Academic Calendar
The academic calendar lists important dates like when classes start and end, deadlines for dropping classes, holidays, and when tuition payments are due.

Academic Progress Report (AR)
The official report that shows the major, college, and university graduation requirements you’ve completed, are working on, or still need to do. You can find this report by selecting the myWSU “Academic Advising” tile and then “Academic Progress” from the menu on the left.

Admission to the Carson College
The process for declaring your business major after completing the following prerequisites: C or better in B_A 100, ECONS 101 OR 102, HBM 105, and MATH 201; Completion of Tier 1 or Crimson Pathway 1 or the Carson Career Amplifier Program; Completion of 27 credits; Cumulative GPA of 2.5+ and in Good Academic Standing with the University.

Bursar’s Office
This is the University’s billing office. It handles tuition payments and fees. If you have questions about paying tuition, setting up payment plans, or managing fees or loans, contact the Bursar’s Office.

Business GPA
A GPA calculated using only your grades from WSU business classes. It’s different from your cumulative GPA and can be found in your myWSU Academic Progress Report. Classes in the following subject areas will count towards your business GPA: ACCTG, B_A, B_LAW, ENTRP, FIN, HBM, I_BUS, MGMT, MGTOP, MIS, MKTG.

Catalog
The WSU Catalog contains all the details about majors, minors, and degree programs at WSU. It lists every course offered, their descriptions, prerequisites, and rules you need to know.

Corequisite
A course you must take before or at the same time as another course.

Credit
A unit that represents the hours of instruction in a course. Most classes are three credits, and you need at least 120 credits to graduate.

Degree
An academic award like an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s that you earn after finishing all the required courses for your program.

Double Major
Studying two majors within the same degree, like Marketing and Management Information Systems.

Dropping a Class
Removing a class from your schedule before the drop deadline without it appearing on your academic record.

Dual or Double Degree
Earning two degrees within the university. Dual degrees require you to complete a minimum of 150 credits to graduate.

Elective
A course you choose to take that counts toward the total credits required for your degree but doesn’t specifically meet any other major or degree requirements.

Graduation Plan (pdf)
A roadmap created by advisors showing which courses you need to take each semester to graduate on time.

Hold
A restriction on your student record that might prevent you from registering for classes until you resolve it.

International Experience Requirement (IER)
A requirement for business students to gain international experience through study abroad, language study, or specific courses.

Major
Your chosen field of study in college.

Minor
A secondary field of study that compliments your major.

Prerequisite
A course you need to take before you can enroll in another course.

Registrar
The University office that manages all academic records, including enrollment and graduation requirements.

Reinstatement
The required process for students whose semester or cumulative GPA falls below 2.0.

Schedule of Classes
List of all classes offered in a semester, including times and locations.

Social Science/Humanities Elective
The Carson College of Business requires 12 credits of Social Science/ Humanities (SSCI/HUM) Electives. Students can choose any course from a list of approved subject areas.

Approved SSCI/HUM Courses: Any courses with the [SSCI] or [HUM] designation, or courses in ANTH, ASIA, CES, CRM J, DTC, ECONS, ENGLISH (excluding ENGLISH 402 or 403), FINE ART, FOR LANG, HISTORY, HONORS 270, 280, 370, 380, H D, HUMANITY, PHIL, POL S, PSYCH, SOC, and WGSS not used to fulfill other (including UCORE) requirements.

Student Financial Services
Handles financial aid, scholarships, and questions about paying for college.

UCORE
General education courses all WSU undergraduates must complete.

Upper Division
Courses at the 300-400 level.

Upper Division Business Elective
Any 300- or 400-level course from a business subject area: ACCTG, B_A, B_LAW, ENTRP, FIN, HBM, I_BUS, MGMT, MGTOP, MIS, and MKTG. Courses beginning with 498 and 499 cannot be used to satisfy a required Upper Division Business Elective.

