Frequently Asked Questions: Prospective Students
What is the admission process for the GLSP?
The GLSP offers registration by "open
enrollment" for courses. This means you may register for courses without
applying for degree candidacy. The only requirements are that you must submit
the application for admission, have
previously earned a bachelor’s
degree, you must demonstrate compliance with the state of Connecticut’s criteria
for immunity to measles and rubella, and you should have no outstanding payments
due to the university. Your official
transcripts demonstrating that you have earned a bachelor's degree or higher
must be sent directly to the GLSP office by your degree-granting
institution(s).
If you wish to
pursue a degree or certificate, you may apply for degree candidacy; this is a
formal application
process, click here for details.
International
students coming to the GLSP from outside the United States, who are not United
States citizens, must contact the GLSP office for I-20 forms as early as three
months before the term begins.
I want to register now.
What is the registration process?
New students may begin their programs
during any of the three terms: fall, spring, or summer. The process is as
follows:
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1. |
Submit
the
Application for Admission (Degree Status and Non-Degree Status) If
the application is submitted at least three weeks prior to the first day of
registration, a student account will be created so that you may register
online. |
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2. |
New students
who have a student account may register online. If you do not have a
student account, you may register by completing a
registration form and submiting it to the GLSP office by fax: (860)
685-2901, or in person or by mail to:
284 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459 |
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3. |
Contact your undergraduate institution to request an official copy of
your transcript be sent directly from that school to the GLSP office.
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4. |
Submit
your
demonstration of compliance with the state's criteria for immunity to measles and
rubella. |
Will I receive confirmation of
my registration?
The GLSP office will confirm that we
have received and successfully processed your registration by sending a
confirmation form by mail to your postal address. We will confirm all
registrations received, whether submitted online or using the printed
registration form. Once your e-portfolio is activated you may also check your registration status in your electronic portfolio,
in the "current classes & schedule" section.
How early can I register for the next term?
Registration opens approximately six weeks before classes begin; the official
dates are published in the course catalog and on the GLSP
academic calendar. Online
registration will become available at 9 am on the first day of the registration
period. At that time, a pdf
(Adobe
Acrobat) version of the printed registration form will be posted to the
Register for Courses
page of the GLSP Web site. Printed catalogs will be mailed
approximately two weeks before the registration period begins. If you
mail, fax, or hand deliver your printed registration form before the
registration period begins, the GLSP will hold your form and process it during
the first day of the registration period. If you are particularly eager to
secure a spot in a course, we encourage you to register online early.
How late can I register for a course?
If a course is available, you may register for it until approximately one hour
before it begins meeting, during regular business hours. Registration for
a course closes when that course begins meeting. Once a course has begun
meeting, no additional students will be admitted. During the late
registration period (beginning after the Friday of the week before regular
classes begin) a late registration fee will be assessed. Online
registration closes at 5 pm on the Sunday before the term begins, so if you wish
to register after this time, you must use the printed registration form.
The course I want is full. Can I sign on to a waitlist?
The GLSP does not maintain a computerized waitlist. If you register
online, you must select a course that is open for enrollment; no waitlist option
exists. The reason for this is that once a course is full, it usually
remains full, and therefore we encourage you to select an alternate course
before it, too, fills. If, however, there is absolutely only one course
that you want to take, and it is fully enrolled, you may submit a printed
registration form to the GLSP office, noting that you know the course is full,
and asking us to hold the form just in case a spot does open up. The staff will
hold this form, and will not process your payment. If a spot becomes
available for you in the course, you will be notified.
What if I need to withdraw?
If you are registered for a course, you are obligated to pay the full tuition
and fees for that course and to complete its academic requirements. To
obtain relief from academic penalty and tuition liability, you must submit an
official withdrawal form with your signature and date, within the deadlines
specified in the
academic calendar for each term
or call the GLSP office at 860-685-2900. On-line withdrawal is available
to all students through their electronic portfolio. A
student is not relieved of the obligation to pay tuition or to complete the
academic requirements of a course simply by informing an instructor of a
decision to withdraw or simply by not attending classes. Deadlines to
withdraw are posted to the
academic calendar.
