (graduate)
   • Can my work count as my internship?
6. How do I search for classes in other departments?
7. How do I register for Criminology & Criminal Justice classes?
8. How do I register for classes that aren't Criminology & Criminal Justice classes?
9. How do I drop a class?
10. What if it says I need an advisement PIN?
11. What if I try to register and it says "registration error"?
12. I am graduate student and I am almost done with my coursework. Now what?
13. Who is my official academic advisor?
14. Okay, I am registered for classes now what?
15. I thought I dropped a course and it still shows on my schedule. Why?
16. I have a financial aid, payment, or fee question. Who do I call?
17. Can I switch from on-campus to distance (or vice versa)?
18. I really need a class and it is not available. Are there any options?
19. I want to know if I apply for your program....can I transfer this certain class? (What transfers?)
20. I left your program (graduate or undergraduate) and want to come back. What do I do?
21. I have an incomplete ("I") for a course. What do I do about it?
22. I am having myISU, myMail, BlackBoard, or a computer problem. Who do I call?
23. I think that a class I transferred in from another school was not evaluated and transferred correctly. Can I do anything about it?

Question 1 - When can/should I register for classes?

This information is published by the Office of Registration and Records. Before each registration period, that office publishes a schedule of registration times for students based on the earned credit hours of the student. You CANNOT register before your time period, but you can register after it. Since classes fill up fast, it is important to register as soon as your scheduled time starts. Here is the schedule for Spring 2008 priority registration:

You can find your total number of earned hours on your DARS report. Here is where to look at the top of the DARS report:

Once you receive the e-mail from the Distance Education Coordinator saying that it is time to register, you should contact he or she no later than a week before your registration time.

Question 2 - How do I know what I need to take?

This information is shown on your DARS report. Once you get that report, the quickest way to find requirements that are not met is to look for red text. Here is an example:

If you look above at section 13 you see that sub-requirement 13-1 has been met. However, sub-requirement 13-2 has not been met. The courses listed in red below 13-2 meet that requirement. Just because a class is listed on your DARS does not mean that it is actually being offered. Also, note that some classes have time requirements. The "(SP08 OR AFTER)" denotes that for the class to count it must be taken during or after Spring 2008 semester.

The DARS will also show transfer work that has been accepted and counted for credit by the Office of Registration & Records. It is denoted by a "TR" after the class. Not that section 14 of this sample DARS has been completed (as shown by the "OK"). If the DARS shows "OPT" then the requirement is optional.

Question 3 - How do I get my DARS report?

You get your DARS report by logging into myISU. Once you are logged in, look at the top bar and click on the "student" tab. See the sample image below:

Next, look at the student menu that appears and click on "DARS Menu". Then click on "Submit an Audit". In the select the correct degree. When choosing the degree you want to select the one with the latest date. Now click "Run Audit". Now view the submitted audits. Under the view link column click on the degree name. This will bring up your DARS report.

Question 4 - How do I read my DARS report? (undergraduate)

Make sure you read question two above. There is also a legend at the very top of the DARS report. Make sure you look over it. Within the top gray box is also a summary of everything you have completed (total earned hours, ect.).

Box 2 shows the hours you completed and are attempting. This number also includes your transfer credits. If you look at box 4 it shows how many of the hours in box 2 counted as 300/400 level classes. Even though 124 hours are required for the degree, 50 of those hours must be 300/400 level classes. So, when choosing classes it is important for students to try and find general education classes and electives that are 300/400 level classes. This may not always be possible, but it is a good rule to follow. It is not uncommon for students to have ALL o their requirements met but to still need a few hours. If this happens, the student generally takes ANY class they want just to get the hours.

Box 3 shows the overall GPA.

Box 6 shows the residency requirements. Students are advised not to worry about this box except for the requirement that the students last 15 credit hours of classes must be taken at ISU.

Box 7 shows the English requirement. Students must complete the shown sequence in English. Also, Criminology & Criminal Justice students may take ENG305 or ENG305T. ENG305 (no T) is the recommended class.

Box 8 shows the communications class requirement. Box 9 shows the mathematics requirement. By default, MATH102 is the basic class. Though, students may have transfer work that counts or another sequence listed. There is a math placement test.

Box 10 is the foreign language requirement. All students must complete two sequential sections of a foreign language class. Work may be transferred into this area. Also, students who took a foreign language in high school consecutively are encouraged to send their high school transcripts to the registrar.

Box 11 is the computer literacy requirement. CS101 is the default class to meet this requirement. There is an exam to test out of this requirement. However, to take the test one must come to ISU's testing office. For information on this or any other tests, the testing office can be called at (812) 237-7666.