Withdrawing from a Class
Removing a class from your schedule after the drop deadline, which shows up as a “W” on your transcript and doesn’t affect your GPA. Each WSU student is allowed four W’s on their academic record. W’s as a result of term withdrawal are excluded in this count.

Writing Portfolio
Students must submit the University Writing Portfolio (UWP) during or prior to the semester in which they complete 60 credits, or a registration hold will be put on their account. The Writing Portfolio is a mid-career assessment of student progress and a diagnostic about student readiness for upper division writing challenges. To complete the University Writing Portfolio, students must submit two papers they have written as previously assigned course work and reflect on their writing submissions in a Qualtrics survey.

To stay in the Carson College of Business and graduate, you need to maintain a minimum business GPA of 2.50.

If your business GPA drops below 2.50 after declaring your major, you’ll get a warning email. You then have one semester to raise it back to 2.50 or higher.

If your business GPA is still below 2.50 after two semesters, you will be released from your major. If this happens, you can apply for readmission to the Carson College once your business GPA is back up to 2.50 and you’re in good academic standing with the university.

Remember, if you’re released from the major, you can’t enroll in business courses that require admission to the College. This may limit the courses you are eligible to retake and prevent you from improving your business GPA. If you have questions, please schedule a meeting with your academic advisor.

See WSU Academic Regulation 53 for information regarding this policy.

Overview

This guide explains how advisors and students work together in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University. It highlights the key responsibilities each has to ensure students meet their graduation requirements.

The Partnership

Academic advising is a team effort between advisors and students. It’s an important part of your journey at the Carson College of Business. This partnership helps you succeed by:

• Helping you set personal, educational, and career goals that match your interests and strengths.
• Guiding you in making decisions to reach these goals.
• Connecting you with resources to support your success.
• Encouraging you to become an independent learner and make the most of your Carson College experience.

Both advisors and students must work together to achieve success, based on respect, clear communication, responsibility, and teamwork.

Advisor Responsibilities

Your academic advisor is here to support you through your education. They will:

• Teach you how to find and use information to make informed decisions.
• Explain degree requirements and help you plan your courses.
• Connect you with resources that can help you succeed.
• Encourage you as you work towards your goals.
• Ensure you follow WSU and Carson College rules and standards.

What You Can Expect from Your Academic Advisor

Respect and Inclusivity:

• Respecting you as a person, student, and future business professional.
• Recognizing and respecting your cultural, ethnic, gender, and other differences.

Commitment and Availability:

• Dedicating time and effort for advising, with a manageable number of students.
• Offering regular 30-minute one-on-one meetings and weekly drop-in sessions.
• Responding to emails within 3-5 business days (except during busy times) and requests such as study abroad course pre-approvals, letters of recommendation, etc. within two weeks provided ample notice.

Support and Guidance:

• Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, values, interests, and goals.
• Guidance on planning and managing degree requirements.
• Explaining university processes and procedures, academic regulations, deadlines, and ethical standards.
• Helping align courses, majors, and minors with career goals.
• Referring you to resources for personal, educational, and career success.
• Supporting you in becoming an independent learner.

Clear Communication and Professional Standards:

• Providing regular updates and clear communication about expectations and deadlines.
• Working with you to meet your goals and providing relevant information and insights.
• Abiding by academic regulations and ethical standards.
• Ensuring a respectful, supportive, and productive advising relationship.

Student Responsibilities

As a Carson College of Business student, you are responsible for your goals and actions. You should:

• Use the information and advice from your advisor to plan your education.
• Seek guidance from your advisor when needed.
• Understand and follow degree requirements and college policies.
• Use campus resources and make connections with others.
• Work hard to achieve your goals and become an independent learner.
• Follow WSU and Carson College rules and standards.

By working together, advisors and students can make the most of the Carson College of Business experience and achieve great success.

What Your Academic Advisor Can Expect from You

Respect and Inclusivity:

• Respecting your advisor as a professional and a person.
• Recognizing and respecting your advisor’s cultural, ethnic, gender, and other differences.

