Advising Support & Updates During COVID-19

Advisors are available virtually via the Virtual Advising Center and via Zoom appointments for current students. 

Virtual Advising Center: You may use the Virtual Advising Center to ask online questions. We ask that during this time, you please prioritize using the Virtual Advising Center for your quick questions as well as questions that may not require an immediate response. 

Our goal is to respond to all VAC messages within 1-3 business days (advisors do not answer VAC messages on weekends, evenings, or University holidays); however, more complex questions may take longer. We ask that you check out our Frequently Asked Questions page prior to sending your VAC messages to see if your question has already been answered.

Remote Advising Appointments: All remote appointments will take place via Zoom unless otherwise arranged with the advising team. Please see our Sociology Advising Schedule  for our advising hours. To sign up for an advising appointment please see here.  One-on-one advising appointments will be up to 30 minutes long.

Please note that while advising appointments will take place during normal operating hours, we will do our best to accommodate requests from students in other time zones. If none of the times work for you, or if you do not have a Zoom capable device, please contact us in the Virtual Advising Center (VAC). 

If you have an urgent question, but are not able to schedule an immediate appointment, please direct your question to the Virtual Advising Center.

Course pre-approval and petitions (for classes to count toward major/minor requirements)

• Please use the petition form below to both pre-approve and petition courses to count toward majors and minors. You will be contacted in the Virtual Advising Center within 3-4 weeks with the result of your petition. For further information about petitioning courses please see the following resource. 

Other forms and paperwork that need an Advisor's signature

• For forms such as Double major petitions, Max Unit Appeals, and all other forms, please send your completed forms to Sociology Advisors at socadvising@ucsd.edu, ensure your form is completely and correctly filled out.

• Information about filling in double major petition forms: 
  • When filling out the double major petition form, please do not list exact classes for Upper division electives, unless you have taken, or are currently enrolled in the course.
  • I.E. if you have not taken an UD course yet, please list "SOCI UD Elect” or “SOCI UD Conce Elect”, or "SOCI UD Methods" for the Subject Code, Course Number, and Title.
  • The reason for this is because we cannot guarantee that specific courses will be taught or available to fulfill the major requirements that you have not yet taken.

• You may be contacted in the Virtual Advising Center to set up a Zoom appointment to go over your form. Otherwise you your form will be returned back to you within 3-5 business days, but completing your forms may take longer if they are not correctly filled out. If you would like to discuss the form please schedule a Zoom advising appointment or send a questions via the Virtual Advising Center.

Enrollment Pre-authorization requests via the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy)

There are circumstances in which a student will be unable to enroll in courses that they are eligible for. Some examples include:

• Freshmen with sophomore standing
• Student who will obtain junior standing at the end of a quarter, but unable to enroll in upper division courses during their enrollment period mid-quarter.
• Student participating in Study Abroad at UCSD

If the class you wish to enroll in has prerequisites or restrictions, submit your preauthorization request via the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy). We require a minimum of 2 business days to approve of the request. Learn more about the EASy system here.

The campus is planning Fall 2021 learning to be primarily in-person with normal classroom occupancy in accordance with public health guidelines. A select amount of remote courses will be available during FA21.

Courses that have only RCLAS listed as their building will be offered remotely. See the following Fall 2021 Schedule of Classes FAQ for additional information.

The following FA21 Sociology courses on our Annual Schedule have been updated to be fully remote.

Typically, all courses taken for credit toward the Sociology major or minor must be taken for a Letter Grade, with the exception of one special studies course (SOCI 198, 198RA, or SOCI 199) for majors.

In response to the EPC notice sent on 12/08/2020, the Sociology Department will allow students in our majors and minors to take courses for their requirements P/NP in Fall 2020. 

As of 12/18/20, Sociology Major/minor requirements in which students receive a "Pass" may count towards the fulfillment of that requirement. This one time exception will be in place for Fall 2020 for all Sociology majors, and minors. Additional process details for SOCI majors/minors will posted by 1/4/2020 on this webpage. 

Additionally, while it is possible to take a Sociology course P/NP in FA20, you will want to consider if this is the best option for you. Please be aware of the following (should you choose to change your grading option from Letter to Pass/Not Pass):

1. Fall 2020 P/NP units will count toward the 25% maximum allowed by the university.

1. Course work must be equivalent to C- or better to receive a P
2. A change from a D grade to an NP will result in a loss of units (i.e., no units will be earned for an NP).
   
