Physics Home People Programs Research Courses News About Us

 

Registration Help: Blocked by PantherSoft??


Blocked by PantherSoft : FAQ

  1. I'm getting an error that says "Departmental Consent Required." What does that mean?

  2. What are the prerequisites for physics?
     

  3. I actually have satisfied the prerequisites and my transcripts can prove it, but Panthersoft says I don't have the prerequisites and won't let me register for the course. What should I do?
     

  4. I have the prerequisites for the course for which I'm registering, but PantherSoft won't let me register for the section I want. The section is listed as closed. Is there anything that can be done to get me in this section?
     

  5. All the lab sections are full. What do I do?
     

  6. I'm a transient/non-degree seeking student and I've taken a course at FIU in the past. Now I'm being told that there's a one-term enrollment limit and I can't register for any more courses unless I get permission from the department. What can I do?
     

  7. I still need help. Who is the physics advisor?

  1. I'm getting an error that says "Departmental Consent Required." What does that mean?

    You are trying to register for sections U30 or U31 of PHY 2048/2048L or PHY 2049/2049L.
    These sections are not traditional lecture courses; they are integrated lab-lecture courses where you must sign up for the same lecture and lab sections (U30, U31, or U32 for both lab and lecture). They are part of a research project in physics education. The courses are interactive, hands-on, and group-based and do not resemble traditional lectures. Enrollment is limited to 30 students per section. For these reasons, registration is restricted to those with permits. To enroll in these sections, you must get consent by contacting Dr. Kramer. His email is Laird.Kramer @ fiu.edu. There is generally a waiting list for these sections. The response can be overwhelming, so please be patient and await a reply. Emailing him is best, voicemail often delays the response.
    Because these courses are restricted, the number of students enrolled is not listed correctly by PantherSoft and they may be full even if PantherSoft thinks there are spaces available.

    2. Back to the Top

  2. What are the prerequisites for physics?

    PHY 2048 Physics I with Calculus -
    Calculus I (MAC 2311) is the pre or co-requisite for this course. You must either have taken MAC 2311 with a grade of C or better, or be currently enrolled in it, in order to register for PHY 2048. If you took Calculus I at some other school, or have AP credits, unless you have had them "equivalenced" to MAC 2311, you will continue to get the pre/co-requisite error when you try to register for any course requiring MAC 2311. More information about transferring courses is available at the Admissions page ; information about AP courses is available at the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center FAQ.

    If you are getting a pre/co-requisite error, until you can get your records fixed, you must provide documentation that you took and passed a Calculus I course to the Physics Advisor. Please contact Dr. Caroline Simpson at simpsonc @ fiu.edu. Send her a brief message with your question/error message, your pantherID, and the course and section number.

    ENGINEERING MAJORS: MAC 2311 or equivalent is a PREREQUISITE for PHY 2048; NOT a corequisite. You MUST have already taken and passed MAC 2311 with a grade of C or better before you can register for PHY 2048. This is a program requirement for your major. If you take them together, or out of sequence, you may have to retake them in sequence regardless of the grades you received. Please see your major advisor in Engineering for details.

    PHY 2048L Physics I lab -
    Prerequisite or Corequisite: PHY 2048 or PHY 2053
    This means you MUST have taken or be taking PHY 2048 or PHY 2053 to register for the lab. You do not have to take the lab the same semester as you take the lecture course, but you MUST take the lecture FIRST. Please note that if you drop the lecture course, PantherSoft will require you to drop the lab. There are no exceptions made for this.

    PHY 2049 Physics II with Calculus -
    Prerequisite: PHY 2048 with a grade of C or better.  

    PHY 2049L Physics II lab -
    Prerequisite or Corequisite: PHY 2049 or PHY 2054
    This means you MUST have taken or be taking PHY 2049 or PHY 2054 to register for the lab. You do not have to take the lab the same semester as you take the lecture course, but you MUST take the lecture FIRST. Please note that if you drop the lecture course, PantherSoft will require you to drop the lab. There are no exceptions made for this.

