Soar Resources

View this Curriculum Structure information to learn about the difference between MAC and CIC, major requirements, and overall requirements needed to earn your degree.

This video walks you through how to find and understand your Degree Works report, which is your individualized degree plan in UNCGenie.

This Registration Guide walks you through how to find classes and get registered.

This Transfer Credit Information page provides more information about different types of transfer credit and how it counts at UNCG.

Spartan Orientation Advising and Registration (SOAR) is a busy time where students receive a great deal of information.  It can be stressful for students to make immediate choices about their classes when they are not familiar with the educational landscape of UNCG. Your academic advisor understands degree requirements very well and will register you for a selection of courses based on those requirements and the information that you provided  in your Course Selection Inventory survey that you completed when you signed up for SOAR.

Students will be registered into at least one class in their major.  The remaining classes will meet general education requirements (such as Minerva’s Academic Curriculum (MAC), Communicating in Context (CIC), and additional language requirement).  This schedule may look very different to what you’re used to seeing as part of your high school schedule, but all the courses chosen for you will meet degree requirements you need in order to graduate.

If you have questions or want to change some of your courses, your advisor will be happy to work with you to find the best options.  Please consult an academic advisor before attempting to change your schedule yourself to ensure you are taking appropriate classes that meet needed degree requirements.

A good first-year schedule typically includes 5-6 classes (15-16 credit hours), with 1-2 classes in the student’s major and 3-4 classes that meet general education requirements.  First-year students should be taking 100-200 level classes, as 300-400 level classes are designed for Juniors and Seniors.

Student schedules should be distributed across the week, with some Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and some Tuesday/Thursday classes.  This is useful so that students don’t have too many tests on a given day.  Some classes are offered in the evenings, such as laboratories or production studios.  Lab classes that are 3 hours long are sometimes best taken in the evening so there is room for lecture classes during the day.  Getting to and from class is safe; UNCG Police offer a Walk Safe program and the Spartan Chariot shuttle operates when our night classes release, too.

It is especially important for first-year students to take classes that meet their interests, because students are more likely to do well in a subject in which they are already interested.  When you review your schedule, you might see a class that doesn’t reflect your interests as much as we thought it would. You will be able to work with an advisor to see if there is a better option.

You will have multiple types of advisors during your time here at UNCG. You may interact with an academic advisor, career advisor, financial aid advisor, and others.  In this case, we’re talking about working with an academic advisor. This means we will help you with selecting courses, registering for classes, figuring out how best to achieve your academic goals, and connecting you with available on-campus (or online) resources.

You’ll have an opportunity to speak with an advisor during your SOAR session. After SOAR, CASA advisors will be available year-round to answer questions. Instructions on how to meet with an advisor are here: How to meet with an advisor

First-Year FAQs

All Major Guides

Majors in Humanities and Fine Arts can take either of the following courses to meet their MAC Quantitative Reasoning requirement:

• MAT 112 Contemporary Topics in Math 
• STA 108 Elementary Introduction to Probability and Statistics 

Students can explore possible minors by looking in the University Catalog. 

In general, most Humanities/Fine Arts majors have enough electives available to allow for minors or even double-majors in any subject, but here are some common combinations:

• African American & African Diaspora Studies majors often minor in Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, or Women’s & Gender Studies.
• Classical Studies majors often minor in Anthropology, Archaeology, or Philosophy.
• English majors often minor in Media Studies, or Business.
• History majors often minor in Classical Studies, Political Science, or Archaeology.
• Interior Architecture majors often minor in Studio Art, Entrepreneurship, or Business.
• International & Global Studies majors often minor or double major in a language, History, or Political Science.
• Languages, Literatures, and Cultures majors often minor or double major in International & Global Studies.
• Liberal & Interdisciplinary Studies majors need to choose minors that can be completed completely online.
• Media Studies majors often minor in Business, Entrepreneurship, Anthropology, Political Science, or Sociology.
• Philosophy majors often minor in History, Political Science, or Religious Studies.
• Religious Studies majors often minor in Anthropology, Philosophy, or English.

