Welcome to the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science! We are pleased that you have chosen to join our program and look forward to your arrival on campus. Please use this page as a guide to assist you as you select and register for your first semester courses.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLANNING YOUR COURSE SELECTIONS
Selecting your courses for your first semester at UM will be the first step you take in transitioning to the U. You may use the following information, as well as the UM Bulletin for your selected major in regards to our degree requirements. Check out the Curriculum Requirements to see which courses should be taken within your first semester. The Rosenstiel team will assist you with pre-registration steps that will prepare you to register. During New and Transfer Student Orientation Advising you will meet with your Rosenstiel primary academic advisor to discuss how this first semester fits into your overall curriculum requirements. A typical full-time academic schedule for a new Rosenstiel student will include 4-5 courses with 1 to 2 labs (15-17 credits). Please, read this page in its entirety to ensure proper enrollment. Should you have any questions after reading this page you may reach out to marsci@miami.edu, and we will be more than happy to assist you. Marsci is the office email which is monitored by the Rosenstiel administrative advising team.
Prior to selecting courses for your first semester, all transfer courses relevant to your degree requirements must be evaluated for UM equivalency. The first step in this process will be to send official transcripts along with AP/IB/CLEP exam results to:
University of Miami
Office of Admission
P.O. Box 249117
Coral Gables, FL 33124-9117
Please ensure you complete any pre-registration steps required. It is important that you have any documents pertaining to incoming credits ready to discuss and provide for further review.
Transfer Credits
Generally, most academic coursework taken at accredited colleges and universities will transfer, provided a grade of “C” or higher is achieved in the courses. Exceptions include credits earned in physical education, technical as well as vocational courses, remedial or college preparatory work. See Transfer of Credits.
Transfer coursework that does not reflect a known UM equivalency (100T) will remain undesignated in Canelink. Individual courses may then be evaluated by the respective UM departments to determine UM equivalency. This requires the student to submit a Miami Academic Transfer Evaluation System (MATES) form along with the detailed course syllabi for each course. These detailed syllabi can be obtained from the previous instructor or department.
Most importantly, equivalency evaluation forms for courses to be used as prerequisites for courses at UM need to be completed prior to your registration. Typically, this includes coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, and Physics.
AP/IB/CLEP Credits
Note that minimum scores at UM may differ from those at your previous institution. See credit information (and related links) to determine UM minimum scores. AP, IB, and GCE scores must be sent directly to the Office of Admission by the end of your first semester. Exam scores submitted on other university or college transcripts will not be accepted. No credits will be awarded after your first semester. Official test scores and/or transcripts for credits earned from any college/university should be sent to the Office of Admission (see address above).
*Once your official transcript(s) and/or test scores have been processed by the Office of Admission, make sure to check that the correct transfer courses and test scores are reflected correctly on your CaneLink account.*
Cognates
The University General Education requirements will be completed using cognates. A cognate is a group of at least three courses for at least nine credits, related in a topical, thematic, interdisciplinary, sequential, or other fashion so that completion of a cognate provides a coherent depth of knowledge.
You will need to complete one cognate in each of the three Areas of Knowledge: Arts and Humanities, People and Society (Social Sciences), and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). All undergraduate students in the Rosenstiel School will be required to complete the Arts and Humanities and People and Society cognate but will fulfill their STEM cognate requirement through their major requirements. Students in Marine Affairs will fulfill their People and Society cognate requirement through their minor.
Individualized Cognates – UM students can fulfill the Areas of Knowledge general education requirement by creating an individualized cognate. Only Courses (UM as well as transfer courses) with an Area of Knowledge course attribute in CaneLink can be used in an individualized cognate. To read more about the specifics for individualized cognates and current approved courses, click here.
Students transferring 30 or more credits have the option of completing a transfer individualized cognate in People & Society or Arts & Humanities depending on the courses transferred. These courses do not have to be within the approved course list but should fall within the Areas of Knowledge. Please click here to learn more about cognates.
Written Communication Skills
Students at UM must take two Written Communication Skills courses. Students fulfill this requirement by satisfactorily completing WRS 105 together with ENG 106, WRS 106, WRS 107, or the equivalent. If you are not transferring with any English Composition courses from your previous institution, you will have to complete the Written Communication Skills requirements at UM. Similarly, if you are transferring in with only one English Composition course, you will have to fulfill the other WRS requirement once you transfer.
Mathematics
Transfer students who have not earned college credit in a mathematics course, MUST take ALEKS to determine their math placement.
Students who have completed a math course for college credit must submit the course for evaluation. Please visit this page for more information.
Links to Helpful Canelink Video Tutorials
Course descriptions can be found through Canelink. CaneLink is the University of Miami's online portal for students and faculty. You will use your existing CaneID and password to log on. Please use the guide provided on the New Student Registration website to search for courses.
Required Courses for Majors
The following sections outline the recommended courses for first-year students enrolling in each major. Students beginning with transfer credit should contact the main office at marsci@miami.edu. The English and Mathematics requirements for all majors are described at the bottom of this page.
