CGS - College of General Studies - University of Pittsburgh

Creating a Schedule

College of General Studies students are required to play an active role in planning their degree progress, which includes creating a course schedule. Creating your schedule requires using and coordinating various student planning tools and resources. Here are some advising tools to help you create your course schedule:

1. Review your degree progress report in PeopleSoft.

For instruction on how to view your degree progress report, click here.

*NOTE: College of General Studies students pursuing a major in Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, or any non-College of General Studies degree program should consult with an Academic Advisor to ensure appropriate course selection.

2. Make sure your course selections fulfill requirements.

a. College of General Studies students pursuing College of General Studies majors should consult the following documents when determining their course selection:

• College of General Studies General Education Requirements
• Fall 2013 Courses that Satisfy Requirements
• College of General Studies Major Requirements
• College of General Studies Minor Requirements
• College of General Studies Certificate Requirements

b. College of General Studies students pursuing majors in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences should consult the following documents when determining their course selection:

• Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences General Education Requirements
• List of Courses and Dietrich School Requirements Fulfilled (PDF)
• Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Major Requirements
• Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Minor Requirements
• Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Certificate Requirements

c. College of General Studies Students pursuing Pre-Professional Programs:

• Consult the Academics web page, choose the school or college to which you are applying for further details, or visit the Transferring within Pitt page and click on your desired program.

3. Review course offerings and course descriptions.

The course descriptions Web site lists all courses offered in a given term.
Select the subject and click on the appropriate term. Choose a course section by clicking on the ‘class #’ hyperlink. The following information will appear:

• A course description and prerequisites
• Class meeting times and locations
• Whether a recitation or lab is required

4. Check course availability in PeopleSoft by following these steps:

1. Log on to my.pitt.edu 
2. Select the Student Services tab
3. Click on Link to Student Center located in the Student Toolbox section in the middle of the page.
4. Click on Self Service in the menu on the left side of the page. Then click on Student Center. (See screenshots above in Step 2)
5. Click the yellow Search for Classes button in the upper right hand corner of the screen:

6. Choose the appropriate term and click GO

7. Enter Course Subject, Course Career and Campus:

Available class sections are denoted by a green circle. Closed sections are denoted by a blue square.

8. Click View All Sections.
9. In each section you will see a hyperlink with four digits followed by the letters LEC, REC or LAB then followed by a five digit class number in parentheses. Course sections with “LEC” indicate a lecture, “REC” in this line indicates a recitation, and “LAB” indicates a lab section. Only recitations or labs listed directly below the main lecture section are associated with that particular lecture. For registration, you will want to note the five digit class number (shown in parentheses) for all components: lecture, recitation, and/or lab.
   
   For additional information on how to search for classes in PeopleSoft, see the PDF document entitled Searching for Classes and Course Information Online which can be found by clicking the Detailed Help link next to Link to Student Center on the Student Services Welcome page.
10. When you have finished creating a schedule, you are ready for CGS Registration.

If you still have questions . . .

1. eAdvising: A College of General Studies eAdvisor is accessible by submitting inquiries via the College of General Studies Web site’s eAdvising. Your questions will be answered by the eAdvisor within one to two business days.
2. Group Advising: To reserve your spot in a group advising session, please call 412-624-6600.
3. Advising Information Sessions: A College of General Studies advisor is available daily from noon - 2 p.m. Note: During group advising session dates, Advising Information Sessions are available from noon - 1 p.m. Call 412-624-6600 for dates. 
   
   Visits with the Information Session Advisor should not exceed 15 minutes. These appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis, Monday through Friday, beginning at noon, fourth floor, Cathedral of Learning.
4. Individual Advising Appointments: Make an individual appointment with an advisor if you have already registered and have questions pertaining to major/minor changes, internships, academic holds, personal issues, add/drop/withdraw/resignation decisions, graduation review, and career choice.

To schedule a group or individual advising appointment, call 412-624-6600 or stop by the fourth floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Regular business hours are Monday-Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Thursday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. The College of General Studies is open on selected Saturdays, please call for dates.