Deciding (Undeclared) Students

Students entering IPFW undecided about a major are placed into the Mastodon Advising Center (MAC). While affiliated with MAC, these students are given an opportunity to take classes without having to make an early commitment to a major. Undeclared MAC students are encouraged to enroll in career-exploration courses, meet with career counselors in career services, and visit academic units to investigate potential majors.

How to Declare Your Major

1. Obtain an unofficial copy of your transcript from my.ipfw or the Registrar’s Office (Kettler Hall, Room 107).
2. Take your transcript to the department you wish to declare as a major. Your new department will handle all the paperwork. From this point on you will be advised in your new department.

Department Contact Information can be found in the A-Z listing.

English as a Second Language

The Mastodon Advising Center (MAC) advises English as a Second Language (ESL) students (i.e., students for whom English is not a native language). Advisors provide assistance with course selection to meet the individual needs and goals of each student. In addition to academic advising, MAC advisors guide ESL students as they explore the IPFW and U.S. cultures.

The MAC works closely with the Office of International Education and the Center for Academic Support and Advancement (CASA) in order to support ESL Students as they progress towards their academic and career goals. For further information, please contact Marietta Wolczacka Frye at 260-481-6595.

To schedule an hour-long appointment with Marietta, please contact the Mastodon Advising Center in Kettler Hall, room 109.

College Lingo

Exploring Students

The Exploratory Majors program serves students who do not qualify for regular admission into their intended major and would benefit from the extra attention. Professional advisors in the Mastodon Advising Center (MAC) provide information and direction toward special programs, sound academic skills, and tutorial services. Those admitted to the program are encouraged to participate in clubs and activities related to their intended major and work closely with professional academic advisors to ensure that they reach their educational goals. Students in the program must report their academic progress to their advisors, who can help identify any support services that may be needed. Students who complete at least 12 credits and earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher are in most cases eligible to declare their academic major.

MAC cares about the success of all Exploratory students. For that reason, we require all Exploratory students to participate in the Academic Student Achievement Program (ASAP!). The mission of ASAP! is to provide an early warning system that identifies students in need of intervention during that semester. Another objective is to enhance the relationships and communication among students, advisors and faculty. Additional information about ASAP! can be found in the office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs.

Guest

The Mastodon Advising Center (MAC) advises Guest students visiting from other colleges outside the IU or Purdue systems.  Any student who wishes to take classes at IPFW as a Guest student needs to submit the “Non Degree No Option Students Waiver Form” prior to seeing a MAC advisor.  Once the form is processed, students will need to register for classes on their own using myIPFW. 

Guest students are required to bring a copy of their college transcript(s) to the advising appointment in order to process a course pre-requisite override.  IPFW prerequisites may be found in the course description section of the IPFW Undergraduate Bulletin.

Conditional Students

The Conditional / Exploring program is designed to assist students in completing their freshman year successfully. Students admitted to the university as Conditional / Exploring must sign an agreement to abide certain conditions in order to continue enrollment at IPFW. Once a student has successfully completed the requirements of their agreement, they will be released to seek admission into their academic major.

Conditional / Exploring students will also be required to take a MAC Advisor authorized sequence of classes until released from the program. These classes are:

Full-Time Student, First Term: 12 credits are required; 15 credits are strongly recommended

Full-Time Student, Second Term: 12 credits are required; 15 credits are strongly recommended

Part-Time students will follow the same plan as full-time students whenever possible. The selection and sequence of courses must be authorized by a MAC advisor.

To be released from the Conditional / Exploring program, the student must achieve:

1. Thirty (30) credits including the required courses identified above, and detailed in the "Program of Studies for MAC Conditional Admission/Exploring Students"
2. A successfully submitted MAP-Works Transitions Survey, and Check-Up Survey
3. Compliance with Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements as determined by the Office of Financial Aid
4. Documented admission into an academic major, including achievement of the GPA requirement for that major
   NOTE: "Documented admission to an academic major" means that the MAC advisor has confirmed the following:
1. the student to be released has met all the Conditional / Exploring conditions
2. the student to be released has been formally admitted to the academic major

If the student has successfully completed 15 credits with a 3.0 GPA or higher, conditionally admitted students may qualify for early release from the MAC Conditional / Exploring Major when conditions 2-4 above have been met.