Keep an eye on CASA’s social media (facebook | twitter) throughout the summer for more information on majors and minors.

The Academic Achievement Center offers programs to develop academic skills, provides tutoring, and supplemental instruction.
You can find them on campus in Forney Student Success Commons Suite 114, or contact them with questions at (336) 334-3878 or [email protected]

The Writing Center offers one-on-one assistance in improving your written assignments before you submit them.

The University Speaking Center helps you prepare for in-class presentations and improve your public speaking skills.

The Math Help Center offers tutoring for both MAT 112: Contemporary Topics in Math and STA 108: Statistics.

Keep Learning offers resources on how to prepare for and excel in online classes.

It’s recommended that majors in Social Sciences take the following course to meet their MAC Quantitative Reasoning requirement:

• STA 108 Elementary Introduction to Probability and Statistics 

Students can explore possible minors by looking in the University Catalog. 

In general, most Social Science majors have enough electives available to allow for minors or even double-majors in any subject, but here are some common combinations:

• Anthropology majors often minor in Communication Studies, Political Science, or Sociology.
• Archaeology majors often minor in Classical Studies or Anthropology.
• Communication Studies majors often minor in Media Studies, Business, or Entrepreneurship.
• Political Science majors often minor in Sociology, Philosophy, or Communication Studies
• Psychology majors often minor in one of the following: Sociology, Women’s & Gender Studies, Human Development & Family Studies.
• Sociology majors often minor in Psychology, African American & African Diaspora Studies, or Women’s & Gender Studies.
• Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies majors often minor in Anthropology, African American & African Diaspora Studies, Sociology, or Psychology. 

Keep an eye on CASA’s social media (facebook | twitter) throughout the summer for more information on majors and minors.

The Academic Achievement Center offers programs to develop academic skills, and provides tutoring and supplemental instruction.
You can find them on campus in Forney Student Success Commons Suite 114, or contact them with questions at (336) 334-3878 or [email protected]

The Writing Center offers one-on-one assistance in improving your written assignments before you submit them.

The University Speaking Center helps you prepare for in-class presentations and improve your public speaking skills.

The Math Help Center offers tutoring for STA 108: Statistics.

Keep Learning offers resources on how to prepare for and excel in online classes.

Biology majors should take calculus classes specifically designed for BIO majors:

• MAT 183 Mathematics for the Life Sciences
• MAT 184 Calculus for the Life Sciences

Chemistry, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics majors must take the Calculus sequence. To determine where best to start in the sequence, they must take the Calculus Diagnostic Test.

Depending on their score, students may place into one of the following combinations of courses:

• MAT 190 Precalculus
• MAT 196 Calculus A + MAT 181 Foundations of Calculus
• MAT 196 Calculus A

Geography, Environment, and Sustainability majors will either need the Calculus sequence (see above) or STA 108: Elementary Introduction to Probability and Statistics

Students can explore possible minors by looking in the University Catalog. 

In general, most STEM majors have very few electives, so it can be challenging to add a minor or second major and still finish in four years.  Here are some common combinations that can be completed in a reasonable time-frame:

• Biology (BS) majors are encouraged to add a minor in Chemistry, which requires only one additional upper level CHE class beyond what is required for their major.
• Biochemistry majors are encouraged to add a minor in Biology which requires only one additional upper level BIO class beyond what is required for their major.
• Chemistry majors can minor in Biology, Mathematics, or
• Computer Science majors can minor in Mathematics with careful planning.  If you are interested in this, please speak with your advisor.
• Geography, Environment, and Sustainability majors often minor in Anthropology, Biology, Entrepreneurship, or Sociology.
• Mathematics and Statistics majors often minor in Computer Science or Physics
• Physics and Astronomy majors often minor in Mathematics or Computer Science.

Keep an eye on CASA’s social media (facebook | twitter) throughout the summer for more information on majors and minors.

The Academic Achievement Center offers programs to develop academic skills, provides tutoring and supplemental instruction.
You can find them on campus in Forney Student Success Commons Suite 114, or contact them with questions at (336) 334-3878 or [email protected]

The Writing Center offers one-on-one assistance in improving your written assignments before you submit them.

