COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
ONLINE ORIENTATION

The College of Professional Studies is committed to developing students’ abilities to successfully address social, political, and economic problems, as well as educating and training broad-based service professionals in the public and private sectors. Recognizing the rapidly changing environments in which such efforts must be carried out, the College’s curricula are oriented toward lifelong approaches to professional and personal development integrating theory, practice, and technology. All programs in the College link students’ learning experiences to the needs of communities and their members.

· Criminal Justice, BS
· Criminal Forensic Science, BS
· Social Work, BS
· Legal Studies, BS
· Political Science, BA
· Resort & Hospitality Management, BS

· Public Administration, MPA
· Social Work, MSW

UNIVERSITY GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

CLAST stands for College Level Academic Skills Test. This test is required of all Florida public community college and university students. It covers reading skills, English language skills, computational skills, and writing (a timed essay). You must complete your CLAST requirement prior to earning 60 total credit hours. Contact Janet Ullman in the FGCU Testing Center for further information at 590-7952. http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/Testing/clast.htm 

Math Placement Test: All transfer students who plan to take a math course (including statistics) must take the MPT. Please contact Janet Ullman to arrange a test time for your MPT.

If students have not met the Foreign Language Entrance requirement (2 years of the same language in high school or 8 semester hours of college) they must satisfy the requirements prior to graduating from FGCU.

3. Gordon Rule (State rule 6A 10.30)

All students must complete the Gordon Rule requirement. The Gordon Rule has two components, a writing component and a computation component. Students with an AA degree from a Florida public college or university have met State Rule 6A 10.30.

The writing components require that the student complete 12 semester hours of specified courses in which he/she will write 6,000 words per course. Six (6) of the 12 hours come from the two Freshman English courses. After completing Freshman English, the student may choose the remaining 6 hours from a list of approved courses. The student must earn grades of C or higher to receive Gordon Rule credit (no S/U).

The computation component requires that the student must take at least 6 hours of computation at, or above, college algebra level. As with the writing requirement, the student must earn a grade of C or higher to receive Gordon Rule credit. Choosing the right math course depends on the student’s math background and intended major.

4. General Education

Students transferring from a Florida community college with an AA degree have met the general education requirement. All other transfer students are required to fulfill the 36 hours of course work in general education in five subject areas as listed below. The General education Program at Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with state mandates, consists of 36 semester hours of coursework in the subject areas of communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Please review all General Education requirements at the following link: http://www.fgcu.edu/cas/generaled.html. It is your responsibility to meet your Florida General Education requirements.

Subject Area Distribution

Area I: Communication 6 semester hours
Area II: Mathematics 6 semester hours
Area III: Social Science 6-9 semester hours
Area IV: Humanities 9 semester hours
Area VI: Natural Sciences 6-9 semester hours
In Addition, 24 hours of general electives must be fulfilled to meet the total 60 hours of lower level credits

5. Grades

See individual programs for specific grade requirements

6. Service Learning

40/80 Service hours (web site: http://www.fgcu.edu/connect/) Or contact the Service Learning Coordinator, Linda Summers at 590-7015. You must complete your Service Learning requirement by the first semester of your senior year.

7. Summer Credit

All students entering FGCU with fewer that 60 semester hours of credit are required to earn at least 9 semester hours of credit prior to graduation by attendance during one or more summer terms. The University may waive the application of this rule in cases of unusual hardship to the individual.

8. Important Numbers to Remember—120/48/30

You need a total of 120 credit hours to graduate, 48 of which must be upper level courses (3,000-4,000 level classes), and 30 of which must be at FGCU.

9. Prerequisites and Program Requirements

Check your program of study for prerequisites and program requirements.

10. Online Course Schedule & Syllabi

Students can access course schedules and syllabi on the FGCU website at: http://admin.fgcu.edu/is/applications/schedule/schedule.aspx 

11. Gulfline - http://gulfline.fgcu.edu 

Gulfline is the online student information system. Gulfline gives students access to:

• Registration: Check your registration status; Add or drop classes; Select variable credits, grading modes, or levels; Display your class schedule. Student assessment of instruction (Evaluate courses)
• Student Records: View your holds; Display your grades and transcripts; Review charges and payments.
• Financial Aid:  Apply for Financial Aid; Review the status of your financial aid applications; Check status of document requirements; Review loans.
• Eagle View Orientation: Confirm your Eagle View Orientation date and obtain an orientation parking pass.

12. Distance Learning - http://cps.fgcu.edu/distance 

The College of Professional Studies maintains a distance learning website that lists all Internet classes available in the College. Students can access course information and links to their Internet classes from this website.

IMPORTANT! The following document must be completed and returned to your advisor.

Online Orientation Certification (.pdf)
Online Orientation Certification (.rtf)