Can I audit a class?
Yes, if the course is open to auditors. Selected courses are designated in
the
course
listings as open to auditors by the note (AU). Students must register
for courses they wish to audit using the same registration processes used to
register for all other GLSP courses. Audited courses, however, may never be
accepted for credit toward a degree at a later date. Students registering for
credit have priority over auditors, and registrations for auditing are not
processed until the end of the registration period. Auditors in GLSP
courses must meet the same requirements for enrollment as those registering for
credit: you must have at minimum an undergraduate degree, your official
transcripts (sent directly by the degree-granting institution to the GLSP
office) must be on file at the GLSP office, and your immunization documentation
must be complete.
Can I register to audit a class and, if after
attending the first class, can I switch to take the class for credit?
No. Students may not register to audit
courses after the course has begun meeting, and students who wish to change
their status from audit to credit, or credit to audit, must do so before the
first class meeting.
Can I sit in on a class I have not registered
for?
No. Students MUST register for credit
or audit in order to attend any course offered by the GLSP.
How do I obtain a Wesleyan University photo
identification card?
All GLSP students are expected to have a current photo identification card,
called a "WesCard".
This card provides access to library borrowing privileges and access to
campus facilities such as the athletic center and some classroom buildings. It also must be presented to obtain student discounts where
advertised. Photo IDs are processed
through the WesCard Office, located on the first floor of North College. For more
information about Wesleyan Photo ID cards
click
here. How do I pay for courses?
The GLSP accepts Visa, MasterCard, or e-check. Click here
for the schedule of tuition and fees. You must pay the registration and all
course fees at
the time of registration. Invoices are electronically posted to your
e-Portfolio. Please click
here to see a demonstration on paying invoices.
Is financial aid available through the GLSP?
The Graduate Liberal Studies Program and Wesleyan University are pleased to
offer a number of financial aid options to help students pursue an advanced
degree.
Please visit our "Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid"
page for complete details.
I'm a Wesleyan employee or partner/spouse of one; how do I qualify
for the tuition benefit?
Click here for information about the Wesleyan tuition benefit as it applies
to the GLSP. If you are registering online, you need to pay the minimum
payment amount, which is the registration fee and any additional course fees. On the "Payment" page, click the link under "Tuition Assistance" which
says: "Wesleyan faculty, staff, and their spouses/domestic partners:
click here." In order to receive the tuition
benefit when registering online, you must complete the form on that page, and
you must pay the minimum payment amount. You may also complete a printed
registration form, and submit it to the GLSP office with payment of the
registration fee and any additional course fees.
I am a teacher eligible for Wesleyan's Greater Middletown Area
Teachers' Scholarship (GMATS); how do I qualify?
Wesleyan University grants a 50%
tuition scholarship to all full-time contracted teachers, librarians, and
administrators who work in public, parochial, and independent schools through
the Greater Middletown Area Teachers Scholarship (GMATS).
GMATS eligible towns include: Cromwell,
Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Killingworth, Middlefield,
Middletown, Moodus, Portland, and Rocky Hill. To be eligible, you must
submit the "GLSP Scholarship Employment Verification Form" confirming your
employment. Additionally, when registering, you must indicate that you are
applying for the waiver; if registering online, click a link on the opening page
of registration which says: "Greater Middletown Area Teachers Scholarship:
click here." If completing a printed registration
form, complete the occupation information, including the name and town of the
school where you work, and check the box, under section I. Personal Information,
which says "I am eligible for the Wesleyan GMATS."
Are GLSP students eligible for student loans?
Students may be eligible for Stafford loans.
Students are advised to submit applications for bank loans a minimum of six to
eight weeks prior to the start of a term in order to receive their loan money on
time.
Please note that matriculation and enrollment for a minimum of two
courses (6 credits) is required in order to be eligible for receiving or
deferring a Stafford loan. Interested students should contact the Wesleyan University
Financial Aid Office at (860) 685-2865, for information.
Veterans
should consult the appropriate Veterans Administration Office for information as
to their eligibility for federal education benefits. At the time of registration, veterans receiving benefits must present a
certificate of eligibility to the GLSP office.
