FAQs

Student Planning is the academic component of Self-Service at Emmanuel.  Here, students can use an intuitive and visual interface to view degree requirements, their progress toward degree completion, search and register for courses for the upcoming semester, update their address and emergency contact information and apply for graduation!

We have several tutorials on how to navigate Student Planning for registration here: Student Planning Guide.

New Arts and Sciences students will register online via Student Planning for their first semester at Emmanuel at their orientation session prior to the first semester. Emmanuel registrar staff and academic advisors will be on hand to support students in the registration process and students will work with academic advisors prior to registration to ensure they are registering for appropriate coursework.  The Office of the Registrar will pre-register new A+S students for 1-2 of the gateway courses for a student's intended major as indicated on their orientation registration form. This is to ensure that students are enrolled in the courses they need to be on track from the very beginning.  If a student is undecided, that's okay too. In collaboration with the academic advisors, students will register for courses that will fulfill general requirements that will also help them explore majors and take any possible gateway major courses for major programs of interest.

New GPP students will be registered for their first class by the Office of the Registrar after approval received from the student's enrollment counselor.

All continuing students will register for upcoming coursework via Student Planning or via an Add/Drop form if web registration is closed.  Students will receive email notification regarding the schedule for viewing upcoming course offerings online as well as the date they will be eligible to register for classes.

Students seeking to register as a non-degree seeking student should refer to the Non-Matriculating student registration section.

All students are encouraged to work with their advisors on the best options for registration for them prior to registration to ensure they are on track to fulfill degree requirements. Advisor approval is not required during the priority web registration period for any student. However, after the priority web registration period ends, new and undeclared Arts and Sciences students require written advisor approval submitted to the Office of the Registrar on an Add/Drop Form or emailed to regmail@emmanuel.edu to make schedule changes. Advisors review and approve course schedules after registration. Declared students do not require advisor approval to make schedule changes. However, all students require advisor approval for Pass/Fail registration declaration, Audit Course Declarations, or to withdraw from courses during the withdrawal period.

GPP students will be registered for their first course with approval from and facilitated by Graduate and Professional Programs. After the first course, GPP students do not require advisor approval to register.

Arts and Sciences and undergraduate GPP students are permitted to take up to a total of two courses Pass/Fail at Emmanuel. Courses that will fulfill the Domains of Knowledge (general requirements), major requirements, minor requirements, or language certificate requirements cannot be completed as Pass/Fail. Thus, only courses that will apply as free elective credit may be completed as Pass/Fail.

Courses that receive a Pass (P) grade do not factor into the GPA. However, an F grade will factor into the GPA.

Courses that are transferred prior to matriculation or taken off campus after matriculation, must earn a letter grade of C or better to transfer to Emmanuel, despite the transfer grade not posted to the Emmanuel record.

Once a Pass/Fail form is submitted, no matter if it is before the deadline, neither the student, nor the faculty member, can elect to change the registration designation from Pass/Fail to a letter grade, even if the student is doing well in the class. Conversely, a student who is not doing well in a class, cannot decide after the Pass/Fail deadline to change the registration designation to preserve their GPA.

Students who wish to declare a course Pass/fail must complete the Pass/Fail Grade Option Form and submit by the deadline. For A+S fall and spring course deadlines, please refer to the Academic Calendar. For GPP undergraduate courses and A+S summer course deadlines, please refer to the 7 Week Course Policy.

Auditing a course means a student registers to sit in on the course because the course content is of interest to them. However, grades nor credit is awarded for students who audit a course. A transcript designation of AU is added to the Emmanuel transcript in recognition of the audit. With the approval of the instructor, students may register to audit a course by completing an Audit Course Form and submit by the deadline. For A+S fall and spring course deadlines, please refer to the Academic Calendar. For GPP undergraduate courses and A+S summer course deadlines, please refer to the 7 Week Course Policy. Audited courses are recorded on the transcript. Neither a grade nor credit is given. The total course load taken for credit and audit in a semester cannot exceed the equivalent of five full courses. Audited courses are included in the Arts and Sciences full-time tuition for students registered for 12-20 credits during fall and spring semesters, inclusive of the audited course. Non-matriculating students and those registered for summer courses will be responsible for the tuition charges associated with auditing a course.

