Frequently Asked Advising Questions
How to schedule an appointment
To schedule an appointment, you will need to call the advisor. You will need to schedule an appointment if you are declaring ESS as your major. If you have quick questions or schedule revisions, walk in hours are available. Please call the advisor to find out times and days of walk in hours.
Please be sure that you are on time for your scheduled appointment. If you are more than ten minutes late, you may be asked to reschedule.
What to bring to an appointment
To be prepared for an advising appointment, be sure that you bring all the appropriate documents. This can include a DARS report, graduation application, transcripts, course syllabi for departmental approval, professional program, graduate school, or minor requirements. Be sure to bring a prepared list of questions you might have. If you are unsure of what documents you will need to bring, please ask when making the appointment.
If you would like the advisor to release information about your progress in the major via email, phone or to a third party, you will need to fill out and return a release of information form. This release of information form must be filled out and returned to the ESS main office prior to your appointment.
What to expect at an appointment
If you plan on declaring ESS as your major, you will need to bring all documents to help with the planning of your schedule. As a declaring student, you will need to pick the program you are looking to go into in the major. You can change this program at any time after you declare. If you are unsure which program to go into, you and the advisor can discuss it based on your career and educational goals.
You will be required to fill out the major declaration form. This form will be provided for you during your appointment and you must fill out this form to be declared in the major. You will also receive an academic advising syllabus that will go over the roles and responsibilities of the student and the advisor and the expectations of the student in the major.
At the declaring appointment, you and the advisor will plan out your schedule from the time you declare until your graduation date. This schedule will include all major courses, General Education, and University Bachelor Degree requirements, along with total credit hours and total upper division hours. If you would like any minor or graduate program requirements in your schedule, please bring them. You will also be made aware of any changes in requirements for the major or prerequisites for the ESS courses. This planned schedule can be revised at any time, but it is your responsibility to ensure that you meet all the prerequisites and requirements for the major, as well as the University of Utah.
Transfer students
Students transferring to the University of Utah must meet with an advisor prior to registering for classes. You have the option of meeting with the ESS departmental advisor if you know you want to go into the ESS major, or you can meet with one of the advisors at University College Advising for advising on general education requirements.
All transfer students must bring a transcript and their University of Utah ID number. If you are transferring from a university or college within the state of Utah, your general education courses should transfer to the U. You will need to contact University College Advising for questions about general education transfer courses. For questions about what courses transfer to the major, please use the Getting Ready Guides provided by the Admission's Office. The Getting Ready Guides are specific to the transferring university or college for the ESS department. If a course is not listed on these guides, you will need to bring in a syllabus for the course you want to go toward the major requirements. Only the ESS departmental advisor can approve courses for the major.
If you are transferring from out of state, all transfer courses going toward the major must be approved by the department. You must provide a syllabus for each course you would like to transfer into the major.
For more information about transferring courses, please visit the transfer page provided by the admission's office or the Transfer Center.
What classes are only available in a certain semester?
Most classes are taught every fall and spring, but there are a few that are only taught in the fall or the spring.
Fall only classes: ESS 3710 Elementary Methods, ESS 4610 Techniques to Improve Behavior Skills in PE, ESS 4710 High School Methods, ESS 3341 Honors Sport Psychology, ESS 3402 Clinical Experience II, ESS 3404 Clinical Experience IV, ESS 3420 Athletic Training Fundamentals II, ESS 3430 Athletic Training Medical Management, ESS 4010 Practicum in Athletic Training I, ESS 4360 Body Composition.
Spring only classes: ESS 4650 Introduction to Teaching Special PE, ESS 4700 Middle School Methods, ESS 5491 Seminar: Student Teaching, ESS 5495 Student Teaching in PE, ESS 2510 Introduction to Teaching PE, ESS 2601 Honors Sport in American Society, ESS 3400 Athletic Training Fundamentals I, ESS 3401 Clinical Experience I, ESS 3403 Clinical Experience III, ESS 3405 Clinical Experience V, ESS 3470 Physical Agents in Athletic Training, ESS 3480 Therapeutic Exercise in Athletic Training, ESS 3490 Issues in Athletic Training, ESS 4690 Training Planning (also available summer).
What courses in the major will cover the General Education and University Bachelor Degree Requirements?
The ESS Department has a few courses that will fulfill General Education and University Bachelor degree requirements. Students declared in the ESS department will not need to fulfill the 2 Social/Behavioral Science (BF) courses required for the general education intellectual exploration requirement.
The courses in the major that fulfill General Education or University Bachelor Degree requirements are as follows:
Social/Behavior (BF) credit – ESS 2600 Sport in American Society
Communications/Upper-Division Writing (CW) credit – ESS 3670 Exercise Health and Cultural Perspective**
Diversity (DV) credit – ESS 4900 Promoting Physical Activity in the Community
Quantitative Intensive (QI) credit – ESS 3091 Physiology of Fitness, ESS 3093 Biomechanics, ESS 3094 Honors Exercise Physiology, ESS 3096 Honors Biomechanics, ESS 4465 Exercise Programming, ESS 4690 Training Planning
** As of Fall 2010, ESS 3670 will no longer be a CW. If you take this course to fulfill the CW requirement, be
sure that it is listed in the ‘Attributes’ section of the class
schedule.