Can I attend the GLSP as a full-time student?
Full-time
status applies to students who take 3 or more courses during the fall or spring
terms or who take 2 or more courses during the summer term.
GLSP students generally study part-time, and courses are
offered to meet the professional’s schedule. Courses are typically offered
during the evening and weekend during the fall and spring term, and during the
day and evening in the summer term. The
typical course load for students in the GLSP is one per term, though some
students take two, or even three courses in a term. Students who wish to study full-time or take more than 3
courses in a term should speak with a program advisor before registering.
Visit the following Wesleyan websites for information about services
available to GLSP students:
Dining Options: www.wesleyan.edu/campusdining
Telecommunications and Computing: www.wesleyan.edu/its
Health Care and Insurance: www.wesleyan.edu/healthservices
Motor Vehicles/Public Safety: www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety
Can I complete the MALS degree requirements in one year?
Not quite: full-time students are encouraged not to take more than 3
courses in a term.
The program expects that the shortest period for completing an MALS
degree is 4 consecutive terms as follows:
the student would elect the 36-unit (non-essay) plan of study, and take 3
courses in 4 consecutive terms for a total of 12 courses.
New students are encouraged not to take more than 2 courses in their
first term. Note that Wesleyan
University awards degrees only once per year, on the fourth Sunday in May, as the
culmination of the academic year.
If a student
elects to follow the 30-unit plan of study, it is possible to complete the
requirement for the MALS within 2 years as follows:
3 courses in 3 consecutive terms,
final essay or project proposal in the
4th term, write, revise and submit the official draft in terms 5 and
6.
Is housing available to GLSP students?
Housing is available to GLSP students during the summer term.
Click here for information about housing
for the upcoming summer term.
I don't have an undergraduate degree. Can I take classes for credit? Can I audit?
No. The Graduate
Liberal Studies Program requires that students who enroll for credit or audit
have an undergraduate bachelor's degree or higher. The only exceptions to this
requirement may be made for Wesleyan juniors and seniors and other
members of the Wesleyan community;
click here for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions: Current Students
How
do I register online?
To register online, log into your
electronic portfolio and click "GLSP online registration" under the "My
Wesleyan Courses" header at the left. You will be guided through this
sequence:
- Update your home and business address, phone, and e-mail
- View your enrollment holds, if any
- Select GLSP courses
- Make alternate selections for those courses
- Acknowledge that you agree to abide by enrollment policies
- Pay your fees & tuition by e-check or credit card
- Print a confirmation of your registration
- You may also come back later to add a course
After registering online, you may return to the "course selection" page
within online registration. On that page, you will see "enrollment
pending" or "enrollment successful" for the courses you selected previously.
What is
an enrollment hold?
An "enrollment hold" is a notation within the
registration system that prevents us from processing your registration. Students may have enrollment holds because they have an overdue financial
balance with the University, because their official undergraduate transcripts
have not been received, or because their immunization documentation has not been
received. Students with enrollment holds must resolve them before their
registration will be processed.
If I register online, can I pay later by check?
When registering online, you must also make--online--the full payment of
the registration fee, tuition, plus any additional course fees. Registering online
but not paying online is not an option. We accept online payments by Visa,
MasterCard, or electronic check (debit). Later, you will be sent email
notification that your account statement has been posted to the e-billing
section of your electronic portfolio,
and you may print your statement and pay by check.
I have a credit balance on my account. What should I do next?
There are two options if you have a credit balance on your account. If
you plan to enroll in another GLSP course, you can simply leave the credit on
your account and it will automatically be applied to your next term's tuition. If you prefer a refund and you paid by credit card, please contact
Karen
Anderson at 860-685-3977 and request a refund. If you
paid by check, you need to submit a written request to the Students Account
Office at
Wesleyan University Office of Student Accounts
237 High Street
Middletown, CT 06459
I haven't received an invoice, but cannot register because the University
says I have a balance due.
