Academic Achievement

Freshmen Convocation is held the Friday prior to the first official day of class and is a mandatory event for incoming freshmen students. The APSU president will deliver a charge to the students and students will engage in activity with a small cohort of fellow students and their upper-level Peer Leader.

GO Weekend begins with Freshmen Move-In Day and extends through Sunday night prior to the start of class. GO Weekend is filled with opportunities to interact with peers, peer leaders, faculty, and staff in social events, service activities, and our mandatory Convocation Day.

Small groups of incoming freshmen (20-25 students) will be introduced to their upper-level Peer Leader who will spend Convocation Day and part of APEX with their incoming students. The Peer Leaders engage in 45+ hours of training and development as they prepare to assist incoming student acclimate to and be successful at APSU. Our Peer Leaders are competitively selected and well positioned to help incoming students in transition. In addition to Convocation and APEX, Peer Leaders engage with incoming students on a weekly basis as they attend UNIV 1000 Freshmen Seminar along with the incoming freshmen.

UNIV 1000 is an interdisciplinary course, and a requirement for each degree program, which provides students with a foundation for success. Informed best practices, emphasis is placed on student engagement, support services, library literacy, financial literacy, and academic planning. Classes meet once a week in a classroom and will be introduced to APSU’s learning management system through guided online engagement. The experience is led by a success team composed of a faculty member and a peer leader.

Each semester, all students engage in academic advising sessions with faculty advisors or professional advisors with expertise in the student's chosen major. Students are encouraged to not only discuss course enrollment during these sessions but also use this time with an academic advisor to seeking learning opportunities outside the classroom that enhance the student’s experience at the university and contributes to preparation for engaging in the community, the workforce, or further education through graduate school.

University regulations and academic requirements are addressed in the APSU Bulletin. Incoming students who have declared their major should pay close attention to the Program of Study and the sample 4-Year Plan for their chosen major.

APSU students use this tool to identify possible semester schedules using the information provided by their academic advisor and their personal schedule obligations. This registration tool allows students to enter the courses needed, enter times the student is not available for class (i.e., student athlete practice, employment obligation, child care schedule, etc), and request all possible schedule combinations be generated. The student can then select the schedule that best meets his/her needs for registration.

All students enroll in credit-bearing college-level coursework. Students with identified need for additional assistance as evidenced by ACT math, reading, and writing sub-scores (or corresponding Accuplacer scores) will enroll in credit-bearing college-level course with required additional Structured Learning Assistance to enhance the classroom activities and student learning. APSU does not offer less-than-college-level coursework.

Students who need assistance with the use of Microsoft software (i.e., Word, Power Point, Excel, etc.), can receive individual assistance in the Center for Academic Support & Enrichment in the Marks Building room 124A. Students who need assistance with their email or OneStop account, can receive assistance at the Technology Help Desk in the Morgan University Center Lobby or by calling 931-221-4357. Students receive access to Office 365 free of charge. Instructions can be found at the Technology Help Desk website.

Many incoming students identify their major upon submitting their application to the University. If you are not ready to select your major from the 100+ degree programs at APSU, you can identify one of eight broad academic areas of study for your first academic year. APSU labels those areas as Academic Foci and they are: Arts Focus, Business Focus, Education Focus, Health Professions Focus, Humanities Focus, Social Science Focus, STEM Focus, and General Education Focus.

 

During your first academic year, you should seek opportunities to learn about specific degree programs that interest you, complete career assessments, and engage in major selection advising sessions so you are prepared to select your major before the end of your freshmen year.

Degree Compass and MyFuture are course and major recommendation tools that are accessed in students’ OneStop Accounts. These predictive analytics tools can help students identify courses and degree programs to consider and discuss with their academic advisors as they explore course and degree program options.

The RAD is led by a team of faculty librarians and staff with expertise in assisting Library users with research. Assistance is available in person at the Library Information Desk Level 2 and by telephone, email, and chat through Ask A Librarian.

The Writing Center is located on the Library and provides writing support to APSU students free of charge. Services include instruction in writing styles, guidance in editing, and strategies for improving written documents.

Free group tutoring is provided through the Center for Academic Support & Enrichment for most general education core courses.

The division of Student Affairs provides a free printed copy of The Student Handbook and Calendar at the start of the fall semester. The printed copy will be distributed in UNIV 1000 Freshmen Seminar and electronic copies can be accessed online at any time.

The Student Disability Resource Center seeks to support students with identified need and promotes self-reliance through education and support. Requests for accommodations must be made early. Accommodations are determined based on review of submitted documentation from the health care provider for its appropriateness and completeness under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and as amended in 2008 (ADAAA), and the Student Disability Resource Center documentation policy.

Student Counseling Services offer a variety of direct services to students, including individual counseling, and group support. All direct care services are provided by licensed professional staff and/or by counseling interns under the supervision of a licensed professional.

Under the direction of the Office of Student Life and Engagement, APSU has 150+ student organizations in which students can participate.