Frequently Asked Questions

You can look up the name of your assigned adviser(s) for your declared programs through the ClarkYou Portal, under the Main Menu link. Here’s how:

Main Menu → Registrar Office, Student Account, Financial Aid → Student Record → Student Record Information

The best way to reach a specific adviser is by sending an email to their Clark email account; you can find contact information here.

The Advising Center also has drop-in hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Visit us then or schedule an appointment; call 508-793-7468 or email advising@clarku.edu.

Advisers from the Academic Advising Center provide general academic support. They can help you clarify your goals, connect your interests and abilities to your plans, and explore and select majors and other academic programs.

A faculty adviser is your go-to for questions about program requirements, course planning, and registration. They help you design an educational program relevant to your future career.

You are able to declare your major after your first semester, and must do so by the end of your sophomore year.

Yes — you’ll find a list of all the academic programs at Clark here.

The student-designed major is for students who have interests that cut across existing majors, maintain intellectual rigor and coherence, and draw on existing faculty expertise. This major should only be considered by students who have thought deeply about an alternative area of study or a major, and have explored what the academic programs at Clark University have to offer.

Learn more about the student-designed major here.

The sooner you plan your study abroad experience, the better chance you will have to make it happen.  Plan to meet early with the Office of Study Abroad and the Academic Advising Center to plan for your experience.

Dates for the posting of course schedules, the student advising period, and online registration are found on the Registrar Office web page.  Access the Academic Calendar by clicking here.

New students receive a personal identification number (PIN) from summer advisers, and continuing students receive a PIN from their primary advisers after they meet.

After the add/drop deadline, you must get permission from your professor to add a class, and then fill out an add/drop form. Note: additional fees may apply with late registration.

In short, no. If you want to enroll in a course that has a required prerequisite, you must have taken that prerequisite — or an approved course equivalent. Otherwise, you will not be able to register.

If you feel you have taken a course that is the equivalent to a prerequisite for a course you’d like to take, please stop by the Academic Advising Center to speak with someone about how to have your course considered.

Quick Reference Guide:

Students are able to keep track of their PLS progress through the ClarkYou Portal, under the Main Menu. Here’s how:

Main Menu → Registrar Office, Student Account, Financial Aid → Student Record → UG-PLS Progress.

Once you sign in, you may generate a new evaluation.

Students must maintain at least 2.0 GPA to be in good academic standing.  If your GPA falls below 2.0, you will be placed on academic probation and assigned to a student success specialist who will help you work your way back to good standing.

Each Program of Liberal Studies perspective must be fulfilled by an individual course, and completed in different academic departments.

The College Board meets once a month to review all petitions for special action. Students are notified of decisions via an email from the Academic Advising Center (advising@clarku.edu).

Credit earned from any liberal arts course in which you earned a grade of C or higher, completed at a regionally accredited institution of higher education, will be accepted in transfer.

It is possible to waive Program of Liberal Studies (PLS) courses with transferred credits; students may receive a maximum of two PLS waivers. Any major requirement waiver must receive departmental approval.

More information on policies for advanced standing, international baccalaureate, and other types of transfer credit can be found in the Undergraduate Academic Advising Handbook.

The Academic Advising Center will notify you, by email, of the acceptance of transferred credit. You can confirm the placement of credit by viewing your unofficial transcript on the ClarkYou Portal, under the Main Menu link:

Main Menu → Registrar Office, Student Account, Financial Aid → Student Record → Unofficial Academic Transcript