Registration Information, FAQs, and Graduation Information

***If you are a former WT student, your account is already active and you can skip this step.***

If you haven't already activated your WTAMU student account, go to: wtamu.edu/activate. Follow the prompts and complete the information. You will need to know your Buff ID # as you complete the fields in the activate wizard. You can find this ID number in your admission email from the Graduate School. You will create your password during the activation process.

If you run into any problems, contact our IT Help Desk at 806-651-4357(HELP) or you can email itsc2@wtamu.edu. 

ONLINE STUDENT TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES

Go to https://students.wtamu.edu/onlinestudents.html to learn more about our online student resources. Pay special attention to the sections about Buff Connect, Setting up your Student Email, and WTClass as you will need to know about these three items to register and take classes.

OFFICIAL DEGREE PLAN/PLAN OF STUDY

An Official Degree Plan was requested on your behalf when you were admitted to the program. The Degree Plan will be reviewed and filed by the Graduate School about 6-8 weeks after you were admitted. Once filed, a notation will appear at the top of your Program Evaluation stating "Official Degree Plan reviewed by Graduate School" and will include a timestamp showing the date, time, and Graduate School reviewer's name. 

If you need documentation for tuition assistance or military benefits, you can use your Program Evaluation. Instructions to view your Program Evaluation are shown in Step 3. 

LEVELING INFORMATION

Each of our graduate programs have different leveling requirements:

• MBA - ACCT*6300, CIDM*6300, and FIN*6300
• MSCISBA - CIDM*6300 and CIDM*6303 (see note below)
• MSFE - ACCT*6300, CIDM*6300, and FIN*6300
• MS-SHRM - ACCT*6300

Leveling Courses (if needed) are pre-requisite courses for some Core Courses.  

• ACCT 6300 is a prereq for FIN 6300 and ACCT 6305. This means that you must take ACCT 6300 before you take either of those courses.
• FIN 6300 is a prereq for FIN 6320 and FIN 6370
• CIDM 6300 is a prereq for CIDM 6305

Leveling courses do not have to be taken your first semester. This means that you can take courses that do not show a pre-requisite before you take your leveling requirements. 

If you have been waived from these leveling courses, you will be able to register for any course that shows ACCT 6300, CIDM 6300 or FIN 6300 as the pre-requisite. A pre-requisite notification will show in yellow when you try to register, but the system will allow you to register even if that notification is showing.

MSCISBA Information - The MSCISBA program requires a background in programming. If you do not have a background in programming, you will be asked to take CIDM*6303.

If you have a programming background, you will be waived from CIDM*6303, which is a pre-requisite on many CIDM courses in the program. A pre-requisite notification will show in red when you try to register for any class with CIDM*6303 as a pre-requisite, but the system will allow you to register. 

HOW LONG IS EACH SEMESTER?

We offer classes during four semesters each year:

• Fall - Last week of August through the end of November, 14 weeks
• Spring - Mid-January through the end of April, 14 weeks
• Summer 1 - Beginning of June through the first week of July, 5 weeks
• Summer 2 - Second week of July through the third week of August, 5 weeks

WT has two additional semesters - May Intersession and Winter Intersession. However, the College of Business rarely offers classes during these terms.  

Summer classes are accelerated, bonus semesters. They are a good way to progress through the degree quickly but they are not required. Also, we typically offer classes in the summer that count toward multiple degree programs (for example, CIDM 6305 counts toward the MBA, MSFE, MSCISBA, and MS-SHRM degree). More specialized classes are not as likely to be offered during the summer. The University only allows students to take 6 hours per summer semester. 

HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD I TAKE?

If you are working full-time, we suggest that you take fewer hours each semester. Start with 3 to 6 hours. Budget 10 hours per week per class for long semesters and around 20 to 25 hours per week per class for the summer sessions. We don’t want your GPA, professional or personal life to suffer.

WHEN ARE SCHEDULES FOR FUTURE SEMESTERS AVAILABLE TO VIEW?

Schedules for future semesters are available to view about one month before registration opens. 