Box 12 is the physical education requirement. ALL ISU students must complete a PE and/or health class. Transfer work is also accepted here. PE101 and PE101L are available as online classes. To register for PE101 and PE101L the student must contact Dr. Tincher at (812) 237-2221 or jtincher@indstate.edu.

Box 13 are the science classes. Distance students generally take LIFS or BIO classes to meet this requirement.

Box 14 is social and behavioral studies. Classes offered that meet these requirements vary by semester.

Box 15 is the literary, artistic and philosophical studies section. Distance students usually take ENG239 to meet section 15-1 and MUS233 to meet section 15-2.

Box 16 is the required history classes.

Box 17 is multicultural studies. Classes offered that meet these requirements vary by semester. Students often use an AFRI, PSCI, or WS200 to meet this requirement. To register in WS200, the student may have to contact the Distance Education Coordinator to start the paperwork to get a student in this class.

Box 18 is the general education capstone requirement. This requirement is met by taking CRIM499 in one of your last few semesters.

Box 21 is the Criminology & Criminal Justice major requirements. Section 21-1 lists the required courses. These are CRIM200, 220, 396, 420, 423, 427, 430, and 431. Some students may have transfer work from another university that may be transferred in. Students who have gone to a community or junior college (and have an A.A., A.S., or A.A.S.) will generally still have all of the classes starting with 396 and up left to do. The reason is that work done at the previous school is only freshman and sophomore level work. You still must do your junior and senior level work. So, students from IvyTech and Vincennes University who have taken a 200 level criminal law class MUST still take CRIM420.

CRIM498 is taken twice to get the six hours needed. Students who currently have a criminology or criminal justice job can use that job as the internship placement if the professor conducting the internship agrees. Those students will be responsible for doing the internship paperwork and a research paper. Students who do not already have acceptable employment will need to find a place to do the internship, put 96 hours in at the internship, and do all of the paperwork (including the research paper). Distance students CANNOT take both of their 498's in the same semester. They can be taken back to back (i.e. spring/summer or summer/fall).

Section 21-3 are the nine hours of criminology & criminal justice electives. Often, transfer students have enough work transfer in to meet this requirement. If not, classes like CRIM416 (which can be taken twice), CRIM421, and CRIM435 can be used to meet this requirement.

If you ever feel the DARS has incorrectly categorized a class or did not count something correctly you can contact your official advisor about petitioning it.

Question 5 - How do I read my DARS report? (graduate)

Make sure you read question two above. There is also a legend at the very top of the DARS report. Make sure you look over it. Within the top gray box is also a summary of everything you have completed (total earned hours, ect.).

The graduate DARS will vary based on whether the individual student is seeking an M.S. in law enforcement, an M.S. in corrections, or an M.A. When a student takes certain 'trigger' classes it tells the DARS automatically what degree the student is seeking. The system does not always guess this correctly. The student should not worry about this. The Distance Education Coordinator and Student Services Assistant keep track of degree program and progress.

Graduate students can look at their DARS and get a feel for what is left. The DARS is a good tool to see how many hours have been completed towards the degree and which courses are done. Students are encouraged to create a checklist of required courses for their degree like: _____ CRIM520   ______CRIM601 and so on. Students can then use the DARS and their checklist to track their progress.

Transfer classes and course substitutions will NOT show on the graduate DARS report. We track these things in our office.

Graduate students should submit transfer work to our office the first semester they register.

Graduate students who received their B.S. from our department will have substitute some 500 level courses. For example, if you took CRIM420 as an undergrad you CANNOT take CRIM520. We have to substitute it. We can use any other 500 or 600 level class (that does not meet another requirement) as a substitute. The Distance Education Coordinator will work this out with each student as the need arises.

Students who did the internship (CRIM498) as an undergraduate may be able to substitute for the CRIM698 requirement. Generally, M.A. and M.S. students who were graduates of our department do one internship. This is due to the fact that at least half of your credit hours must be at the 600 level. If substitutions have to be made for other classes like CRIM420/520, then the choice of substitute classes starts getting limited. So, students are advised to do at least one of their CRIM698's. We can then try to substitute the other.

Students who currently have a criminology or criminal justice job can use that job as the internship placement if the professor conducting the internship agrees. Those students will be responsible for doing the internship paperwork and a research paper. Students who do not already have acceptable employment will need to find a place to do the internship, put 96 hours in at the internship, and do all of the paperwork (including the research paper). Distance students CANNOT take both of their 698's in the same semester. They can be taken back to back (i.e. spring/summer or summer/fall).

Make sure to see question 12 about finishing your graduate degree.

