 |
Advising FAQ
Home || Resources for Advisors/Students || Course Registration Information
New Student Orientation || Transfer Advising and Information || Advising FAQ || Staff
2. When do I need to be advised?
3. Why do I need to be advised?
4. What resources are available to help me decide which degree plan to pursue at PTC?
5. What classes fulfill an "elective requirement?"
6. How many hours are required at PTC to be a full-time student?
7. Where do I get an ID card?
8. Do I have to take College Seminar or Career Seminar?
9. What are online and hybrid courses?
10. How do I access online courses?
11. What is the MyPTC Student Portal and how do I activate my Student Portal account?
12. When and where should I drop a course?
13. What is probation and suspension?
14. What is a prerequisite?
15. I have completed the prerequisite but I cannot register for a class. Why?
16. I have a hold on my account. How do I remove it?
17. What do I do if my financial aid is not in place?
18. What is the sequence for developmental classes?
19. On my transcript, what does NC, W, WX mean?
20. How do I calculate my GPA?
1. What are the hours of operation for the Advising and Career Center?
Main Campus – CCB 318
Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Little Rock-South - Room 200
Monday, Thursday, and Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Little Rock-West - Room 107-A
Monday - 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday - 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
2. When do I need to be advised?
Students enrolling in classes at Pulaski Technical College for the first time will be required to meet with an advisor prior to registration for classes to determine the appropriate initial courses. Depending on which degree plan you choose, you may continue to be advised in the Advising Center or you may need to begin meeting with the advisor within a specific division. An advisor in the Advising Center can provide you with the referral information.
Current PTC students are not required to be advised prior to Web registration. However, academic advising is recommended prior to registering each semester and is available to all students.
3. Why do I need to be advised?
Academic Advising at Pulaski Technical College is available to assist new and continuing students in selecting or understanding a degree plan, course selection, reviewing educational opportunities and understanding graduation requirements and campus policies and procedures.
- An advisor can assist the student in determining the courses needed to earn a degree or certificate at Pulaski Technical College.
- Advisors work with transfer students in choosing appropriate courses at Pulaski Technical College.
- Advisors are able to answer any general academically related questions and provide referral information for any other assistance you may need.
4. What resources are available to help me decide which degree plan to pursue at PTC?
The Office of Career Services can help you decide a major, establish and clarify goals, improve academic performance, enhance employability, increase self-awareness and self-confidence.
5. What classes fulfill an "elective requirement?"
Your degree plan will specify the courses you can choose as electives. If you are transferring for a higher level degree, you should take courses that will complete your major requirements at that institution. There are transfer advisors from UALR and UCA available in the Advising Center.
6. How many hours are required at PTC to be a full-time student?
A student enrolled in twelve (12) credit hours during the fall or spring term or six (6 )credit hours during a summer term is considered a full-time student.
Generally, eighteen (18) hours is the maximum load that a student may carry during a regular semester, although certain technical programs may require more hours. Any student outside these technical areas who wishes to take more than 18 hours must request permission from the Vice President for Instruction prior to registration.
Seven semester hours is the maximum allowed during a summer term without permission from the Vice President for Instruction. Students may not enroll for more than the maximum via Web registration.
Most classes meet three hours per week and, therefore, carry three semester hours of credit. Additional credit is given for some laboratory courses.
7. Where do I get an ID card?
Student ID cards are available on the main campus in the Advising Center, CCB 318. New students can receive ID cards after the 11th day of classes.
8. Do I have to take College Seminar or Career Seminar?
All first-time entering, degree-seeking students must enroll in COLL 1300 College Seminar: A Pathway to Excellence within the first 12 hours of coursework. Students pursuing technical degrees are encouraged to enroll in Career Seminar in place of College Seminar.
9. What are online and hybrid courses?
Online courses are designed to give students the opportunity for quality education using a self-directed environment. The term “hybrid” describes courses that are a combination of online and on-campus. In other words, you will be required to come to campus on a designated day for your course and you will complete the remaining course work online.
Students in online courses must:
- Allocate time to ensure adequate study time.
- Have self-discipline and attention to detail.
- Follow the posted schedule very closely and keep themselves aware of important dates associated with the course (assignment due dates, exam dates, etc.).
- Visit the online Web server regularly in order to keep up with announcements, materials being posted, email, and other important course information.
- Have a functional knowledge of personal computers and reliable Internet access.
10. How do I access online courses?
Online courses are delivered through Blackboard and can be accessed through the MyPTC portal under the “Academics” tab or at http://pulaskitech.edu/online_courses/.
11. What is the MyPTC Student Portal and how do I activate my Student Portal account?
The MyPTC Student Portal is another great resource for PTC students! With MyPTC, you can log on just once and instantly access a variety of resources including Blackboard, Campus Connect, and Gmail for PTC, the college’s student email system.
- How to Create a MyPTC Account (PDF) – Information on how to create a MyPTC Portal account
- How to Retrieve Login Information for the MyPTC Portal (PDF) - Information on how to reset your password and retrieve username for the MyPTC Portal
12. When and where should I drop a course?
You may add or drop classes online each semester by the deadline dates listed in the Academic Calendar. After the initial deadline for drop/add, you may no longer add classes and cannot drop classes online. However, to drop or withdraw by the final semester deadline, fill out and submit the appropriate form to the Student Services office at the North Little Rock campus, Little Rock-West or Little Rock-South.