Commitment, Collaboration, Effort, and Preparedness:

• Coming prepared to meetings with topics and questions.
• Taking guidance and feedback seriously.
• Working to meet your goals and become an independent learner.
• Understanding and meeting expectations and deadlines.
• Learning and following WSU and Carson College degree requirements, academic regulations, and ethical standards.
• Registering for classes on your assigned day and time.
• Using resources to support your success.

Meetings and Communication:

• Scheduling and attending regular 30-minute meetings each semester, giving 24-hour notice if you need to cancel.
• Attending drop-in advising for urgent issues.
• Communicating regularly via email, responding within 3-5 business days.
• Giving two weeks’ notice for requests like study abroad approvals or letters of recommendation.
• Discussing issues with your advisor before seeking other conflict resolution methods.
• Updating your advisor on changes to your degree plan.

In general, follow the University Electronic Communications Policy–EP04.

How to Connect with Your Advisor

The best ways to reach your advisor are:

1. Schedule a One-on-One Meeting
2. Attend Drop-In Advising Hours
3. Email

Advisors are usually in student meetings, so these methods are not as effective:

• Calling their office phone
• Dropping by without an appointment
• Scheduling with a different advisor

Meeting Availability and Email Response Time

We’re here to help, but please be patient. Advisors support around 350 students each. Expect:

• Email Responses: 3-5 business days. An auto-reply will notify you if response times are longer. Do not send duplicate emails during a five business-day period.
• One-on-One Meetings: Schedule 2-3 weeks in advance. For urgent questions, attend drop-in advising.

With the above response times in mind, it is your responsibility to be aware of deadlines and plan ahead by using the Academic Calendar and checking the Drop-In Advising Schedule.

Using Your Email Effectively

• All advising communications are sent to your official WSU email account.
• Check your WSU email regularly for important messages. You are responsible for knowing the information included in these emails.
• Set up your WSU email on your phone.
• Don’t forward WSU emails to personal accounts—check your WSU email directly.
• Never share your WSU network ID and password, including with parents, guardians, or designated individuals.

When emailing your advisor:

• Always use your WSU email: Include your full name and student ID number.
• Write clearly and professionally: Use full sentences, paragraph breaks, and proper grammar. Sit down and gather your thoughts into one message before you send it. To learn more about effective academic email communication, check out this article.
• Draft an informative subject line: e.g., “Considering dropping ACCTG 231” instead of “URGENT!!! need help!”
• Be brief and specific: Provide context and relevant details, including reminding your advisor of previous conversations. e.g., “I don’t believe I will be able to earn the required grade in ACCTG 231, would I be able to fit it in a later semester?” instead of “I am failing a class, what now?”

Do your own research first. Before emailing, make sure you know which office/dept you should contact and try to find the answer on your own by using:

• Google
• WSU Resources
• Advising Holds Guide
• Common Errors Guide (pdf)
• FAQs

Communicating with Parents

Advisors will primarily communicate with students. Students are responsible for their own graduation requirements (WSU Academic Regulation 108). Working with parents is not a usual occurrence. If needed, you can:

• Share emails from your advisor with your parents at your discretion. Your advisor will only send and respond to communication to/from your WSU email.
• Include your parents in a meeting with your academic advisor. In doing so, notify your advisor at least one week in advance that your parents are attending a meeting.

Parent meetings must:

• Include the student
• Be conducted in-person or via Zoom, not via telephone
• Be scheduled outside peak times. We generally cannot accommodate parent meetings during January, April, August, November.

Meeting with parents may not replace required advising meetings for students with fewer than 30 or more than 75 credits.

Parents can access educational records through a FERPA release but cannot act on behalf of the student. Advisors are not required to communicate directly with parents. For more about FERPA, see the Parents’ Rights Relating to Educational Records page. In extreme cases where a student in crisis cannot communicate for themselves, parents should contact the Dean of Students Office.