Question 6 - How do I search for classes in other departments?

You can search for classes by going to the dynamically searchable schedule of classes. Select the term you are going to register for then click "submit". Distance students can limit their search by clicking "Distance Blackboard courses" and then holding the CTRL key and clicking "Distance Education". You can then also choose other search options.

Any of the other course types are NOT distance education classes. Generally, distance education sections of classes are listed with section numbers starting at 300. So, for example, CRIM200.301 is the distance section of CRIM200. The on-campus section would be CRIM200.001 or CRIM200.401. This is just a general rule.

After performing the search, more detailed information on the class (like if it is full or not) can be found by clicking on the class title. The capacity shows how many seats are in the class, actual shows how many people are registered, and remaining shows how many open seats are left. If the number is negative (like -5), then the class is already overfull by that number.

To register for courses you will need the five digit course request (CRN) number. This is after the course name, but before the course number. In the example below, the CRN is 11741.

There is also a Bulletin of Courses here.

Question 7 - How do I register for Criminology & Criminal Justice classes?

You cannot register yourself directly for these classes. The Distance Education Coordinator must register you for these classes. If you get registered for a CCJ class yourself, then you have probably registered for an on-campus section by mistake. If you are in an on-campus section of a class, the Distance Education Coordinator cannot register you for the distance section until the on-campus section is dropped.

Question 8 - How do I register for classes that aren't Criminology & Criminal Justice classes?

You must do so through the myISU system. After you have the course request numbers (CRN's) of the classes you want, you need to log into myISU. Click on the student tab:

Now, on the menu choose the "Add/Drop Classes" link.

From there you will be taken to a screen to input the course requ.est numbers (CRN's). Once they have been put in, click "submit".

Question 9 - How do I drop a class?

To drop a class follow the same procedure from question eight above. You won't need to put in a CRN. Just scroll down and you will see a list of classes that you are registered for. Find the class you want to drop and select "drop" in the drop-down menu next to the class. Then, click submit.

You cannot drop all of your classes. To drop all of your classes you must withdraw from the university. To do this you must contact the Office of Registration and Records at (812) 237-2020. If you fail to follow the proper withdraw procedures, YOU WILL STILL BE SUBJECT TO ALL UNIVERSITY FEES THAT YOU WERE CHARGED! Failure to follow proper procedure does not excuse fees.

Students who withdraw will need to pay a fee and do the proper paperwork prior to returning.

Indiana State University staff will not drop classes for students (except in cases of withdrawing from the university). It is up to the student to drop classes they no longer want/need.

Question 10 - What i it says I need an advisement PIN?

You will need to contact the Distance Education Coordinator or the Criminology & Criminal Justice office at (812) 237-2192. Tell them you are a distance education student in need of your advisement PIN.

If the system does not ask for an advisement PIN THEN YOU DON'T NEED IT!

Question 11 - What if I try to register and it says "registration error"?

Usually, students get this message and think they need their advisement PIN. Unless it specifically asked for the advisement PIN, then that is not the problem. This error message comes up when students try to register for classes that are already full. Instead of it saying "class is full" it merely says "registration error". On occasion, though it is rare, students get this message when the registrar shuts the system down to work on it.

Question 12 - I am a graduate student and I am almost done with my coursework. Now what?

It depends on whether you are a M.A. or a M.S. degree seeker.

The M.A. students must begin work on their thesis. This includes committee and proposal work. M.A. students must also take six hours of CRIM699. These classes must be created for the student. M.A. students must contact the Student Services Assistant at (812) 237-4359 or bstarkey1@indstate.edu to request these classes be created for the student.

The M.S. student has two options to finish the degree. The first is the comprehensive exam. There is a requirement of filing a letter of intent to take this exam. The second method is to complete a research proposal. This proposal requires the student to find three professors to serve on the student's committee. The student then completes a research proposal based on a set of guidelines. It is up to student to find the professors for their proposal committee. The Distance Education Coordinator cannot help in this. It is recommended that the student look through the faculty biographies to find a professor with similar research interests to the topic of the proposal.

Forms and other information are available on the academic programs page.

Question 13 - Who is my official academic advisor?

It is listed on the top of the DARS report right below the gray section containing the legend. If it is blank you must contact the department office at (812) 237-2192 and ask.

Question 14 - Okay, I am registered for classes. Now what?

You can access you classes in one of two ways. The first is to log into myISU and then click on the "My Courses" tab. Click on the link to the course you want to access.

The second is to log into BlackBoard directly. Your classes officially meet here. This where the professor will post syllabus, assignment, and textbook information.

