Admission/Transfer into University Studies (B.U.S. Program)
General Information
Students for whom the B.U.S. Program is Appropriate
Applications are accepted from students in any college within the University of New Mexico. Students transferring to the University of New Mexico may be admitted directly to the B.U.S. Program by UNM’s Office of Admissions [(505) 277-2446].
Requirements for admission to the B.U.S. are:
- Twenty-six or more hours of earned credit applicable to this program.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher.
- Demonstrated competence in the writing of English as evidenced by one of the following:
- Completion of English 101 and 102 with a grade of C (2.00) or higher in both.
- A score of 29 or better on the English portion of the Enhanced ACT.
- A score of 650 or better on the verbal portion of the SAT.
- Successful completion of a Writing Proficiency Portfolio [see the English Department -- (505) 277-6347 -- for details].
- Credit for English 102 through CEEB advanced placement program.
- An approved program of studies developed with a B.U.S. Advisor.
- Statement of Purpose (250 word minimum).
- Qualified Signature (see your Advisor for additional information)
Qualified Signature Form
B.U.S Information
for
New Students
How do I transfer into/admit to B.U.S?
Admission to the B.U.S. program requires that all requirements as outlined in the UNM Catalog be completed prior to admission by a B.U.S Advisor. The following steps are required to be considered eligible:
Students must read through the B.U.S Advisement Guide, and formulate a proposed plan of studies before admission into the B.U.S Program -- for example: if you want to see a B.U.S Advisor to transfer into the program, you must have a proposed plan of study completed (to the best of your ability) in order to be considered eligible for transfer. The advisor will go over the plan of studies with you at this time, and modifications may be required to have an acceptable plan of studu. It normally takes two advisement visits to have an acceptable plan of study for admission -- Plan Ahead!
Statement of Purpose:
After you design your plan of study—write about it. Tell us why you designed your plan of study the way you did, and what it is you hope to do with your BUS degree. Have you created a plan of study to get you into a particular graduate or professional program? Is your plan geared for a particular job? How does your plan go together in a meaningful way? Tell us in (at least) 250 words.
Qualifying Signature:
University Studies requires you to obtain the signature of an individual qualified to say that your plan of study will put you in a good position to get you where you want to go—we call this component “the Qualifying Signature.” The qualifying signature helps to insure that the appropriate curricular choices have been made, e.g., if you were headed to law school, UNM’s pre law advisor would be an excellent choice for a qualifying signature.
Qualified Signature Form
Student example: If you are late in applying to enter B.U.S, i.e. do not have the time to design a plan of studies, and you are needing to transfer into a degree granting program (to have your advisement hold removed) so that you may register for classes next semester - making an appointment to see a B.U.S Advisor at this stage will be a waste of your time. You must complete the normal admission procedures in order to be eligible to transfer into B.U.S. There simply are NO short-cuts into B.U.S !
How do I start the graduation process?
Once you have been admitted into B.U.S - you must begin to process your paperwork for graduation over the next several semesters. Students must monitor their Progress towards graduation by means of the B.U.S. Degree Progress Audit. This report can be found under the Registration and Records option in Loboweb and may be run any time. You, the student, are responsible for completing all the necessary paperwork if your B.U.S Progress Report is not correctly applying your credit hours towards the completion of your B.U.S degree.
If you have transfer classes that are not correctly identified and counted in your B.U.S Progress Report you will need to correct this situation before you approach graduation. You must get "Departmental approval" for all the transfer classes you have which are going to be applied towards graduation or to the University-wide "core curriculum".
Student example: If you have a "Principles of Sociology" class that you are transferring from the University of Maryland and need it to satisfy "Sociology 101 - Introduction to Sociology" in the Social Science section on UNM's core curriculum, you will need to ask your advisor to send an online evaluation to the Sociology department to say it is an "equivalent" to your transfer class. Getting these "equivalencies" done will significantly speed-up your paperwork processing & make it much easier on you come graduation time.
Why do I have a hold?
Students' in the B.U.S program should meet regularly with their B.U.S Advisor. Our program does NOT place mandatory (every semester) advisement holds on its students unless: or are missing other parts of the program application
a). you have just been admitted to B.U.S and need to submit your plan of studies to an Advisor.
b). you are on probation and in danger of being suspended from the University.
c). you have reached 100 semester (credit) hours and need to apply for graduation.
When should I see my Advisor?
Your B.U.S plan of studies will serve as your guide to choosing courses for each semester - you will not need your Advisor's permission each semester as you register. If you find yourself needing extra help in formulating an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary plan of study OR you would like to begin preparing for admission to graduate study or entry into your chosen career you may want to ask about participating in a B.U.S seminar offered at the University College Advisement Center.
What do I need to do if I want to make changes to my Plan of Study?
Download PETITION FOR PROGRAM EXCEPTION
form 
