More information for the newbies

• Wonder when the semester starts, when you can drop a class without charge, etc.? Below is the academic calendar for fall 2013: http://www.uky.edu/registrar/content/fall-2013-semester-0     (It is not very easy to read, I know. You may want to create/print your own calendar and highlight the important dates.) I use http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/ to customize calendar for myself.
• Once you are registered, either contact the instructors of the classes you are going to take or look at the online syllabus for information regarding textbook, etc.

Welcome new students!

I just found out that a good number of new students were assigned to me as advisees from Fall 2013. Welcome, new SLISers!

What you need to do right now is to fill out the the student course planning form passed by Anthony. If you want to discuss with me before you fill it up, which is highly recommended, feel free to drop me a line and we can make an arrangement for F2F or online session.

Note: Please be accurate on the Fall 2013 courses you want to take (you can clarify in the Notes area), since Anthony will register for your first semester. Afterwards, you always register for course by yourself. Also, once you filled up the form, click on the SAVE button before emailing it to me. 

Feel free to read some earlier posts regarding various aspects of SLIS. If you have any questions, post them in the comments.

Save your artifacts!

Note: Be sure to keep copies of your essays and exam, with grades and instructor feedback, for inclusion in the portfolio required for graduation. Your exam results should be copied from BlackBoard by the end of each semester, as course shells are not accessible indefinitely.

It's about that time of the year...

Soon you should decide what courses to take for spring 2013 ! (how time flies...) Note that the following spring syllabus is still a draft and there might be some minor changes in the next week or so.
http://cis.uky.edu/lis/content/class-schedules-0

If you want to meet with me for course planning, please drop me an email. We can either meet face to face or online using Adobe Connect, in which case you need a working microphone or headset, and a webcam is preferred,.

Where to find course information

You can find course syllabi and schedule on SLIS site. Here is a screenshot showing you where they are located.

First semester registration

Will will register you for classes for the first semester, after he received the course planning form. Once students are registered, he do let them know via email. It may take him a week or two.

SLIS goodie

If you come to campus, visit Will, he will be happy to give you some free SLIS merchandise such as a pen, pencils, cup, etc..

MS VS. MA degree

UPDATE: THIS POST IS NO MORE RELEVANT SINCE SLIS DECIDES TO SUSPEND THE MA OPTION.

When you apply for SLIS, you are already asked to choose either MS or MA degree. However, you can always switch through a request to the graduate school.

There are a few differences between MS and MA degree.
1) MS degree requires 36 credit hours while MA degree requires 42;
2) Upon graduation, MS students need to build a portfolio while MS students can do either a portfolio or thesis;
3) MS students have to take at least 6 credit hours course in cognitive science.

Details can be find on the Exit Requirements page.

Overall, MS degree is designed for those students who are interested in research and may pursue a doctorate degree afterwards.

You would need to form a thesis committee if you decide to do the MA w/ thesis option (almost right away). This is probably not easy to manage if you are not on campus.

When will school start?

Go to the UK registrar page and find your answers under Academic Calendar 

Will I get a student ID?

You don't have to. If you want to, however, you can stop by student center at UK and get one for $15. The only advantage of having a student ID is to get student discount at your local museum, park, etc. (Or to use the swimming pool on campus.) You don't need a student ID to get library materials or using online learning systems.

Full-time or Half-time?

If you are an American citizen, then you can register as many/few classes as you want. Although I would NOT recommend you to take more than 3 courses (9 credit hours, counted as full-time).

If you are on fellowship/scholarship or have student loan, you will need to check the requirement. It may require full-time enrollment.

Student Course Planning Form

This form(attached in the Welcome email, also available here) needs to be filled and signed by you and your advisor, me, before you can register.

This form helps you to plan your course ahead so that you get to take all the required courses as well as electives that interest you by the time you graduate. (Although all the required courses are offered each semester, the electives may only be offered once a year or every two years.)

You may not know exactly what you want to take when you just started, but please try your best to fill out as much information as possible and we can always discuss course enrollment before each semester. NOTE: please be accurate for the first semester since Will will register for your first semester and he will reply on this form.

Here are some resources that will help you fill out the form:
* a list of SLIS courses and their descriptions/syllabus: http://cis.uky.edu/lis/courses
* a list of courses offered in the coming semester: http://cis.uky.edu/lis/content/class-schedules-0
* the SLIS curriculum track (Sent to you in email and also available here)
* Beware of courses with pre-requisites! If you want to take a course with a pre-req, The following fall electives have pre-requisites: 630, 638, 655 & 668.