You can obtain your textbooks from the ISU bookstore. Make sure when ordering your books that you select the correct section number. Remember, distance education sections are often in the 300's (like CRIM220.301).

Question 15 - I thought I dropped a course and it still shows on my schedule. Why?

Students often get confused with this one. The myISU and BlackBoard systems do not communicate with each other. When you register for a course you are automatically enrolled in that class on BlackBoard. HOWEVER, when you drop the class BlackBoard is never informed that you are no longer enrolled in the class. To be sure you dropped the class look at your myISU "My Courses" tab. If you dropped the class correctly (and it is indeed dropped), then it won't appear on myISU. It will still appear on BlackBoard. To get rid of the class on BlackBoard you must contact the instructor and have them remove you from the BlackBoard class. HAVING YOURSELF REMOVED FROM BLACKBOARD DOES NOT DROP THE CLASS! You must use the drop procedure outlined in question nine above.

Question 16 - I have a financial aid, payment, or fee question. Who do I call?

The Distance Education Coordinator, Student Services Assistant, department secretaries, and your advisor cannot answer these questions. You must contact the office in question directly. Here is the contact information: Office of Financial Aid (812) 237-2215 finaid@indstate.edu and Office of the Controller (812) 237-3535.

Question 17 - Can I switch from on-campus to distance (or vice versa)?

Generally, the answer is no. Students are admitted as on-campus and distance for a reason. Distance classes are reserved for those students who cannot physically come to campus. It is not fair to a student in California to allow students in Terre Haute, Indiana to fill up the distance classes. Distance classes are much more difficult than on-campus classes. They require more independent thought and reading. Also, distance classes come with an extra $30 fee for each class.

Students will never be switched to distance status as a matter of convenience (e.g. not wanting to get up early or drive across town).

Undergraduate students with valid reason can be switched to distance. However, it must be a valid reason with very severe circumstances (i.e. military service overseas). The decision to switch a student resides with the director of the Institute of Criminology. Students are not switched very often. Once a student becomes a distance student in our department they are all distance. On-campus classes cannot be taken. The paperwork for this is done internally in the department.

Graduate students can NEVER just switch status. Students admitted to the online (distance) graduate program have a higher GPA and more strict admissions requirements. To switch from on-campus to distance, the student must apply to the distance program.

NO STUDENT CAN BE BOTH DISTANCE AND ON-CAMPUS.

Question 18 - I really need a class and it is not available. Are there any options?

Yes. Some classes are available via ICN. Through ICN, the student takes a comparable class at another Indiana college or university. So for example the student goes to Ivy Tech, Indiana University, or Purdue University and takes the class. However, there is no transfer work. It is like the student is taking the class at or through ISU. This is often done with general education classes. To register or ICN classes, one must contact Distance Support Services at (812) 237-8080. ICN has early deadline dates each registration period. Students must act quickly to get into ICN classes.

Question 19 - I want to know if I apply for your program....can I transfer this certain class? (What transfers?)

This is a difficult question. It depends on several factors. The main one is where the classes are being transferred from.

Undergraduate students can look here. This link the best source. If students are serious about applying, the College of Arts & Sciences can do an official transfer check. To do this, contact Leslie Engelland at (812) 237-2963 or lengelland@isugw.indstate.edu.

Graduate students are allowed to transfer in up to 9 hours of graduate work (6 of those as electives) from an accredited college or university. Transfer classes should be submitted immediately following acceptance into the program. They will then be reviewed and accepted or denied.

Question 20 - I left your program (graduate or undergraduate) and want to come back. What do I do?

It depends on the conditions when the student left. Students who were academically dismissed must follow procedures to be re-admitted. This could include petitions. Students who left under good standing can apply for re-admission and generally pick up where you left off. Any undergraduate student wishing to return should contact the Office of Admissions, and graduate students should contact the School of Graduate Studies.

Question 21 - I have an incomplete ("I") for a course. What do I do about it?

Incompletes become a "F" if not taken care of. To get rid of the incomplete you need to contact the instructor/professor that you had the course with. Ask them what you need to do to complete the class. They will then take care of changing the grade once you complete the class. Just because you have an incomplete does not necessarily mean that you need to sign up or that class again.

Question 22 - I am having myISU, myMail, BlackBoard, or a computer problem. Who do I call?

It depends. If you are a new student and need your myISU password, call the Office of Admissions. If it is another type of problem, contact the Office of Information Technology at (812) 237-2910.

Question 23 - I think that a class I transferred in from another school was not evaluated and transferred correctly. Can I do anything about it?

Yes. You can petition the dean's office to re-evaluate the course. You must fill out an online petition available here.