Undergraduate
Studies Program Young Hall, 8th Floor
302 Wood Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2108
Phone: (765) 494-0843
Fax: (765) 496-1139
E-mail: usp@purdue.edu E-mail web site administrator
Preparing to Register For Fall Semester
It is expected that you will take an active role in registering for classes each semester.
The registration process consists of three steps:
1. Exploration: Explore and select courses that you wish to take
2.
Advisement: Discuss course options with your academic advisor
3.
Registration: Register for classes using myPurdue
Exploration: Explore and select courses that you wish to take
There are twelve degree-granting colleges & schools at Purdue University that offer more than 200 different majors. This provides plenty of options from which to choose for someone at the beginning of their college career. Having so many choices can seem overwhelming, but it really is a good thing.
Our goal in the Undergraduate Studies Program (USP) is to help you explore your options before making an informed decision about the college or school, major, and future career path that are right for you. We encourage you to start exploring by looking at the web sites of those colleges/schools and majors that interest you.
As you read through Purdue's web site keep these two things in mind:
a) Allow yourself the freedom to investigate anything and everything that interests you.
b) Write down on a piece of paper the colleges, schools, and anything else about which you'd like to learn more, and share with this with your USP academic advisor when you arrive for STAR.
Below are methods for exploring colleges/schools, majors, and courses using Purdue’s website:
Click on the names of the colleges and schools to view the homepage of that college or school.
From the homepage, you may navigate the site to discover such things as the departments housed within the college/school, majors offered by the college/school, and opportunities for undergraduate students (e.g., study abroad, research opportunities, internships, student clubs and organizations).
To view majors by alphabetical list, click on “A-Z Listing of Majors” at the top of the page. This will give you an overview of all that Purdue has to offer.
To view majors by college or school, click on the name of the college or school and a list of majors will appear.
Click on the name of the major(s) in which you're interested. You'll link to a page with a general overview of the major, some career possibilities, plus information on who to contact for more information.
Click on the link to the "Plan of Study”. This will provide you with information about the courses that are required for the major and the suggested sequence of coursework. Print the plans of study for majors in which you are interested and bring them to your meeting with your academic advisor during STAR.
Another way to explore majors is by area of interest.
Click here to view a list of majors by interest area (e.g. management, sales, education, social service, etc.).
Click on a category at the top and you will see a list of related majors sorted by college/school at Purdue.
You will notice letters in various colored circles to the left of the majors on this list. Please disregard these for the moment while you are searching for your majors of interest. (You will learn about the meaning of these letters in EDPS 105!)
In order to explore the major further, you may search for the major using the method at the beginning of this section to locate an overview and plan of study.
Exploring Courses
More than 6,000 courses are offered at Purdue!
How do you determine which classes to take?
Your academic advisor will work with you to select courses that reflect your individual interests and abilities. While many courses aren't suitable for incoming students (because of prerequisites and other requirements), there are a number of courses that allow you to explore a subject area and can count toward your degree at Purdue. In addition, registration in certain courses (i.e. - mathematics, foreign language, etc.) is dependent on your previous coursework in high school and your results from placement tests taken online or during STAR.
For a description of typical first-year coursework for USP students, please click here. Click on “Sample Plan of Study” to view a sample course load.
Searching Online for Courses
Here's how to search for information about courses offered at Purdue:
Go to myPurdue and then click on the "Search the Schedule of Classes" link.
Choose a specific academic term (i.e. - Fall 2009) by clicking on the drop down arrow under the "Search by Term" heading, and then click on "Submit."
Click on a "Subject" name that interests you, click on West Lafayette in the "Campus" field, and then click on "Class Search" at the bottom of the page. A list of courses offered by that department/program for that academic term will appear.
When you find a course in which you may be interested, click on the 5-digit number to the left of the subject, and then click on "View Catalog Entry" to read the description of the course.
Click on the course number and title to view the course's pre-requisites and restrictions (if there are any).
Use your browser's "Back" button to return to the “Class Schedule Search” page to select another department/program for which to view courses.
Advisement: Discuss course options with your academic advisor
It is important that you are prepared for your meeting with your academic advisor. The more you have researched colleges/schools, majors, and courses, the better s/he will be able to assist you with selecting an appropriate set of courses.
Prior to meeting your advisor during STAR, it is expected that you will have explored colleges/schools, majors, and courses as described in the previous section. Please bring a list of majors in which you are interested and a list of courses that you would consider taking in the fall semester. If you have printed the plans of study for your majors of interest, that would be helpful to bring along as well.
Once you and your advisor have discussed possible classes for the fall semester, your advisor will provide you with a PIN to access the online registration system (see Registration section below).
For more information about what to expect from your academic advisor, click here.
You will be using the online registration system on myPurdue to register for classes. Therefore, once you have met with your academic advisor, you must then register for classes. Please be aware that your advisor cannot register you for classes; it is your responsibility to do so.
As mentioned in the previous section, your advisor will provide you with a PIN that will allow you access to the online registration system.
Registration Information may be found on the homepage of myPurdue:
Click on the link for
“Drop/Add Procedure Instructions” to learn about how to register for classes.
Click on the link for “Reviewing Your Schedule Instructions” to learn how to view your schedule after you have registered for classes.
Video demonstrations are also available by clicking here:
Click on "Video Demonstrations of myPurdue".
(Note: You will need your Career Account username and password to access the videos.)
Under "Demos for Students", click on "Registering for Classes".
It is recommended that you review these instructions before arriving for STAR. As you will be registering for classes during STAR, the process will likely be much smoother for you if you have familiarized yourself with this information ahead of time.
If you have any questions or concerns about registration, you may contact your academic advisor for assistance.
