Registration and Preregistration for Oceanography Majors

Last updated: 26-Feb-2021

• Department of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Senior Academic Advisor (SSA):
  Associate Prof. Andrew Muller
• Preregistration worksheets: 
  For SOC and SOCH majors. Find your semester (column) then your class year (row). Download the appropriate preregistration worksheet.

• Planned Major electives, Capstone, and free electives:For upcoming semesters. *

Additional information for Oceanography Majors

Registration, Section Changes, and Final Exams

• Resolve hard conflicts before registration.   If the hard conflict involves a sports blocker, the mid should be referred to the Oceanography Senior Academic Advisor (SAA).  The SAA will check if the problem can be resolved solely by adjusting the blocker, or requires other changes, and will have NAAA adjust the blocker.
• Section Changes  are restricted and require approval of the Chair of the department offering the course and the Academic Scheduler. Changes of section for convenience or to select, or avoid, a particular instructor are not allowed. Requests will be considered, but not guaranteed, if you are scheduled in a section with an instructor you had previously.
• Final exams generally cannot be changed. Review the USNA Instruction on exceptions to the final exam policy.

Summer school

• Summer school web site
• Voluntary summer school  registration typically opens in MIDS in late March (in 2020, it will open Monday, 6 April 2020 at 1700 ET), once all the summer assignments have been posted.  Note: summer school slots typically fill up FAST; if you want to take a summer class, please jump onto the MIDS system as soon as the module opens. You can only sign up for a block when you have leave. You can only sign up for one summer school class per block, and you cannot have any other commitments during that block.
• Course failure either fall or spring  will almost certainly require you to take summer school in a "voluntary" status in place of leave.  If you disagree with this definition of "voluntary", think of it as your choosing not to devote enough effort to passing the course, and paying the consequences.  If you do not want to give up leave, consider this early in the semester and do not fail a course.  While there are exceptions that allow summer school in place of military training, they are truly rare and most of those mids are probably taking a second summer school during leave.
• For midshipmen pursuing a language minor, semester abroad, med school, or other special cases, we can get "voluntary with preference" status starting in January.  This will allow ProDev to consider your summer school when assigning summer cruises, and gives you a higher priority to actually getting the summer school course.
• In past years, PE201 (swimming for rising 3/c) and PE301 (swimming for rising 2/c) has been able to be completed along with a voluntary summer class. Look for an email from the PE department to the entire brigade with the opportunity. Students volunteer to swim during a portion of their lunch (typically Monday - Thursday). They can drop at any point (thus to not interfere with summer classes). This opportunity is available each block and the number of hours in the pool depends on which swim class you take (PE201 or PE301).

Pre-registration

• For certain required courses (e.g. NL400, NL310, NN310, NE203, NN210) the registrar will put the course into MIDS for those whose matrix shows they are supposed to take it that semester.  These are high demand courses that the departments involved have problems accommodating many mids taking if for convenience.  There will be room for mids taking the course early for VGEP or semester abroad.  If you want to take the course out of sequence, you will be competing first come-first served for any remaining slots.  If you want to delay the course for a good reason cleared by your academic advisor, you can drop the course, and an opening will appear for someone who wants to take the course early.  This is required to keep the loadings relatively even between the two semesters for the departments teaching these courses.

Language Minors

• Complete a minimum of six courses (18 credit hours) in any one language, to be taken in sequence. An average grade of B (3.0 GPA) or better must be earned in all courses in the language of specialization, unless permission is otherwise granted by the chair of Languages and Cultures.
• Language validations prior to starting sequenced courses can alleviate a maximum of two courses (six credit hours) toward the minor. Validations in excess of six credit hours may fulfill graduation requirements but will not count toward the minor.
• Language immersion programs (such as LSAP or STEM language-intensive summer programs) vetted by professors in the Languages and Cultures Department, semester study abroad, or CLS (Critical Language Scholarship program) may alleviate no more than two additional courses (six credit hours). In all cases, a minimum of two language courses (six credit hours) must be taken in residence at USNA, with a 3.0 GPA.
• Midshipmen who meet these requirements receive the minor automatically; there is no application procedure or designated adviser.
• Info on language minors is at   https://usna.edu/LanguagesAndCultures/Language-Minors.php. 

Information by class year:

1/C  SOC and SOCH

• If you are thinking about   VGEP, you should talk to both your advisor and the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SSA.  This will require overloads or voluntary summer school, and some incredibly busy schedules.
• If you want   IGEP, you need to sign up in the spring so you will be screened in the summer.
• If you will take a research course (SO496 or SO506), you must submit a research proposal at the same time you preregister.  See your research advisor for help and directions.

2/C  SOC and SOCH

• If you want to do a   semester abroad  (only  fall semester 1/C year is possible if you have not already been selected), you should talk to both your advisor and the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SAA.  To not imperil graduation, you probably need to be ahead of the matrix (the more the better, and probably at least two course minimum); we consider that prominently when we rank our majors for IPO in the selection process which starts in September.  You might want to do voluntary summer school to get ahead.
• If you are thinking about   VGEP, you should talk to both your advisor and the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SAA.  This will require overloads or voluntary summer school, and some incredibly busy schedules. You need to sign up in the spring of 2/C year
• If you want   IGEP, you need to sign up in the spring of 2/C year so you will be screened in the summer.
• We will recruit for the honors program after the 6 week grades are out in the spring semester.  If you have questions about it, talk to you advisor or you can see the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SAA.
• The list of electives to be offered during the next three semesters is on the top of this page.

3/C  SOC

• If you want to do a   semester abroad  (either semester 2/C year, or  fall semester 1/C year is possible), you should talk to both your advisor and the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SAA.  To not imperil graduation, you probably need to be ahead of the matrix (the more the better, probably at least two courses and four would be better); we consider that prominently when we rank our majors for IPO in the selection process.  You might want to do voluntary summer school, which must be before the semester abroad, and is not possible 2/C summer for some programs which start in July or early August.  You want to prioritize taking courses early that you cannot get abroad, where the easiest courses to get will be free electives, HUM/SS electives, and major electives.
• If you want to do a service academy exchange (only  possible fall semester 2/C year), you should talk to both your advisor and the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SAA. The governing documents are COMDTMIDNINST 1531.34 and COMDTMIDNNOTE 1531.34. The process starts early in spring semester of 3/C year.
• If you are thinking about   VGEP  or the premed option, you should talk to both your advisor and the Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department SAA. This will require overloads or voluntary summer school, and some incredibly busy schedules.

Change of major

• See the senior academic advisor (SAA) of the major you want to change into.
• If you determine the change will work, the SAA will show you how to fill out the form for the change of major.
• Get the required signatures (company officer, old major, new major) and take to the dean's office.
• Change of major needs to be submitted prior to the end of final exams.
• A board will decide if you can switch, during the academic/advisory boards, and you will be notified in early January.