Registration Notes
- This information is for students eligible for online registration via AARC ONLY. If for some reason you are unable to register via AARC — or if you have been instructed to do otherwise — please contact gslisreg@simmons.edu and provide details on your specific situation. Students who have been instructed to use paper registration forms should go to the Paper Registration Information page.
- Registration takes place at different times throughout the year — please see the GSLIS Academic Calendar for specific dates (they are posted there as soon as dates are made available by the Registrar's Office). Individual registration day/time assignments are posted in AARC several weeks before registration is due to take place; since some classes fill up quickly, it is highly recommended that students register for classes at the posted time. NOTE: Incoming students register on Advising Day.
- Course schedules are available in AARC and at www.simmons.edu/gslis/academics/schedules/index.php.
- All forms noted below are available from the GSLIS Downloadable Forms page.
- Any questions can be directed to gslisreg@simmons.edu.
Online Registration
- What to do before you register
- Advising
- Directions for Registering Online
- Important Notes
- Add/Drop Policy and Schedule Changes
- Tuition Refund Policy
- Maximum Credit Load Policy
- Future Plans
- Name and Address Change
What To Do Before You Register
Advising
Students should work with their advisors in planning out their course of study. Current students can contact their advisors at any time; each new student is assigned an advisor upon making a deposit for the program and will be provided with contact information prior to attending Advising Day by the Office of Student Services.
Advising Statement & TOR
On Advising Day, new students meet with their advisors and, in addition to discussing their first semester's classes, outline a full program of study on an advising statement, which must be submitted to the GSLIS Office of Student Services during their first semester in the program. Specific deadlines are announced each term over email.
Also at Advising Day, students will be introduced to the Technology Orientation Requirement (TOR). This 0-credit course — LIS 400 — is a requirement for new students and must be taken either prior to or during the opening weeks of their first semester. Please see http://gslis.simmons.edu/tor/ for more information.
Please note: Every student must complete these tasks during their first term in the GSLIS program. Students who have not done so may not be able to register for the following semester's classes.
Advising Day
Advising Day is a mandatory event held each term for new students. It involves an introduction to the program, meetings with the assigned advisors, lunch, the opportunity to get a student i.d. and sign up for parking, and other optional workshops and tours. Specific details are mailed out to students upon receipt of deposit and are also posted on the Advising Day website once available. Questions about Advising Day can be directed to gslisstudentservices@simmons.edu.
Directions for Registering Online
At each Advising Day, GSLIS staff members are on hand to assist with students' first experience in using AARC. After that first registration process, however, students will register for subsequent semesters on their own. (Note, online registration does not have to be done on campus.) We hope that the following instructions are helpful; students who have questions or run into any issues during the registration process should contact gslisreg@simmons.edu.
Instructions:
- Go to http://aarc.simmons.edu
- Click on blue box that says "Students" (right side of screen, about halfway down)
- Click on tab at top for "Log in"
- Log in with your username and password. Please note: this is the same log in information that you would use for Webmail and eLearning. If you have forgotten your username and password, you will need to call the Simmons Help Desk at at 617-521-2222 (x2222 on-campus). You will need to have your Simmons ID number handy before you call, as they will need that information to assist you.
- Scroll down to "Registration" tab, and then click on "Register for sections"
- This will bring you to a search screen. You will need to fill in the term (e.g., Fall 2010) and the subject (Library Science). Special note: although it is tempting and against all things learned in Library School search-wise, we advise that you refrain from putting in many more additional details. Although it is sometimes helpful to put in a course number (e.g., 453), putting in a section number often ends up with incomplete or misleading results as does putting terms into other search fields. In this case, less is definitely more.
- Once you find the course(s) you want, check the box on the left and then hit "submit." This should bring up a list of those specific courses along with, on the left of each line, a blank box with the heading of "Action."
- The relevant action items for the most part are: Register, Remove from List, and Waitlist. Choose the relevant action for each class and then submit.
- Once this process is complete, we recommend going back to the main student page and check the link under the "Registration" tab that says "My class schedule." If this doesn't look the way it should, then repeat the process and make any necessary changes.
- As always, if you run into any issues, please contact gslisreg@simmons.edu.
Please also note: the Registrar's Office has created documentation that is available on the AARC website.
Additional AARC Tips
AARC has many additional functions available for you, including viewing your academic profile, viewing your grades, and changing your address on record. Log in to AARC and try all the different functions AARC has to offer!
If you have any additional questions about using AARC, call the Registrar's Office at 617-521-2111 (x2111 on-campus), or email aarcsupport@simmons.edu.
For your specific registration date and time, please login to AARC approximately one week prior to the registration start date.
Important Notes
- Any non-degree student who has been admitted to the Master's program as a new student for the upcoming term should complete a paper registration form and submit it to the GSLIS Office.
- Students can take courses at either the Boston or Mount Holyoke campus.
- Students who would like to register for LIS 500 (Independent Study) must fill out a proposal that will be signed by the faculty sponsor and submitted to Assistant Dean for Student Services Em Claire Knowles. She will then send an email to consent@simmons.edu, providing the information listed in the directions on the Independent Study Form. You will not be enrolled in an Independent Study until after your proposal has been submitted and you have received confirmation from the Registrar.
- You are allowed to register at or after your assigned time.
- Doctoral students must get Professor Schwartz's approval. Please be advised that if you are not registering for a course during the fall or spring semesters, you must register for LIS 600 to remain in the doctoral program.
- School Library Teacher students who wish to enroll in LIS 495 (Apprenticeship), LIS 498 (Practicum) or LIS 499 (Practicum) must e-mail Dan Fleming, program manager of SLTP, at daniel.fleming@simmons.edu. He will contact you with any questions and register you for the appropriate class(es).
Add/Drop Policy and Schedule Changes
All add/drops can be made via AARC through the end date and time listed under "My Registration Start and End Times." To drop a class after the end date, please see the instructions on the Registrar's Office website at http://my.simmons.edu/services/registrar/guidelines.shtml.
Graduate students are permitted to change course registrations without financial penalty prior to the second class meeting, provided that the change does not result in an increased or reduced class load. No student may enroll in a class after the second meeting has occurred. For changes after the posted dates but prior to the second class, contact the Registrar's Office at 617-521-2111.
Registration is binding, both financially and academically. Should a student decide not to attend a class, s/he must drop the class off her/his schedule via AARC or contact the Registrar's Office. The date on which the drop occurs determines the refund (if applicable) provided to the student.
Tuition Refund Policy
Information regarding the course refund policy is available at www.simmons.edu/financialaid/accounts/refunds.php. Short term and audited courses will be refunded 100% if dropped by the last business day prior to the start of class. There are no refunds after that point.
Maximum Credit Load Policy
Students are generally limited to taking no more than four classes in a fall or spring term, and two classes during a summer term. For the full Maximum Credit Load Policy, please see http://www.edu/gslis/resources/forms/policies.php#credits.
Future Plans Form
If you will not be attending Simmons in the upcoming term, it is essential that you complete the future plans formand return it to the GSLIS Office of Student Services. Upcoming registration dates and details for subsequent semesters will be emailed to the GSLIS_Info list. You will not receive notification via any other method.
Name and Address Changes
Any student who needs to make changes to their personal information may do so via AARC. Once logged in, click the link for "Student Address Change."