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Advising and Registration Season

Advising Center Current Student Resources

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Advising Center

For your first semester, Bethel faculty and staff build your class schedule based on information you submit about your interests. For future terms, you will create your own schedule with your advisor’s help, and you will register yourself for classes using Bethel’s online system.

Current students will receive an email from the Advising Center and the Office of the Registrar in late October or mid-March containing information about the upcoming registration cycle. You should read the registration information on the Registrar's website carefully, as it will help you determine when to register, how to register, and how to prepare for registration.

Advising and Registration season is a great time to check in with your overall academic plans and reflect on your goals. You can use the Advising and Registration Quickstart as a guide to prepare for a meaningful conversation with your advisor.

When Will I Register for Classes?

Registration for Interim and Spring terms opens in early-mid November. Registration for Summer and Fall terms opens in April. View the Registration Schedule from the Registrar's Office for details. Before registering, you must meet with your academic advisor to have your advising hold removed. Your Academic Advisor will contact you and let you know how to sign up for an appointment. 

How Do I Know What Classes Will Be Offered Next Term?

You’ll receive an email from the Registrar’s Office (cas-registrar@bethel.edu) at least a week before Advising Day. The title of the email will be something like, “Advising and Registration Information for Summer and Fall 2018,” and it will include registration instructions as well as a PDF of all classes that will be offered in the upcoming term(s).

Once an upcoming term’s schedule is published, you can also look up courses through the Registration channel in MyBethel.

How Do I Know Which Classes to Take?

You'll be able to talk to your advisor about which courses to select before each registration cycle. Together, you and your advisor can look at the academic requirements for your major(s), minor(s), and general education (see the Academic and Degree Planning section of this website). The Academic Advising Specialist (located in CC323) is also available for any additional questions relating to which courses you should take. 

Special consideration should be given to registration for January Session courses. For more information on January Session courses, click here.

Also, if you are planning to take courses from a program that is being eliminated, give special attention to the teach out information for these programs.

What Format Are My Courses In?

Bethel continues to offer classes in a variety of formats. You must take the course in the given format, so be sure to check the format of your classes before registering.

  • Course Format: You can tell by looking at the schedule if a class is face to face, online (synchronous), online (asynchronous), or hybrid. When using "Look up Classes" (from MyBethel), course names, day(s) and times are listed. Underneath the title of the course, additional information related to the mode of the course is given (for example "Lecture," "Lab," or "Distance Education").
  • The majority of classes will be in person and face to face. 
    • If a class has a physical face-to-face component, you must plan to be physically present in class at the scheduled times unless you have an accommodation that has been requested and approved by the Office of Accessibility and Resource Services (OARS) to attend remotely due to your own disability or medical condition.
  • For online classes, they will be offered in two different forms:
    • Online classes (synchronous): Under the title of the course, it says “Distance Education.” Day(s) and times of the class are listed. 
    • Online classes (asynchronous): Under the title of the course, it says “Distance Education.” No day(s) or times are listed. You may engage in learning at times that best meet your schedule. There are no scheduled class times. There are specific dates by which assignments must be submitted. 

Hybrid Classes (some in-person face-to-face learning and some online): Under the title of the course, it says “Lecture/Web.” Day(s) and times of the required in-person face-to-face (physical) classes are listed.

How Do I Register For Classes?

The Registrar’s Office website has step-by-step instructions for how to register through MyBethel. Before registering, you must meet with your academic advisor to have your advising hold removed. You will not be able to register for classes if your academic advisor has not removed your advising hold. 

Make sure you check prerequisites for courses, particularly any placement requirements for math and language courses.  

Common Registration Errors

Having trouble registering for a course? See the Registrar's List of Web Registration Error Messages as well as the holds page to learn more about your hold and how to resolve it. In addition, you can see if one of these common registration errors might apply:

  • THE201 Christian Theology, EDU200 Introduction to Education prerequisite error: Students must have earned 30 credits (Sophomore Standing) before registering for THE201 Christian Theology or 15 credits before registering for EDU200 Introduction to Education.
  • Humanities III error: In order to register for Humanities III in the Spring, you must first register for Humanities II in the January Session. A handy rule of thumb is if you a Humanities student, register for Interim first, and then your January Session courses. 
  • Biology labs corequisite error: For biology courses with labs, you must take lecture and lab from the same instructor. Check to make sure the lab and lecture sections you are trying to register for have the same instructor.
  • Math Placement Error: See this webpage.