Academic Advising
At Psychology Undergraduate Advising, we empower you to take ownership of your college experience while offering support, resources and information.
PSYUGRAD advises all psychology sophomores, juniors and seniors. Freshmen psychology majors are advised through University Academic Advising. Our advisers assist with:
- Career/educational planning
- Navigating university procedures, appeals processes, rules and regulations
- Course selection
- On-time progress toward the degree
- Research internship and service learning placement assistance
- Planning for graduate school and application preparation
We encourage you to visit PSYUGRAD advising at least once a semester to discuss questions about degree requirements, course selection, graduation checks and other academic matters.
Advising Hours
- Monday - 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday - 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday - 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Thursday - 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Friday - 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Evening and in-person appointments are available upon request.
We are currently not offering drop-in advising.
Changing Your Major to Psychology
To change your major to psychology, follow these steps:
- Submit a change of major form to declare
- Watch an online orientation video about the major
- If you'd like to meet with a PSYC advisor, email psyugrad@vcu.edu to request an appointment. An appointment is not required for change of major approval.
Major changes made through the add/drop period will apply toward the current semester. Major changes made after the add/drop period are effective for the following fall or spring semester, and changes made during the summer session are effective for the following fall semester.
If you wish to change your major back to psychology, you do not have to complete the change of major process again. An advisor will submit the form on your behalf.
Override Policy
Psychology courses are generally set to capacity. Capacity is determined by the psychology department using a combination of factors (pedagogy, physical space, etc.).
Yes: Independent Study (492), Research Internship (494) and Field work (493) are courses students apply to take and if approved, register via override.
Every department has a course enrollment management plan. As part of our course enrollment management plan, psychology holds back a certain number of seats for new transfer students who are majoring in psychology and who attend new transfer orientation. This way new transfer majors — many of whom come to VCU with junior status but after general registration has ended — are able to add at least one psychology course their first semester at the university. Unused seats are released back to the general population, and the department posts an announcement on PSYUGRAD (Canvas) for majors alerting them to these open seats.
Please be prepared to register as early as possible on the first day you are eligible to register based on the number of credits you have earned. This allows students closest to graduating to have the first pick of all classes. Students who wait to register lose their priority in registering. We publicize these dates well in advance to help our majors be best prepared to register on time.
No. Psychology faculty members of course want to assist you, but they know and support the department's override procedures. We realize other departments handle overrides differently.
We realize other departments may handle registration and overrides differently than we do in Psychology. By all means, follow that department's policies if you seek a course in that department.
PSYUGRAD advising will assist you by assessing where you are in your graduation timeline and finding appropriate courses for the semester.
Withdrawals
The deadline to withdraw from any class is listed in each semester's VCU Academic Calendar. If you have a hold on your registration, you must contact Records and Registration at rar@vcu.edu to request a withdrawal.
We recommend that you talk with your instructor prior to withdrawing from a course. Also, if you're receiving financial aid and withdrawing from a course drops you below full-time status or violates a contract you signed with financial aid for a "satisfactory academic progress appeal," you need to talk with your financial aid counselor about any possible ramifications. You may also want to make sure there are no ramifications with your health insurance if you fall below full-time status. Non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents should talk with the Office of International Education's Immigration Services prior to withdrawing from a course.
Students who anticipate graduating this term and who are withdrawing from a course may want to confirm with their adviser that this will not change their timeline for graduation.