We understand that things come up, like school, work, or getting sick. Sometimes, you might need to cancel an appointment. If you do, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance so we can offer your spot to someone else.

Advisors are in high demand, and missing appointments without notice is inconsiderate of their time and prevents other students from getting help.

If you miss two or more appointments in a semester without letting us know, your ability to schedule one-on-one appointments with your advisor through Bookings will be suspended for the rest of the semester. Instead, you’ll need to use drop-in advising. If you’re more than 10 minutes late to an appointment, this will be considered a “no-show” and you may need to reschedule.

Maintaining Your Business GPA

To stay in the Carson College of Business and graduate, you need to keep a minimum Business GPA of 2.50. If your business GPA drops below this for two semesters, you will be released from your major.

See WSU Academic Regulation 53 for information regarding this policy.

Carson College Reinstatement Process

If you’re released from your major, you can apply to be reinstated to the college once your Business GPA is back up to 2.50 and you’re in good academic standing with the University.

Note: If you’re released, you can’t retake business courses that require admission to the College.

Steps for Carson College Reinstatement

Step 1: Raise Your Business GPA to 2.50

1. Calculate Your GPA: Use a GPA calculator to find your current WSU Business GPA. Enter all WSU business classes that are listed in your myWSU Academic Progress Report in the WSU Business GPA section.
2. Find Courses You Can Repeat: Identify any business courses where you earned a C- or lower. Use the WSU Catalog to check if these courses have prerequisites requiring admission to the Carson College. If they don’t, you can retake them. If you need to repeat a course for the third time, submit a Business Course – Third Attempt Petition.
3. Work With Your Advisor to Update Your Graduation Plan: Make sure to include courses to retake and all remaining degree requirements.
4. Use Your Resources: Take advantage of academic success workshops, tutoring, and office hours to improve your GPA.

Step 2: Apply to be Reinstated

• When to Apply: Apply near the end of the semester you expect your business GPA to be 2.50 or higher.
• Deadline: Apply before the last day of finals week when your GPA will meet the requirement.
• Decision Timeline: You’ll be notified within two weeks of the end of the semester.

If you don’t reach the minimum business GPA, you can reapply in a future term. Your readmission will depend on your business GPA and the quality of application responses. Readmission is not guaranteed.

Carson College Readmission Application

Want to Take a Business Course for a Third Time?

If you’ve taken a business course twice and earned a C- or lower both times, you can submit a petition requesting to take it a third time to improve your grade.

See WSU Academic Regulation 34 for more information regarding course repeats.

Deadline:
Submit your petition no later than 3 weeks before the term starts (see deadlines below). Late petitions may not be considered.

When Will You Get a Decision?
You’ll be notified of the decision one week before the class starts (see dates below). If approved, you’ll be enrolled in the class if there’s space. Approval for third attempts is not guaranteed and all decisions are final.

If you have any questions, contact your Carson College of Business academic advisor.

3rd Attempt Petition

To stay in good academic standing at Washington State University, you must maintain a cumulative and semester GPA of 2.0. As a business major, you must also maintain a 2.5 business GPA. If your cumulative WSU GPA falls below 2.00, you are considered academically deficient and must apply for reinstatement to continue your enrollment.

Who Needs to Apply for Reinstatement?

• Current Students: If your semester or cumulative GPA is below 2.0 for the first time.
• Returning Students: If you were academically deficient, dismissed, or recessed before leaving WSU.

The goal of reinstatement is to support your academic success. Through this process, you’ll create a plan with academic goals and the steps needed to achieve them.

Cost of Application
The application fee for reinstatement is $75.00.

Applying for reinstatement is required to enroll for the Fall or Spring semester, but it is not needed for summer enrollment. The reinstatement application is separate from the Admissions Application and the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal.

For more information on reinstatement, contact the Academic Success & Career Center (ASCC) Reinstatement team or visit the WSU Pullman Reinstatement Information Page.