   
3. Because financial Aid packages may be affected by receiving NP grades, it is recommended to contact the financial aid office should you have questions about how it might affect you.
   
   
4. A change to P/NP for a Fall 2020 course will be allowed for a repeat of a class in which a D or F grade was earned in an earlier term.
   
   
5. For Fall Graduates, the processing of DDAs (Degree and Diploma Applications) as well as honors designations may be delayed for by switching to P/NP. Fall 2020 Graduates should be aware that initiating this process could delay the processing of your degree. Fall 2020 Graduates, If you are planning to submit the retroactive petition to change a letter grade to the P/NP option, please notify your college and major advisors via the VAC no later than Friday, January 8, 2021 (end of Week 1 of Winter Quarter). (This only applies to students planning to graduate in Fall 2020.)
   
   
6. Students who plan to apply to graduate school should be aware that graduate, medical, and other professional programs may not accept a grading option of P/NP for some courses. Students will need to check with the specific graduate/professional school they are applying to and inquire what courses are required to apply and if those courses can be graded as P/NP (see the Career Center website for additional information).
   
   
7. Students trying to raise their GPA, especially in an effort to return to good academic standing, or students who are attempting to maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid, should also be careful. Those who need to raise their GPA above a 2.0 to be in good standing or for purposes of financial aid may not benefit from taking P/NP grades. We recommended that you check in with your College and the Financial Aid Office to determine how taking a course as P/NP will impact your academic progress or financial support.

For more information on the policy from the Academic Senate, please visit this site.

For more FAQs answered by the VCSA, please visit this site.

Overview of Process: 

1. The process for students to request a retroactive grade change from letter grade to P/NP for Fall 2020 will be a streamlined process that will NOT require students to get the instructor or department chair signature. Please do not start trying to collect signatures via the traditional petition route. The official process for students to request a retroactive grade change from letter grade to P/NP for Fall 2020 has not been decided/finalized, but the details will be released by the January 4th timeline (when students can start to request the changes). The process to request the grading option change will be available during the first four weeks of Winter 2021: January 4 - January 29, 2021. No action is needed at this time.
   
   
2. All requests to go from a letter grade to P/NP for Fall 2020 will be approved. No extenuating circumstances need to be documented to do so. 
   
   
3. Students who earn an NP grade for a course are able to retake the course for a letter grade in a future quarter.
   
   
4. Students requesting to retroactively change a Fall 2020 grading option from P/NP to Letter grade would still require the regular University petition route. This request is not a guaranteed approval and is a separate process. Students will need to submit a detailed personal statement explaining the request for the reversal of the grade option change. For Sociology courses, students can send the petition request (with the student's information (name, PID), course information, and the detailed personal statement) to socadvising@ucsd.edu for routing to the instructor, SOCI department chair, and college.

How to submit Petition: 

The form to submit a petition to retroactively change your grading option(s) from Letter to Pass/Not Pass (P/NP) in Fall 2020 classes is available at: https://ucsd.kualibuild.com/app/builder/#/app/5fd286ae3c55fe0cf3e73b8b/run 

• The form will close on January 29, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. 
• Students are required to access the form through Single Sign-On using their active directory login credentials. 
• The form will allow students to change the grading option from Letter to P/NP for one, multiple, or all of their Fall 2020 courses. 
• The form will be submitted directly to the Educational Policy Committee and Office of the Registrar. These petitions will be granted. 
• Students are responsible for checking their records to verify their grading option request was updated. Requests will be processed in the order that they are received, and processing may take up to 15 business days from the date the request is submitted. Requests for rush processing will not be honored. Changes to final grades will be visible through the Academic History tool in TritonLink; students will not be notified after their requests have been processed. 

Students are advised to review these important considerations prior to requesting to change their grading option from Letter to P/NP. 

Student Responsibilities: 

• It is each student’s responsibility to confirm that their department (other than Sociology), program and/or college will apply a P grade toward their major, minor, and/or college general education requirements. 

• It is each student’s responsibility to confirm that, if the course is designated as letter grade only, the department, program, and/or college will accept a P grade to apply toward their degree requirements.