All courses that fulfill general requirements have been reviewed and approved by the Emmanuel College Curriculum Committee, comprised of Emmanuel faculty and administrators. That approval recommendation is then signed off on by the College President.

Review the descriptions of each of the general requirements. Courses that fulfill general requirements (Domains of Knowledge for those matriculated prior to Fall 2021 and Areas of Knowledge for those matriculated Fall 2021 or later) are marked with their respective abbreviations noted in parentheses after the course title in the academic catalog and in Student Planning.

General Requirement- Domains of Knowledge (Students matriculated prior to Fall 2021)

While there are a few exceptions, courses that fulfill general requirements are typically at the introductory level (1000 or 2000 level). Courses that are broad in scope or considered introductory may fulfill a general requirement. Courses that are “broad in scope” may refer to geographical region, time frame, or a survey of various works (artists, authors, etc.) within a certain time frame or genre. Courses where the subject matter is narrow in focus generally do not fulfill general requirements.

General Requirement- Essential Values and Areas of Knowledge (Students matriculated Fall 2021 or later)

Courses that fulfill General Education Curriculum requirements expose students to various disciplines within the liberal arts and sciences, allowing them to“develop individuals who are capable of thoughtful, creative and productive lives. The essential skills, breadth of knowledge and personal and social values that students develop will prepare them for a lifetime of learning, personal development, and service to their professions and their communities. Along with their major program of study and co-curricular activities, the general education program will help to prepare students to live a flourishing life in this complex world of rapid change, individual and cultural diversity, and unlimited opportunities for service to others.”

Arts + Sciences Students:

Arts and Sciences undergraduates must complete two courses that fulfill the Religious Thought general requirement.

Students who matriculated at Emmanuel prior to Fall 2021: The two religious thought courses must have one of the two courses at the 2000 level or above and at least one of the two designated as in the Christian Tradition (RCT).  Courses that fulfill the Religious Thought requirement and are in the Christian Tradition are designated as (RCT) and those that fulfill the Religious Thought requirement, but do not have a primary focus on the Christian Tradition are listed as (R).

Students who matriculated at Emmanuel Fall 2021 or Later: Courses that fulfill the Religious Inquiry requirement and are in the Christian Tradition are designated as (RICT) and those that fulfill the Religious Inquiry requirement, but do not have a primary focus on the Christian Tradition are listed as (RI).One of the Religious Inquiry courses must be designated as (RICT). The second course must be designated as (RI) or (RICT).

Graduate and Professional Programs (GPP) Undergraduate Students:

GPP undergraduates must complete one Religious Thought course. The course may come from either (R), (RCT), (RI) or (RICT) course offerings.

A+S and GPP undergraduate students need to earn a C (2.0) or better in a course that is to be applied to the major or minor requirements. Nursing students should consult the Nursing Student Handbook for specifics on the individual grades needed to fulfill requirements. GPP students do not declare minors.

Graduate students must earn a 3.0 (B) or better, and the cumulative program GPA must be 3.0 or better to graduate.

Students may take a class off campus. Students should refer to the Study Off Campus section of the Transfer page to review eligibility and criteria based on student program.

Students may take a class off campus that is used as a pre-requisite for subsequent courses for registration. In order to register for the next course in the sequence at Emmanuel, students must have an approved Study Off Campus Form on file for the pre-requisite course, regardless of whether the course is already approved as the pre-requisite equivalent on the online database.  Students without the approved study off campus form will not be permitted to register for the next course.  Students who need an off campus course in advance of their Emmanuel registration, should submit forms with ample time prior to registration.  Study Off Campus Form review will not be expedited based on need for web registration.

Students must earn a C or better in the off campus course to transfer the credit.  Any student who has not submitted an official transcript to the Office of the Registrar prior to the start of the upcoming term at Emmanuel or who earns below a C, will be dropped from the course at Emmanuel for which the pre-requisite credit has not been received. 

Graduate students should consult with Graduate and Professional Programs regarding any potential off campus work. If approved, a grade of B or higher is required to transfer.

Registration days are assigned based on class standing. Class standing is determined by completed credits and does not factor in anticipated credit students are currently registered for or any outstanding transfer credit that has not been received by the College.  As a reminder, there will be students with current senior standing who will not graduate in the current term, thus these students, although a small number, will have priority to register on the first day of web registration, then the current juniors will register, and so on.

