FAQ: Undergraduate Programs, G&ES

Majors in Geography or in Environmental Studies should immediately stop by the main office S-346A and pick up a yellow Undergraduate Student Handbook. This is an indexed 40-page booklet which is regularly updated and designed specifically for students in the department. Students should also discuss these questions with their Program Advisor and consult the university's Student Handbook, schedule of classes and University Catalog.

Q: May I take classes before I become a major?

Yes, there are many G&ES courses with no prerequisites. NEIU students may enroll with the normal touchtone procedure descriped in the Course Catalog. Students who are not admitted to NEIU may get "Student at Large" status very easily at Enrollment Services (also called Admissions & Records).

Q: How do I declare a major?

You may declare a major by meeting with almost any of the following faculty:

• Abhijit Banerjee
• Emily Good
• Dennis Grammenos
• Erick Howenstine
• David Jones
• Jerry Mostek
• Musa Qutub
• Charles Schmidt

The form is a Declaration of Major form. It should be completed and turned into Enrollment Services: D-111. Only the following faculty members are advisors:

• Abhijit Banerjee
• Dennis Grammenos
• Erick Howenstine
• Musa Qutub

Q: How do I choose an Advisor?

When you declare a major you are assigned an advisor based on your stated interest. Sometimes the chair serves as initial advisor if the student is undecided about which area they will concentrate their efforts. In any case, it is easy to change advisors at any time; simply submit to the chair another Declaration of Major form with the new advisor indicated on the form.

Your undergraduate advisor should be the one who most closely matches your academic and employment interests. The adviser will oversee your major program, will steer you into the courses best suited for you, will probably supervise your internship (which is required, for the E.S. major) and will help you check that you have completed your University requirements.

Meet the advisors by stopping by their office hours or perhaps you have taken their classes. This should be done as soon as possible, to best provide you consistent advising and better link you with a faculty member in your area of concentration.

Q: Please explain the procedure for graduation.

When you're nearing completion and have a graduation target date, pick up the graduation application from the department office or from your advisor. The deadlines are quite early, so this should be done well in advance.

Refer to the printed schedule of classes or go to NEIUport for the current deadlines. Begin to plan an entire semester in advance. You will also want to visit your Departmental Advisor, who can run a "degree audit" on your record to see if there are any outstanding university requirements. Recently students have been able to run their own audits, too.

You will need the Academic Course Record form for both your major and minor, initialed by your advisor and a representative of your minor department, respectively. You also must complete the Undergraduate Application for Graduation form. These can all be found in the department office or at Enrollment Services. They should be returned by the student to Enrollment Services by the Filing Date.

Q: What if I have a question that is not answered here?

Please send your query to the department at ges@neiu.edu .