Recommended courses for the major that fulfill requirements:
Life Science (SF) credit – BIOL 1210 Principles of Biology, which is a prerequisite to BIOL 2325 Human Anatomy
Applied Science (AS) credit – NUTR 1020 Scientific Foundations of Human Nutrition and Health, which is required for the PE Teaching major and a prerequisite for all Nutrition courses
Quantitative Reasoning (QA) credit – MATH 1050 College Algebra is recommended for the major and required for the Exercise Physiology program
Quantitative Reasoning (QB) credit – MATH 1040 Introduction to Statistics and Probability (or MATH 1070 Introduction to Statistical Inference, PSY 3000 Statistical Methods in Psychology, FCS 3210 Statistics in Family and Consumer Studies, and SOC 3112 Social Statistics) is required for the Exercise Science and Fitness Leadership programs. It is also a prerequisite for ESS 2500 Exploration of Movement Science
What's a withheld number?
Withheld numbers are numbers for classes that have been replaced with asterisks. These asterisks will prevent you from registering for the class without the number. This is done to ensure that the student taking the course has met the prerequisites. These numbers are kept by the department and you must contact the department to receive the numbers. Courses with withheld numbers are typically upper division courses meant for specific students, like those in Athletic Training, PE Teaching or for Juniors and Seniors.
The courses in the major with withheld numbers are: ESS 3480 Therapeutic Exercise in Athletic Training, ESS 3490 Issues in Athletic Training, ESS 3710 Elementary Methods, ESS 4465 Exercise Programming, ESS 4700 Middle School Methods, ESS 4710 High Scholl Methods, ESS 4800 Practicum, ESS 4810 Internship, ESS 4900 Promoting Physical Activity in the Community, ESS 4920 Independent Study, ESS 4921 Peer Tutoring, ESS 5491 Seminar: Student Teaching, ESS 5495 Student Teaching in PE, and ESS 5800 Special Projects.
There are several ways to go about getting the withheld numbers. The first option is to meet with the ESS advisor during an appointment or during walk in hours. You will need to know the class and the section that will work best with your schedule. This is the only option for the withheld number for ESS 4900. The second option is to send an email to the ESS advisor. This option is not available to those students who want the ESS 4900 withheld number. If you send an email it must come from your Umail account and include the following: name, ID number, course, course section, and semester. Emails are dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.
These numbers are different from permission codes (or add codes). Permission codes are required to add the class when the class is full. You will need to contact the instructor to get the permission code. The ESS office staff and advisors do not have access to permission codes for classes. You can access the instructor’s contact information on the ESS web site, the U of U directory, or by contacting the ESS office.
How to apply for graduation
Student will need to apply for graduation two semesters before your intended graduation date, and you must also meet the deadlines:
Fall graduation deadline is June 1
Spring graduation deadline is November 1
Summer graduation deadline is February 1
After the deadline, students will need to pay a $25 late fee to turn in their application. For your application, you will need to print out a copy of the undergraduate graduation application, which can be found on the Registrar’s Web page or through your CIS page. You will also need to print out a Degree Audit Report (DARS) for you major(s) and minor(s), if applicable. Next, you will need to schedule an appointment with your appropriate advisor(s). I would recommend setting up an appointment at least a week before the deadline. You can also turn in your graduation application a year in advance. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE!
At your appointment with the ESS advisor, you will need to bring your graduation application and a current DARS report for your major or program. As a student, you will be required to fill out a Graduation Checklist.
The graduation application and checklist does not mean that you will graduate in the intended semester. The signature means that you have the let department know of your intent to graduate and that you are eligible.
For more information on the graduation application process, visit the graduation Web site.
Graduation ceremonies
Graduation commencement and convocation is only done in the spring. Students have to option of participating in the University-wide graduation commencement and/or the convocation ceremonies through their college. For ESS students, we are in the College of Health.
For more information on the University-wide commencement ceremony, contact the Office of the Registrar or visit their Web site.
For students planning on participating at the College of Health ceremony, you must let the ESS department know of your intent by March 31. For more information, visit the College of Health Web site. Diplomas will be mailed 90 days after grades are posted. If you need your diploma expedited, you must contact the graduation office and request and individual approval form. You can only make this request once final grades are posted.
"What I Should Do" Guides
The ESS Department has provided guides to help students navigate the University system during their time here. Guides are provided for Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Transfer Students.
These guides will answer any questions you have about navigating the University's Web site, what classes to take, and who you need to meet. The guides should not replace meeting with an advisor, but should be used as a reference for finding answers.