Registration days are assigned based on class standing. Class standing is determined by completed credits and does not factor in anticipated credit students are currently registered for or any outstanding transfer credit.  Students may be on track for graduation by planning to take more than 16 credits in a semester or take summer coursework and may "catch up"; however, class standing is only determined by completed credits.  A student who has completed 60 credits is considered a sophomore, even though they are only 4 credits shy of junior standing and may end up graduating on time.  Upper class students who are in this situation should work with their advisors and the major department if they have concerns over course registration.

The waitlist is a tool used by Emmanuel to gauge demand for certain courses during the web registration period. This information provides the College with important information as to whether additional sections are warranted.  The waitlists are cleared after this determination is made. Students are not automatically registered for a waitlisted course if a seat becomes available. In instances where a new section is opened, students will be emailed notifying them of the additional section and they may register for that new section. Students on the waitlist should monitor enrollment for an open seat to register online or via an Add/Drop form or email the Office of the Registrar at regmail@emmanuel.edu if a seat becomes available.

Students on an approved study abroad leave of absence will receive a web registration time like all other expected returning students.  Students who are abroad and have or expect to have difficulty with registration due to internet connectivity or time zone differences may contact the Office of the Registrar with their selected registration choices and alternates for manual registration by Registrar staff.

Web registration times may only be changed due to additional transfer credit received after web registration times are assigned, where the additional credit changes the student's class standing.  The web registration time is merely a start time. Students may register online starting at the assigned web registration time through the end of the web registration period which lasts about two weeks.  Registration times factor in a student's current class schedule at Emmanuel to not conflict when a student will be in class. However, we cannot factor in student's internships, work, or any non-scheduled class obligations or make registration time adjustments for these situations.

Course drops are those which occur during the drop period.  A drop is not posted on the student's transcript.  Course withdrawals occur after the drop period has ended through the last day to withdraw. A student who withdraws from a course has a W grade on the transcript.  A "W" grade is not punitive and is not factored into the GPA.  Course withdrawals incur financial responsibility for the course. 

Non-attendance in a class or non-participation in an online course does not constitute an official drop or withdrawal and students are subject to associated transcript notations and financial obligations. Students must contact the Office of the Registrar by the date and time of the drop or withdrawal deadline to receive the appropriate refund or transcript notation.

Courses with lab sections must be registered for both the lecture and the lab. Labs are zero credit, but the lab coursework is factored into the final lecture grade for the course and thus is an integral component of the course grade. Student Planning will not allow a student to register for just a lecture or just a lab section.  Lectures and lab sections are registered for in separate sections to give students flexibility in their schedules, but both the lecture and lab sections must be on the Plan and Schedule Page and the student must click the "Register Now" button to register for both sections at the same time.

In very rare instances, a student who completed a science course with a lab and passed the lab portion of the class, but not the lecture, may be permitted to repeat the lecture without the lab.  In these instances, the department for which the course falls under, must send written permission to the Office of the Registrar to allow the student to register for only the lecture section.  The department maintains record of student's successful lab completion.

If the course on your Plan and Schedule page is green, you’re registered! To double check, students can view their “Time Line” on Student Planning and look at the term in question and check for the “enrolled” courses.

Student Planning will indicate seats available in a class. Those courses that are full and for which students have added themselves to the waitlist, will be listed as “waitlisted.” However, if the course is green for a student, then the student has been successfully registered for the course.

Full time status depends on the student program. The following criteria is sued to determine enrollment status:

Arts and Sciences students should note that although 12 registered credits is considered full time, students ordinarily need to complete 16 credits per semester for 8 semester to remain on track for graduation. Students should also connect with their Student Financial Services counselor to ensure the number of credits needed for any scholarships or other financial aid.

A registration hold is a hold placed on the student’s record that prevents the student from registering for the upcoming semester. Students may have a hold on their account due to outstanding financial obligations to the College, unreturned equipment borrowed from Information Technology, missing immunization forms, or final official transcript from a previous institution not received.

Students will be notified about any holds via the Notification tab on EC Online Services along with information as to which office to connect to resolve the hold. Once the hold has been removed, students will be able to register at their assigned registration time.