• The Summer and Fall semesters will be available to view in early March. 
• The Spring semester will be available to view in early October. 

WHEN CAN I REGISTER FOR CLASSES?

Registration opens on the following dates:

• Fall and Summer semesters - April 1^st (or the 1^st Monday in April if the 1st lands on a weekend)
• Spring semester - November 1^st (or the 1^st Monday in November if the 1st lands on a weekend) 

DO YOU HAVE ANY RESOURCES TO HELP DECIDE WHAT CLASSES TO TAKE?

We have two tools that are very helpful: 

• The Syllabi Search is a compilation of the past syllabi for our graduate business courses. You can search by instructor or course. 
• Our Course Overview Videos are created by the faculty members teaching the course and give a quick overview of what you can expect to learn in each course. 

DO YOU ACCEPT TRANSFER CREDIT?

Yes. We will accept up to 1/3 of the total hours required for your degree (not counting leveling). If there is a course on your degree plan that you believe is equivalent to a graduate course you took at another institution, you will need to provide a course syllabus from your other school showing what you learned in that course.

When evaluating transfer credit, we look for these three things:

• A grade of B or higher
• From a AASCB accredited school
• Within the past 5 years

If you meet these qualifications, send your course syllabus to Dr. Jeffry Babb at jbabb@wtamu.edu and let him know which course at WT you believe is equivalent. He will then determine whether the courses are equivalent and approve/deny the transfer.

DO YOU ACCEPT CREDIT FOR WORK EXPERIENCE?

No, we do not offer course credit based on work experience that you have.

You can see real-time progress toward your degree by running Program Evaluation on Buff Advisor. To do this, go to Buff Connect > Buff Advisor > Student Planning > Academics (graduation cap icon on the left side of the page) > Program Evaluation.  

Now that you have been admitted, you should use your Program Evaluation, not your Preadmission Degree Plan, to determine what courses you are required to take. This is due to the fact that some students receive a preadmission degree plan and then wait a few months to a year before they apply and are admitted. Once you are admitted you are admitted under the most recent catalog requirements which might be slightly different from the preadmission degree plan you received.  

Program Evaluation will also be used as your official degree plan. This degree plan was requested on your behalf when you were admitted to the program. The degree plan will be reviewed and filed by the Graduate School about 6-8 weeks after you were admitted. Once filed, a notation will appear at the top of your Program Evaluation stating "Official Degree Plan reviewed by Graduate School" and will include a timestamp showing the date, time, and Graduate School reviewer's name. 

Remember that schedules for future semesters are available to view about one month before registration opens. 

• The Summer and Fall semesters will be available to view in early March. 
• The Spring semester will be available to view in early October. 

To search course offerings each semester, go to Student Planning in Buff Advisor.

This can be accessed through Buff Connect > Buff Advisor > Student Planning. Use the search box in the top right corner to search for specific classes (e.g. FIN 6320) or all classes in one discipline (e.g. FIN). 

Make sure to utilize the “Filter Results” section on the left side of the page to find exactly what you are looking for.

• Select "Graduate" under Academic Levels
• Select “Web-based” under Locations if you are an online-only student
• Select the specific term to see what is being offered (e.g. 2024 Fall Semester).  

**This action plans your course but does not actually register you in the class. Go to Step 5 to Register.**

Registration opens on the following dates:

• Fall and Summer semesters - April 1^st (or the 1^st Monday in April if the 1st lands on a weekend)
• Spring semester - November 1^st (or the 1^st Monday in November if the 1st lands on a weekend) 

After you have planned your classes (Step 4) and Registration is open, go to "Plan and Schedule" in Student Planning. 

During the Spring registration period, you are able to register for more than one semester at a time (Summer I, Summer II, and Fall). If you have planned courses for multiple semesters, you can use the blue "Register Now" button in the top right corner. This should register you in all of the courses you have planned in the Summer and Fall.

If you only want to register for one semester at a time, use the arrows to move to the semester you are wanting to register for. You should see the course(s) you have planned.  Click the blue "Register" button under each course. 