The University no longer mails paper invoices; in the summer 2005, the
University switched to electronic billing. All invoices are posted to your electronic portfolio
and an email is sent to your Wesleyan email account notifying you of the
invoice. Please click
here
for a PowerPoint tutorial on viewing and paying your invoice electronically. If you haven't opened your electronic portfolio or your Wesleyan email account
yet and don't know how, please contact Jerry Maguda in the University's ITS
department at 860-685-2128 weekdays from 8:30 to 5:00.
While registering online, my computer crashed. What happened
to my enrollment?
It depends on how far along in the process you were. Until you click the
"submit" button on the Alternate Course Selection page, your registration is not
sent to the system for processing; please start the process over again. If
you did click the "submit" button on the Alternate Course Selection page, your
registration will be submitted for automatic processing, and you will need to
complete the payment process. If you cannot get back to the payment page,
or for some reason did not complete the payment process, please make a payment
through your E-Billing section of your electronic portfolio. Please click
here
for a PowerPoint tutorial on making payments through the electronic portfolio.
May I register for a course that has the same course ID number as a previous
course?
If the title of the course and the instructor are different from the
previous course, the student may enroll in, and receive degree credit for, the
new course.
May I register for the same course twice?
Students are welcome to repeat a course, however, students will not receive
credit toward a degree for a repeated course.
If I
am a full-time contracted teacher, administrator, or librarian in the GMATS area
school, do I have to submit a letter from my school every term?
Yes. In
order to establish eligibility for either GMATS scholarships or GLSP teachers’
scholarships, students must submit a letter confirming their employment from their principal or
superintendent on official district or Board of Education letterhead for every
term in which they register.
How do I find out who my program advisor is?
Naomi Kamins is the program advisor for all GLSP students.
When can I apply for admission?
Students must apply for, and be admitted to, degree candidacy if they wish to be
eligible to receive a degree. Students may apply for admission prior to taking
GLSP courses, or after completing two, three, or four courses. These courses
must be taken with
at least two different instructors, for which they receive a grade of B or better (higher
grades are expected, overall). No more than four courses taken prior to
admission to degree candidacy will count toward the degree.
How do I apply for admission to degree candidacy?
For information about applying for degree candidacy, please
click here.
What is the program looking for in the matriculation essay?
The program is looking for am engaging discussion of the student's
intellectual interests and the courses the student has taken. The essay
should demonstrate the student’s ability to
formulate complex ideas and write at the graduate level. Click here to
view sample matriculation essays that engage in
the kind of discussion the program expects.
Do I have to complete a final essay or project to earn the degree?
Not necessarily. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree may be earned via two plans of study:
the essay plan which includes 30 units of credit (10 courses) including a
final
essay or project, and the non-essay plan which includes 36 units of credit (12
courses). The Certificate of Advance Study does require a final essay or
project.
What if I change my mind about the final essay or project?
If, after your matriculation application is accepted, you decide to
switch into or out of the essay/project plan, you may submit a petition to the
GLSP office, making this request. If, after registering for the
final
essay, you do not compete it and elect instead to take three additional
courses, you must petition to switch into the 36-unit plan, and you will be
given a permanent grade of incomplete (IN) for the essay/project course.
What is the Certificate of Advanced Study?
The Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS)
is 30 units of graduate study beyond the master’s degree. This
certificate is sometimes referred to as the Sixth Year Certificate. The CAS culminates in a
final essay or creative project. The requirements for the CAS are met upon successful completion of 30-units of graduate credit, and
all courses leading to the CAS must be taken through the GLSP. No transferred
credit is accepted toward the CAS.
Will the GLSP accept as official an unopened transcript if it was mailed or handed to the student?
No. The GLSP requires an official transcript and defines as official a
transcript that was sent to the GLSP office directly from the degree-granting
institution. Faxes, photocopies, and student copies of transcripts are not
accepted as meeting the requirement for an official transcript.
Can I get my diploma as soon as I complete my degree requirements?
Not necessarily. Wesleyan University offers commencement once per year, at
the end of the spring term. Diplomas
are distributed during commencement weekend. Students who need
verification (for an employer or another academic program) that they have
completed all degree/certificate requirements may submit a request a "letter of
completion" and should give the GLSP office 4 weeks to process this request.
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