Missouri Western has a split model of advising. In other words, initial advising of students is split between academic advisors in a central advising office and faculty advisors in each department. Usually, students who have not declared a major are assigned to the central office, while students who have declared a major are assigned to faculty in their major department. Students are strongly encouraged to develop a relationship with their assigned advisor and to meet regularly with that person. So, you may be wondering… Who is my advisor? What is their role? How do I find them?

You can go to your Goldlink account; go to the Student Academic Resources card, click on “Student Academic Resources”, then click on “My Student Profile”. Your advisor’s name and contact information is listed under the “Advisors” section.

You can either go to the Student Success Center or go to the academic department you plan to switch to and a faculty or staff person will fill out a Change of Advisor form to initiate the change.

Go to the Registrar’s website and fill out the major declaration form for your area of study.

You can find the major/minor forms by going to Missouri Western’s homepage, go to A-Z Search and click on M, then click on Major/Minor Forms. There is also a link on your “Student Academics” tab of Goldlink, under the “Advisement” section.

Go to A-Z search and look for “Forms – Students”, then choose “Major/Minor Change Form”.

There is no set number of times students can change their majors. However, students must remember courses that have been taken will not always carry over to another major, leaving some hours that will have to go toward elective hours. Also, when you change your major, general studies taken for one major might differ with the new major. Therefore, it is important to double check your major declaration form to ensure you have completed the appropriate general studies courses for your chosen major.

Yes, these hours will go toward elective hours if they are not listed on your new major declaration form.

Yes. However, Financial Aid only funds students up to a specific number of hours to obtain a degree (Associate’s is 93 hours; Bachelor’s is 180 hours). Therefore, it is important for students to prepare their four-year plans to determine if they have time to take extra classes and complete their major requirements within the specified number of hours for financial aid.

Students have final say as to what classes they want in their schedules. However, students need to consult with their academic advisors to ensure they are taking the courses needed for their major plans of study.

Please note the expiration date on the major declaration form at the time you officially file it. This will inform you as to the time limit you need to adhere to for completion of your course requirements.

Free tutoring is available to current Missouri Western students at the Center for Academic Support (CAS) in the Hearnes Center. Math and writing tutors work regularly scheduled hours throughout the day to assist students in those areas. Content tutors work by appointment only. Go to intranet.missouriwestern.edu/cas and go to “Tutor List” to view the content tutors that are already set up for specific classes. If the class you need assistance with is not listed, go to the CAS early in the semester to request a tutor. This process can sometimes take two-three weeks, so it is important to not wait until the last minute to get this process started.

Prior to the beginning of classes and during the add/drop period, students can log in through Goldlink and go to the Student Registration card and click on “Add or Drop Classes”.

Students cannot withdraw from a class online after the first week of classes.  They can go to their Goldlink account, under the Student Academics tab, under the Registration block, and choose the “Course Withdrawal Form” link and complete the form OR go to the Registrar’s Office in Eder 102 and fill out a form to request the withdrawal.

To withdraw from ENG 100, students will be required to talk to an advisor in Student Success, then fill out the Withdrawal Form for Developmental Course form before the withdrawal process is allowed.  For the withdrawal deadline, refer to the Advising Calendar on the Student Success main webpage or the Academic Calendar on the Registrar’s Office webpage.

Students are able to take CED classes; however, any class that begins with a CED prefix does not count in the credit hour load for financial aid. To receive full financial aid, you must be enrolled in 12 credit hours, but these 12 credit hours cannot consist of any classes with a CED prefix without prior approval from Financial Aid and your academic advisor.

No. RDG 095 and MAT 083 do not count toward graduation. However, the grades you receive in these courses are figured into your GPA.

  • A “non-traditional” student is a term that refers to students who are either over the age of 25 or who are coming to college after an absence from education. Approximately 24% of all students at MWSU are over the age of 25.
  • You do not have to submit ACT scores to be admitted to Missouri Western. However, if you do not have an ACT score, you will be placed in English 100. English 100 does count toward graduation, but is still considered developmental.
  • There are placement tests, free of charge, a student can take to test out of the developmental course required for English. Please visit the Placement Exams website for more information.
  • Do you have college credit from some other institution? If so, you need to contact that college and have a transcript sent to Missouri Western’s Admissions Office.
  • You may be eligible for Academic Renewal. Please contact the Registrar’s Office at (816) 271-4211 to discuss this option.
  • The Non-Traditional Student Center provides support and assistance for the non-traditional students at Missouri Western and is located in Blum 234. For more information, call (816) 271-4432.