As mentioned above, planning courses does not register you in the course or hold a spot for you to take the course.

• If the class shows in green font, then the class was added to your schedule (registered). If it is in yellow, you are not registered.
• If the class is full, it will let you know in red that the class is full and you will have to either find an open section or get on the waitlist for the class. The waitlist will allow you to get in the course if/when someone else drops or doesn’t pay for the course. If you get on a waitlist, you will need to check your Buff email each day to see if you’ve received a notification letting you know that there is a spot available for you to register for the course.

Sometimes there will be a HOLD on your account that will not allow you to register for courses. If you try to register while there is a HOLD on your account, the system will stop you from registering. A notification will appear in the top right corner of Student Planning telling you what your HOLD is and will typically give you a phone number to call.

Some common HOLDS are as follows:

• Update Emergency Contact Information – University policy states that every student, even distance education students, must update their emergency contact information online every 180 days. To do this go to Buff Connect > Buff Advisor > In the upper right corner, click on your name > On the “User Options” menu, choose “Emergency Information” > Review the information listed. Use the pencil icon to edit existing information. Make sure you have someone marked as your “Missing Person Contact” (green check) > Click “Confirm”
• Business Office – If you have a past due balance for the University, you will not be able to register until that balance is paid.
• Academic Probation – In the future, if you end a semester with an overall GPA lower than 3.000, you will need to go through Lynsee Bjork to register. Please email Lynsee with your name, Buff ID, and the courses you would like to take, and she will advise you further.

Go to Buff Connect > Buff Advisor > Academics (graduation cap icon on the left side of page) > Schedule/Reserve-buy books > Let's Get Started

Under "Shop by Course" enter the semester and course (i.e. ACCT 6305 71) then click "View Your Materials"

The WT Business Office typically starts billing about one month after registration opens. Once you have been billed, you should receive an email from the Business Office to your Buffs email account letting you know that you have been billed. To view your bill, go to Buff Connect > Buff Advisor > Student Finance. 

If you register for classes after they have started billing, it can take a few days for your bill to populate in the Student Finance section. 

All questions about billing should be directed to the WT Business Office at bo@wtamu.edu or (806) 651-2080. 

Financial Aid

If you are using Financial Aid, here is a link to their webpage. Their email address is financial@wtamu.edu and their phone number is (806) 651-2055. 

Scholarships

We have one application available that will allow you to apply for all scholarships offered at WT. Scholarships are awarded on a yearly basis and the application deadline is February 1st each year. Go ahead and apply for scholarships even if you have missed the deadline because there are sometimes scholarships available past the deadline. 

You will need to apply for scholarships every year by the February 1st deadline. 

If you have questions about scholarships, please contact the Scholarship Office at scholarships@wtamu.edu or (806) 651-3330. 

Military and Veteran Benefits

If you will be using military or veteran benefits, here is a link to our Military and Veterans Services Office. Their email address is veteranbenefits@wtamu.edu and their phone number is (806) 651-4930). 

You can view important dates each semester on the Academic Calendar. This calendar shows payment deadlines, first and last class days, last day to drop for a refund, last day to drop with a guaranteed grade of "X", etc.

Course content and course syllabi will be available to view in WTClass 5 days prior to the start of the semester.

If you register for classes less than 5 days prior to the start of the semester, it can take 6-8 hours for your courses to appear in WTClass. 

On the first class day, you need to log in to WTClass by going to Buff Connect > WTClass and read your Course Syllabi. Professors will also have folders within each class with course content. 

At any point in the semester, if you are struggling with understanding content in one of your courses, please make sure to reach out to your professor. Faculty have weekly office hours and many are willing to help via email, phone, or Zoom if you ask for help. 

WTAMU provides all admitted students with a student email account for the primary reason of communicating official university information. You can access your email by logging in to Buff Connect and clicking on the email icon at the top of the screen. Official university communications such as financial aid, scholarships, bills, and advising/graduation information will be emailed to your student email account. Please check your email on a frequent basis to ensure that you do not miss any important notifications.