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Advising

Getting to know your advisor is one of the most important steps when it comes to knowing if you are on the right path. You can find your advisor's information on ULink. If you do not have an advisor assigned to you contact the Criminal Justice administrative assistant at cjus@louisiana.edu.

You will be assigned an advisor who will likely be your primary contact person for academic information and advice while you are at the University. Your advisor knows your academic requirements and is committed to helping you move toward your career goals. Information about graduate schools, internships, career opportunities, and job availability in your chosen area of study are a few areas where your advisor can be of assistance. You are required to meet with your advisor every semester before you can register for classes.

The advising session for continuing students occurs in March for summer/fall and in October for spring. You can also check the University's academic calendar for advising dates. During this time advisors are available for advising for these semesters. After the three-week advising session, advisors are available, by appointment only, until the last day of classes for the semester. It is very important to keep your appointments with your advisor! Sign up for your advising appointment on the signup sheets your advisor has on their office door in Mouton Hall.

Continuing students who did not take advantage of the pre-registration advising session must wait until advisors return to the department at the beginning of the semester.

Advising for Seniors

As a senior Criminal Justice major, you fall into one of three categories. You are either a graduating senior, an academically ready to graduate senior, or a soon to graduate senior.

Soon to Graduate Senior

If you are a soon to graduate senior you are a student who is a senior but still has more than two semesters of required class work. Those of you who fall under this category will be advised during the regular Criminal Justice advising period.  If you would like to be certain of where you stand then bring a copy of your transcripts with you to your advising appointment. This also applies to juniors who are uncertain of their standing. Your advisor will help you determine where you stand.

Ready to Graduate Senior

If you classify as a ready to graduate senior you are a student within one (the current semester, Summer semester and the Fall semester) semester of graduation.  Your advisor would have let you know when you were advised last semester if you have reached this level. However, if you are within 39 hours of graduating then you may need to check to make certain. Check ULink to see how close you are. It takes 120 non remedial hours to graduate so if you have completed 80 hours or more and are taking 18 to 15 hours this semester then you should consider doing a degree plan. There is a time frame set aside by advisors specifically for degree plans.

Degree plans must be done by students the semester before they graduate. A degree plan is a contract between the student and the university it tells the student what they need to obtain a B.S. in Liberal Arts.  The steps involved in doing a degree plan follow.

  1. Obtain two copies of your current semester transcripts from the Registrar’s Office. They must be obtained from the Registrar’s Office, printing from ULink is NOT acceptable.
  2. Pick up an application for graduation from the Dean of Liberal Arts Office in HL Griffin 101 and fill it out. If you have question you can bring it with you to your degree plan meeting.
  3. If you do not know who your advisor is you can check ULink or contact the Criminal Justice administrative assistant at cjus@louisiana.edu.  Mr. De Lay and Ms. Broussard are the senior advisors.
  4. Stop by the Criminal Justice Department to sign up for an appointment with your advisor and be there for the appointment. If you miss the appointment, you had better have a good excuse. We are talking about your graduation and there are a limited number of times that are available. This affects your advisor, yourself and your fellow students.
  5. During the degree plan meeting we will complete the degree plan and you will be advised  for the next semesters. Later we will file your hold so you can register for your classes. After the degree plan is completed, it will be sent it to the Head of the Department and then the Dean of Liberal Arts for approval.
  6. For those students who are interested in priority scheduling (this means that you are the first persons allowed to register for classes) which is something we recommend, then you need to pay your application for graduation fee before the deadline listed on the Academic Calendar and the degree plan should be completed before or shortly after that date.
  7. Finally pass your remaining classes.

Graduating Senior

As a graduating senior you have completed the following steps.

  1. Completed all your required classes according to your degree plan except for the ones you are currently taking this semester. To graduate you must complete these courses.
  2. You completed a degree plan with Ms. Broussard or Mr. De Lay. A copy is kept in your department folder and one should have been mailed to you or is being mailed to you and you will receive it soon.
  3. You completed an application for graduation by the deadline listed on the Academic Calendar. You would have obtained the application for graduation from the Dean’s Office in HL Griffin 101.
  4. Pay your application for graduation fee ($90) or have paid your fee. Complete the application for graduation then bring it to the Cashier’s Office in the Student Union 135. Once it is stamped by the cashier then bring it to the Dean of Liberal Arts’ Office in HL Griffin 101.
  5. FINALLY Complete and pass your remaining classes this semester and we will see you at Commencement.  If you do not complete the courses on your degree plan for any reason, then you must fill out a new degree plan for next. We have a list of the graduating seniors in the glass case next to Mouton room 117.

And remember we will be emailing you periodically about deadlines during the semester.

Application for Graduation

We receive numerous questions about the application for graduation but four of the most commonly asked questions are:

  1. The name of the degree, which is Bachelor of Science.
  2. Student number which is your Clid
  3. The catalog year, which is on your degree plan in your folder or on your credit distribution sheet.
  4. The College is Liberal Arts.