• It is each student’s responsibility to confirm that they have received approval from the department, program, or college to continue in a Winter 2021 class that requires a passing grade in a prerequisite course. If a D grade was initially earned in Fall 2020, a change from Letter to P/NP will yield an NP, which will not clear prerequisite requirements. 

• Students who have submitted Fall 2020 DDAs must notify their major and college no later than Friday, January 8, 2021, that they are submitting this form and acknowledge that doing so could delay processing of their degree. 

All students were made aware of the option to retroactively petition to change letter grades to the P/NP option for Fall 2020, beginning on January 4, 2021 and through January 29, 2021.

Fall 2020 Graduates should be aware that initiating this process could delay the processing of your degree, as well as honors designations. Fall 2020 Graduates, If you are planning to submit the retroactive petition to change letter grades to the P/NP option, please notify your college and major advisors via the VAC no later than Friday, January 8, 2021 (end of Week 1 of Winter Quarter).

Doing so will allow majors and colleges to wait to process your degree until the grade changes have been finalized (which may delay degree conferral).

Please note:

• The Sociology Department and Colleges cannot process urgent posting requests for students requesting grade changes. 
• Notification of intent to submit the grade change request is not required by non-Fall 2020 Graduates.

There have been recent decisions from the UC San Diego Divisional Senate to adopt one-time exceptions regarding P/NP, as well as extending several deadlines. 

The main changes made were:

P/NP Grades:

• P/NP grades taken during Winter and Spring 2021 will not count towards the 25% cap on P/NP (P/NP courses will be removed from this calculation).
• Students will be able to select P/NP grading option through the end of the 10th week.

Deadlines:

• The undergraduate drop deadline, with a W, is extended to the end of Week 7.
• Students will be able to select P/NP (and S/U) grades through the end of the 10th week (changes should be made by students via WebReg).
• See the following calendar for specific dates: https://blink.ucsd.edu/instructors/courses/enrollment/calendars/2020.html
• An overview is as follows:

Details:

Sociology Major/Minor requirement courses in which students receive a "Pass" may count towards the fulfillment of that requirement, even though that course is not taken for a letter grade. This exception will be in effect for Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, and Spring 2021 only, for all Sociology majors and Minors. Please note that if you are using a grade of "Pass" in your course towards your major or minor requirements, the system has been updated and programmed to automatically apply those courses for your Sociology major/ minor requirements (for approved quarters only). Students who want to take a class for P/NP are responsible for making any changes needed in WebReg before the grading option deadline.

Additionally, before you decide on completing your courses for P/NP, be sure to consider your personal situation and whether it will negatively affect any financial aid, VA benefits, scholarships, graduate school application, job applications, course motivation, etc. Keep the following FAQs in mind about how taking courses P/NP can impact you. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our advising staff via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC, http://vac.ucsd.edu/).

During the Spring 2020 quarter, the Academic Senate has approved letter grades as well as Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grades to be taken in undergraduate courses. In an effort to provide students with flexibility during this time, the Sociology Department has agreed to the following Spring 2020 guidelines. Sociology’s Spring Quarter 2020 policy on P/NP classes is as follows below.

Update: This temporary Spring 2020 P/NP policy expires at the end of Spring quarter and the regular Sociology Department policy resumes from Summer 2020 onwards. 

• Sociology Dept. Majors:
  • Any Sociology class taken P/NP in Spring Quarter 2020 will count toward the major and/or the minor. If you do not see this automatic change, please send us a message in the Virtual Advising Center to adjust it. 
  • P/NP courses taken in Spring 2020 will not count towards the 25% cap on P/NP courses for the Bachelor’s degree (This is University Policy but helpful to note).
  • Students may change their selection of P/NP or Letter Grade through the end of the Friday of Week 11.
    • UPDATE: Due to our current social situations, the University has approved a new one-time exception for SP20 to permit undergraduate students to change their grading option and select a Pass/No Pass grade up until the end of Friday of Spring Quarter 2020 finals week, June 12, 2020.
    • Previously this deadline was Week 10, but has now been updated
  • P/NP courses are not included in calculations of GPA.  
  • This new policy is in effect for Spring Quarter 2020 only
    