Twelve registered credits is considered full time in a semester for undergraduate students. However, A+S students typically complete 16 credits per semester for 8 semesters to result in 128 credits. This is the minimum credit requirement for graduation. Although individual programs may require additional courses with credits over 128 to graduate. Sometimes a student may take 20 credits in a semester. Full-time tuition covers 12-20 credits for A+S students. As most undergraduate credits at Emmanuel are 4 credits each, a sixth course would typically result in 24 registered credits in semester, which is considered “course overload.”

In rare instances, students have requested registering for a sixth course in a semester. This is typically ill-advised due to the work load, as again, 16 credits is considered a full load for completing a program of study and remaining on track. Students who wish to add a sixth course should receive written permission from their academic advisor and forward this to the Office of the Registrar. Students should also connect with their Student Financial Services counselor to discuss the financial implications, as students will be charged tuition for any credits over twenty.

In Student Planning, “add a course to plan” puts a course on your timeline, which is essentially a student’s plan to graduate by term. Students are able to add courses to any term on their timeline. It should be noted that adding a course to the plan is not adding a section (term and day/time specific). It is merely a placeholder, indicating the student plans to take a specific course during a future semester. It should also be noted, that the ability to plan a course for a semester specific, does not necessarily mean that the course will be offered that semester. If a student then tries to register for these courses on the Plan and Schedule Page, the student will need to click the “View available sections” tab to see if and how many sections of the course are being offered and then will need to add one of those sections to their schedule prior to registering.

Adding a “section to schedule” prompts the student to pick a section of a course (the specific day and time being offered) for a semester. Adding the section to the schedule will put the course section both on the student’s timeline (plan) and also on the Plan and Schedule Page where a student will process their registration. In order to complete the registration, students must click the “register” button under each course on the Plan and Schedule page or the “Register Now” button at the top of the calendar in the Plan and Schedule Page to register for all sections at once. Students registering for lecture and lab sections must click the "Register Now" button as opposed to the individual "register" buttons for each course as the system requires the lecture and labs to be registered at the same time.

Students may want to think of online registering like the process of online shopping. Adding sections to your schedule is comparable to putting items into your online shopping cart. These courses that are in your “cart” will appear in yellow boxes on your Plan and Schedule page. In order to process your registration, students might think of this as submitting their order at check out. A student must click the “register now” button for all courses or the individual “register” buttons on each course on the left menu on the Plan and Schedule page to actually enroll in courses. If the course is successfully registered, the course block will turn from yellow to green. Green boxes indicate enrollment/ a confirmed seat in a course.

For visuals of this process, review the online Student Planning Tutorials.

All courses have an expected course offering rotation. Sometimes, departments are unable to offer a course during an expected offering cycle. If a course is being offering in a particular semester, a tab will be available noting “View Available Sections”. Clicking this button will display all available sections with course offering information.

A pre-requisite is a course that must be completed in order to have the knowledge and skill set to be successful in a future course. Students must complete all course pre-requisites before starting a course for which pre-requisites are listed. Undergraduate students must earn a C- in a pre-requisite in order to move onto the next course in a sequence. However, it should be noted that while a C- may permit a student to enroll in a subsequent course, a grade of C is needed to fulfill major and minor requirements. Any major or minor course with a C- grade will need to be repeated. Nursing students should refer to the Nursing Student Handbook for specifics on the grades needed to fulfill nursing major requirements and pre-requisites. Course repeats do not receive credit more than once. Students should refer to the Credit Deficiency Removal policy concerning course repeats.

Syllabi are available on ECLearn.  Students will be able to view course modules within EClearn two weeks prior to the class started so long as the faculty member has published the course.

Cross-registration is open to Arts and Sciences students, who do not have any registration holds on their records, after their second semester at Emmanuel. Courses completed through cross-registration are considered institutional credit, with the grade posted to the Emmanuel transcript and factoring into the Emmanuel GPA. Cross-registered courses are included in the student's Emmanuel registered course load and tuition for full time and billing purposes.

Students should view the Cross-Registration section and the Colleges of the Fenway website for more information.

Just like face-to-face courses, there is an instructor teaching your course who needs to evaluate, grade and respond to students, regardless of the platform of the course. Course capacities reflect the type of course being offered.