How to Add and Drop Classes Online (PDF) - Information on how to add and drop courses using the MyPTC Portal
13. What is probation and suspension?
To be in good standing, all students must carry the required minimum cumulative grade-point average as listed below. Students who fail to meet these standards will be placed on academic probation or suspension.
| Credit Hours Attempted | Minimum Cumulative Grade-Point Average |
| 1 – 29 | 1.75 |
| 30 hours or above | 2.00 |
Students on academic probation who do not achieve the minimum cumulative grade-point average as stated shall be suspended for one semester. Students placed on academic suspension for the second time shall be suspended for one year. Students placed on academic suspension the third time will be suspended for a three-year period.
Anyone obtaining a first-time suspension for one semester may apply for the Start Over Again Program (SOAP) through the Counseling and Advising Office.
>back to top
14. What is a prerequisite?
A prerequisite is a course that must be satisfactorily completed before you may register into the next level course. Prerequisites are not listed on your degree plan, so it is your responsibility to look up all the course descriptions in the Academic Catalog to find those courses that do have prerequisites and/or corequisites (courses that are to be taken at the same time). If you are currently enrolled in the prerequisite, you will not be able to register for the course until the semester is complete and the grade for the prerequisite is posted in the MyPTC Portal. You can view your grades in the MyPTC Portal by clicking on the Campus Connect tab and clicking on the “View Grades” link.
15. I have completed the prerequisite but I cannot register for a class. Why?
If you are a transfer student, transfer credits are evaluated by the Office of Admissions and Records and added to the permanent record only for students who submit official transcripts. Pulaski Technical College may accept transfer work from regionally accredited institutions. The following policies apply to the granting of transfer credit:
- Official transcripts should be submitted to the Office of Admissions at the time of application.
- Official transcripts are evaluated by the Office of the Registrar based upon the Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) or the decisions of appropriate faculty and staff.
- Only grades of "C" or higher are eligible for transfer credit. Credit is not granted for course work that is remedial or technical.
- Grades earned at other institutions are not posted to the student's PTC transcript and are not calculated in the student's PTC grade point. Credits earned will be reflected in hours earned and may be used for degree requirements.
- Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours at Pulaski Technical College to be eligible for a PTC degree or certificate.
- Students should be prepared to submit course descriptions and syllabi of transfer work if there is any question concerning the acceptance of credit toward a degree program. PTC reserves the right to revise previously granted transfer credit.
After your official transcript is received and evaluated, it will be listed in the MyPTC Portal under the Campus Connect tab. Click on “Unofficial Transcript” to make sure it has posted. If PTC accepted your course, you should then be able to register into the course. If not, contact an Advisor in CCB 318.
16. I have a hold on my account. How do I remove it?
In the MyPTC Portal, click on the Campus Connect tab and then click on the “View Holds” link if it’s visible. This link will allow you to identify what type of hold you have on your account. You should then contact the office responsible for the hold to determine what course of action is needed to remove it.
17. What do I do if my financial aid is not in place?
You must make a payment on your tuition and fees if your financial aid is not place before the payment due date for each term. You can find the payment due dates published on the Student Accounts website.
How to Pay Online - Information on how to pay for courses or set up a payment plan online using the MyPTC Portal.
>back to top
18. What is the sequence for developmental classes?
Appropriate placement for you to start is based on ACT or Compass scores within the last 5 years or transfer coursework in reading, writing and math/algebra.
Developmental Education Course Sequence – Chart showing course sequence and ACT/Compass placement scores for developmental education courses
19. On my transcript, what does NC, W, WX mean?
Successful completion of a course is defined as a passing grade. Grades of W (withdrawal), WX (administrative withdrawal), F (failing), NC (no credit) or INC (incomplete) are not considered successful completion.
20. How do I calculate my GPA?
Each letter grade awarded to a student is assigned a point value. A student may determine the grade-points for each course by multiplying the number of points the grade is worth by the number of credit hours the course carries. Thus, an "A" letter grade (worth four (4) points) in a three-credit hour course is worth 12 points, and a "B" letter grade (worth three (3) points) in the same course is worth nine points.
The GPA is determined by adding the total point values for all courses and dividing the total point values by the total number of credit hours attempted during the same period of time (see table below).
Developmental courses are not included in the computation of cumulative grade-point averages but are calculated in the semester GPA.
Grading Computation Schedule
| Course | Credit Hours | Grade & Value | Grade Points |
| CIS 1103 Computer Concepts | 3 x | B(3) = | 9 |
| ENGL 1311 English Composition I | 3 x | A(4) = | 12 |
| BIOL 1401 Biological Science | 4 x | B(3) = | 12 |
| Math 1302 College Algebra | 3 x | A(4) = | 12 |
| Total | 13 | 45 |
To obtain your GPA, divide grade points by the credit hours (45 ÷ 13 = 3.45). With these hours and grade points, the grade point average would 3.46.
Pulaski Technical College
3000 West Scenic Drive
North Little Rock, AR 72118
Phone: (501) 812-2200
Copyright 2013 Pulaski Technical College. All Rights Reserved.