    PHY 2053 - Physics I without Calculus
    To be able to pass this course, you are expected to have taken math at the precalculus level. This means College Algebra and Trigonmetry, or Precalculus. You will be expected to use trigonometry, analytic geometry, and college algebra in this course.

    PHY 2054 - Physics II without Calculus
    Prerequisite or Corequisite: PHY 2053 or PHY 2048 with a grade of C or better


    3. Back to the Top

  3. I actually have satisfied the prerequisites and my transcripts can prove it, but Panthersoft says I don't have the prerequisites and won't let me register for the course. What should I do?
     
    If PantherSoft has been unable to verify your having satisfied the prerequisites for the course for which you have attempted to register and your prior university or college transcript(s) can provide evidence of having acquired the requisite knowledge, you need to provide a copy of your transcript and an official course description to the physics advisor to obtain permission to register for the course. Regardless, to smooth the way for future semesters, you should see your academic advisor to make sure all of your previous academic work has been included in the PantherSoft database.
    Note: If the section is closed because it is full, the room capacity set by the Fire Marshal has been reached. If you want to get into a closed section, just keep checking for spaces to open up in PantherSoft. There is a lot of adding and dropping during registration and the first week of the semester. There are no waiting lists for full sections, so if you want into a course, you must monitor PantherSoft for any opening created by students dropping.

    4. Back to the Top

  4. I have the prerequisites for the course for which I'm registering, but PantherSoft won't let me register for the section I want. The section is listed as closed. Is there anything that can be done to get me in this section?

    No. If the section is closed, it is because the enrollment capacity of the room has been reached. These limits are set by the Fire Marshal. We cannot provide overrides into closed courses. If you want to get into a closed section, just keep checking for spaces to open up in PantherSoft. There is a lot of adding and dropping during registration and the first week of the semester. If someone drops and a space opens up, you may register. There are no waiting lists for full sections, so if you want into a course, you must monitor PantherSoft for any opening created by students dropping.

    5. Back to the Top

  5. All the lab sections are full. What do I do?

    You do not need to take the lab the same semester that you take the lecture. You can take the lab course AFTER you have taken (and passed) the lecture course (but not before). You can also keep checking for a space to open up in PantherSoft. There is a lot of adding and dropping during registration and the first week of the semester. If someone drops and a space opens up, you may register. If you do get into a lab section, please note that if you drop the lecture course, Panthersoft will force you to drop the lab. There are no exceptions made for this.

    Back to the Top

  6. I'm a transient/non-degree seeking student and I've taken a course at FIU in the past. Now I'm being told that there's a one-term enrollment limit and I can't register for any more courses unless I get permission from the department. What can I do?

    The university is enforcing a long-standing policy that transient/non-degree seeking students may only take courses at FIU for one term. Because we are a state school, the state subsidizes the per-credit cost for every enrolled student, and this is part of FIU's budget. However, FIU is not reimbursed for non-enrolled students, even though they pay the same low cost as enrolled students. The university can no longer afford this.

    Non-degree seeking students will not be allowed to register for more than one term without obtaining admission to a degree program at the University, or obtaining admission to a formal certificate program, or obtaining affiliated status from the appropriate academic department.

    As a general rule, the College of Arts and Sciences is not willing to grant affiliated status to students. This means that any student who wishes to complete course work with FIU beyond one semester will need either to be fully admitted or need to be admitted to a formal certificate program. If you believe you are an "exceptional case" (Senior Adult Learner, etc.) and wish to appeal to be granted affiliated status, please email Dean Harris at Kenton.Harris@fiu.edu.

    Back to the Top

  7. I still need help. Who is the physics advisor?

    Please contact Dr. Caroline Simpson at simpsonc @ fiu.edu. Send her a brief message with your question/error message, your pantherID, and the course and section number.

    Back to the Top