    
• Sociology Minors:
  • Any Sociology class taken P/NP in Spring Quarter 2020 will count toward the major and/or the minor. If you do not see this automatic change, please send us a message in the Virtual Advising Center to adjust it. 
  • /NP courses taken in Spring 2020 will not count towards the 25% cap on P/NP courses for the Bachelor’s degree (This is University Policy but helpful to note).
  • Students may change their selection of P/NP or Letter Grade through the end of the Friday of Week 11.
    • UPDATE: Due to our current social situations, the University has approved a new one-time exception for SP20 to permit undergraduate students to change their grading option and select a Pass/No Pass grade up until the end of Friday of Spring Quarter 2020 finals week, June 12, 2020.
    • Previously this deadline was Week 10, but has now been updated
  • P/NP courses are not included in calculations of GPA.  
  • This new policy is in effect for Spring Quarter 2020 only

What does this mean for me as a student?

While it is possible to take a Sociology course P/NP in SP20 and apply it toward your major/ minor, you will want to consider if this is the best option for you. Please see the section below for things to consider.

What should I consider before taking a course Pass/No Pass instead of a letter grade?

Reminder: The temporary Spring 2020 P/NP policy expires at the end of Spring quarter and the regular Sociology Department policy resumes from Summer 2020 onwards. 

• Students should carefully consider taking additional units under the assumption they will need to devote less time to each course if it is graded P/NP. The expectation is students will apply the same amount of time and energy towards each enrolled course regardless of how the course is graded. If adequate time is not planned for each course, a student could easily find themselves overwhelmed at the amount of work required for the quarter.

• Students who plan to retake a course to replace a previously earned grade- For Spring 2020 only, D or F grades may be repeated on either a letter grade or P/NP basis. All grades you earn are recorded on your transcript, but the first 16 units of repeated classes for which you received a D, F, or NP won't be used to calculate your cumulative GPA. 

• Students who plan to apply for postgraduate study. Graduate, medical, and other professional schools may not accept a grading option of P/NP for some courses. Students will need to check with the specific graduate/professional school they are applying to and inquire what courses are required to apply and if those courses can be graded as P/NP. 

• Students who are veterans and receive financial assistance need to check with their campus Veterans Affairs liaisons to determine how taking a course as P/NP will impact their financial support.

• Student-athletes should check with their athletic advisor (Mary Angell or Katie McGann) to ensure a student's SP20 coursework and/or GPA will still meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

• Students trying to raise their GPA, especially in an effort to return to good academic standing. Students who need to raise their GPA above a 2.0 to be in good standing or for purposes of financial aid may be harmed in taking P/NP grades.

• Students maintaining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid. In addition to GPA, a student must maintain “Satisfactory Academic Progress” (SAP). Students are still considered to be making SAP according to the standard “PACE formula” even if they get a C-, D+, or D. For example: If a student with 15 units received 10 (C)’s and 5 (C-)‘s, they would be fine in terms of GPA and SAP. The same student receives 10 (C)’s and 5 NP’s would show a lack of SAP and may have issues with financial aid. Students should always check with the UCSD Financial Aid Office to verify how taking courses as P/NP would impact their aid.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of potential unintended consequences. Students who are uncertain of the effects of this decision are encouraged to seek guidance from their academic advisors in the Virtual Advising Center to understand the full implications of their choices.

For OSD accommodations with Sociology courses, you will primarily work with your instructor on any items listed under “classroom accommodations”. For “exam accommodations” please work with the following to coordinate accommodations:

• Remote Course- Please coordinate exam accommodations with instructors of the course.
• In person Course- Please coordinate exam accommodations with Department Liaisons.

We recommend OSD students to reach out to your instructor prior once OSD accommodations are established (via email, schedule a Zoom meeting, etc.) to ensure you are able to coordinate your OSD accommodations with them.

Full updated processes for Sociology OSD Accommodations can be located here.

Our Sociology Student Affairs Office and our department OSD Liaisons are still available to support you throughout the academic year remotely. 

We have remote advising services available for students (see above).  We will also continue to monitor the Virtual Advising Center to ensure that any questions or concerns that you have regarding your OSD accommodations can be answered in a timely manner.

If you have not already, we also highly encourage you to review the central campus' OSD website for updates to campus-wide OSD policies.