FAQs

A minor is an approved, limited, structured concentration in a field of study outside of your major. Not all academic programs offer minors. For a list of minors please visit the UMD Course Catalog.

The ANSC department does not currently offer a minor. Students are free to pursue any of the minors listed regardless of their current major or department, so long as they can meet both sets of requirements.

To add a double major or double degree, you must first submit a Double major/double degree form. To submit the form, first collect signatures from the ANSC Undergraduate Office, the College of AGNR Academic Programs Office, and the advising office of the second major program. Part of the process is determining which will be your primary major; this is the department which will maintain your records and certification of general education requirements. If you are interested in double majoring, we recommend declaring as soon as possible so as not to further delay graduation.

Please note: if you wish to add a Limited Enrollment Program as a second major, you must do so at the earliest possible opportunity to assure that specific credit and GPA requirements can be met.

A double major requires students to complete all requirements of the two majors within a total of the normal total of 120 credits that undergraduates must earn. At graduation, the student will earn one degree and the student’s transcript will indicate the completion of major requirements for both majors. 

Double degrees are more ambitious, and require the completion of 150 credits while completing the degree requirements for two majors. At graduation, students will be awarded two degrees and the student’s transcript will indicate the completion of major requirements for both majors and the awarding of two bachelor’s degrees. More information about double majors/degrees can be found within the student's major college.

If you have a verified Associate's Degree (AA) from a Maryland institution, you do not have to complete all individual General Education requirements; however, you must still complete all ANSC required courses, even if they also fulfill a Gen Ed requirement. You will also need to complete a Professional Writing (PW) course at UMD. 

Please note: that this policy only applies to verified AAs from a Maryland Institution. Out of state AAs do not qualify.

A prerequisite course is one which must be completed before taking another course. For example, ANSC101-Principles of Animal Science must be completed before you may enroll in ANSC204 - Anatomy of Domestic Animals; ANSC101 is considered a prerequisite for ANSC204. Prerequisites are listed under a course’s details in the Testudo Schedule of Classes.

Registration times can be viewed by clicking the Appointment and Registration link on Testudo. Your registration time represents the earliest time you can register, but you can register at any point after that time/date, once your advising block is cleared.

**Your registration time does NOT represent a meeting time with your faculty mentor or group advising session.**

1. Number of times a student can attempt a course:

A student can only attempt a course twice. All attempts at a course (including withdrawing with a W or failing the course) count as an attempt.

Students may petition to repeat a course a 3rd time, but exceptions are only given in “rare and extraordinary circumstances” in which a problem is “out of the control of a student and not predictable.” Requests are not guaranteed and are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students who would require a 3rd attempt to pass a course fundamental to the major may be required to switch out of ANSC. 

2. What is the "freshman forgiveness" (repeat) policy? 

To help freshmen and transfer students adjust to the UMCP campus, the following two exceptions allow for the cumulative GPA to be calculated so that only the higher grade is included. However, any grade earned in prior attempts of a repeated course will appear on the student's transcript, regardless of whether the grade is dropped from, or averaged into, the cumulative grade point average:

• When the repeated course was taken within the student's first semester at UMCP
  - or -
• When the repeated course was taken within the student's first 24 credit hours attempted (including transfer credit, but not including AP or IB credits) or within the semester during which the student reached the 24th credit hour attempted.

3. What is considered a passing grade for ANSC?

Please review the Minimum Grade Policy for ANSC. Note that students who were enrolled in ANSC Spring 2016 or prior will remain under the old policy.

Make sure you carefully read and understand the Minimum Grade Policy as it affects you, including the requirement for a 2.0 GPA in major required courses.

4. Benchmarks and progress in ANSC

Make sure that dropping a course will not put you in violation of ANSC Benchmarks. Students who are not meeting benchmarks and not making timely progress towards their degree will be required to change into a new major.

5. Repercussions of going below 12 credits: 

12 credits is the minimum a student needs to be enrolled in to be considered a full-time student. There are several items that may be contingent upon them having this status. It should be stressed to the students that these are just some of the possible things that could be affected, and that they should speak with parents/examine their individual situation carefully before making this decision. Some of the things most commonly effected are:

• Health insurance - health insurance providers may require an adult child to be registered as a full-time student to be covered under their parents' health insurance
• Scholarships - most (if not all) scholarships require students to be full-time to be eligible and to receive scholarship money
• Financial aid - depending on the financial aid package, it may be contingent on full-time status
• On-campus housing - Students living in on-campus housing are required to be full time students. Dropping below 12 credits can jeopardize future housing.

To help freshmen and transfer students adjust to the UMCP campus, the following two exceptions apply to how repeated courses are reflected in your cumulative GPA. While both repeated courses will appear on your transcript, only the highest of the two grades will factor into your cumulative GPA if...

• The repeated course was taken within your first semester at UMCP.

• The repeated course was taken within your first 24 credit hours attempted (24 credits includes transfer credit, but not AP or IB credits).

Please note: If you are repeating a course you have transferred in, within your first 24 credits, and the transfer grade is the higher of the two, then the repeated grade will not be included in your GPA.