The University Speaking Center helps you prepare for in-class presentations and improve your public speaking skills.

The Math Help Center offers tutoring for MAT 183, MAT 184, MAT 190, MAT 196, and STA 108.

Keep Learning offers resources on how to prepare for and excel in online classes.

Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry majors are required to take specific FYE 101: Succeed at the G classes to satisfy their MAC Foundations requirement. 

Students in these majors should not change their FYE class. This course is designed to help new students transition successfully to academic and student life at UNC Greensboro.  Students will connect with the UNCG community, campus resources, and opportunities, while developing skills essential for academic success, and begin their journey to discover their own purpose and potential at the G.

Advising is required at UNC Greensboro before students can receive their advising code and register for classes.  During the summer, incoming transfer students are advised by CASA advisors in a process known as Advising and Registration by Appointment (ARA).  To schedule your advising appointment with a CASA advisor by following the steps in this guide: How to schedule an appointment with an advisor

A few weeks into your first semester at UNCG, you will be assigned a specific advisor.  Your advisor’s name will be listed in the top portion of your Degree Works report and can also be found in UNCGenie by selecting your Student tab > Registration > Look Up Advisor.  You will be required to meet with this advisor at least once a semester (typically after Fall/Spring breaks) in order to plan your coursework for the next semester and receive your advising code.  You will be able to register for the next semester’s classes when your registration window opens, typically in early November for Spring registration and early April for Fall registration.

Students at a sophomore level or higher are advised within their major departments.  Students with fewer than 30 earned credit hours will be assigned a CASA advisor.

Students who are curious about how a course taken outside UNCG might transfer for credit can search for it using the Transfer Equivalency Search (TES). This database includes listings of thousands of courses at hundreds of institutions. Students can look up their transfer institution, then find the classes they have taken to see a comparison of how they can expect coursework to translate at UNCG.

Courses that show up in TES as 000 courses typically show up in the Electives section of your Degree Works.  If you think they ought to meet a specific requirement, you can petition for the class to count toward a needed degree requirement.   You should always check with an advisor before petitioning for credits.

To petition for a course to count towards Minerva’s Academic Curriculum, follow the instructions here.

To petition for a course to count towards the Communicating in Context Breadth of Knowledge, College Writing, or additional language requirement, follow the instructions here.

To petition for a course to count towards your major or minor,  you’ll need to email the undergraduate director of the department and provide them with a course description or syllabus, and ask them to evaluate the course for potential major credit.  If they say yes, they’ll submit the paperwork to help ensure the class is counted appropriately on your DegreeWorks.

To petition for a course that is not in your major or minor department to count towards 300-level credits, you’ll need to email the undergraduate director of that department and copy a CASA advisor.  Provide a course description or syllabus, and ask them to evaluate whether or not the course is equivalent to the work-load of a 300-level or higher course here at UNCG.  If they say yes, then CASA will work with you to help get the class counted appropriately.

In order to award credit for any college level credits a student took while in high school, we must have transcripts with final grades sent directly from the Community College or University where the course was taught. Even if the classes are included on your high school transcript, UNCG must have a transcript from the Community College or University to be able to apply credit.

Please be sure to send all official transcripts to the UNCG Undergraduate Admissions office as soon as possible.  If academic advisors are not aware of your incoming transfer credit, they may mistakenly place you in a class you have previously completed.

For many students coming in with an Associate’s Degree or 60+ credit hours, their plan is to graduate in two years. However, this is a decision that we encourage you to make after a discussion with your advisor. For many students, since the introductory level courses and many general education courses have already been taken, the only courses left are higher level, major specific courses. Because of this, taking a two-year path can cause a sharp increase in rigor while you are also adjusting to life as a UNCG student. 

It may be preferable to take a three-year path to allow you to space out difficult classes, explore minors and double majors, provide more time to network, participate in research, and engage in other opportunities across campus. We understand that financial constraints may be the driving factor behind an accelerated two-year path, and the decision will remain 100% in your control. We encourage you to discuss your options with an advisor.