student walking on campus in fall

Advising FAQ

1. How can I find my faculty advisor?
Your advisor is located on your Degree Works. They are listed in the Advisor column under your name and Student ID number. If no advisor is listed, contact your major department listed below or contact CHSS advising Center at 973-655-3065.
Anthropology Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Classics and General Humanities Department – Dickson Hall 170- 973-655-7031
English Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
History Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Justice Studies Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Linguistics Department – Schmitt Hall 222 – 973-655-7755
Philosophy Department – Schmitt Hall 222 – 973-655-7755
Political Science and Law Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Psychology Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Department of Religious Studies – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Sociology Department – Dickson Hall 170 – 973-655-7031
Spanish and Latino Studies – Schmitt Hall 222 – 973-655-7755
World Languages and Cultures Department – Schmitt Hall 222 – 973-655-7755
Writing Studies Department – Schmitt Hall 222 – 973-655-7755
2. How do I make sure that courses from my previous school are evaluated for transfer credit?
You should contact the departments that offer the equivalent courses at Montclair State. The department secretaries/ program assistants will forward your requests to the appropriate faculty members for review. Be prepared to submit the syllabus from your former school; if you don’t have a syllabus, you may provide a course description.
3. What is a minor?
A minor is a set of courses that establishes your proficiency in a discipline with fewer courses than a major would require. The College of Humanities and Social Science offers nearly 50 minors.
4. How do I declare a major and/or minor?
Visit the department of the major/minor you wish to declare to inquire about their process. In most instances, you will have you complete a form (either paper or online) and obtain the signature of the department chairperson to ensure you meet with requirements to add that major and/or minor. Certain majors, in the College of the Arts, for example, have required interviews and/or auditions.
5. What are the General Education Requirements and am I required to take them?
See the General Education Requirements.
6. How do I apply to the teacher education program and what are the requirements?
See the Center of Pedagogy.
7. What are free electives?
Free elective credits are credits that do not count towards a major, minor, or general education requirement, but can count towards the 120 credits needed to graduate.
For example, if a student is a psychology major and a sociology minor and has completed their general education requirements and language and world culture requirement, any course taken outside of the requirements for the major or minor is a free elective. Free electives are sometimes needed to reach the 120 mark, depending on the number of credits needed for your major and minor. The general education requirements are 42 credits, plus 9 credits for world language and world culture, plus the psychology major (38 credits) and sociology minor (18 credits) equals 107 credits. In this example, the student could take 13 credits of free electives.

Still need help?

You can schedule a one-on-one appointment with the CHSS student advisor located in Dickson Hall who can help direct your steps, provide advice to work with your faculty advisor and help you solve a problem.

Contact: chssadvising@montclair.edu or schedule an appointment with your advisor via Navigate.