Academic Common Market (ACM) Process (2020-2021) Southern ...

[Pages:2]Academic Common Market (ACM) Process (2020-2021) Southern Studies (SST)

The application process is somewhat involved and subject to change depending on the volume of applicants, students retained in the SST undergraduate major, and ACM awards finalized each year.

We encourage ACM applicants to begin the process at least three months before beginning SST coursework. If you're an incoming student for a Fall term, applications can be submitted starting in the Spring term prior to attendance. If you're a transfer student, you may apply in any term prior to the term of attendance. If you're already enrolled and attending UM, you may apply at any point, although ACM benefits will not be applied until the following term.

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1) The application formally starts when you apply in your home state for ACM approval. That begins in different states with different institutions, but it should be googleable. Just search for "Academic Common Market" and [insert home state] and start there. Usually, the ACM office is housed in the state's educational system. For instance, in Georgia it starts with the University System of Georgia. It's similar in most other states, at least in the southeast. The main thing is that your home state will check to make sure a public entity does not offer Southern Studies in your home state. If it doesn't, then you should be in the clear and they will issue (after a short review process) an ACM Certificate. Note: If necessary for your home state's ACM, we can issue a statement from either of SST's undergraduate advisors that you are a SST student intending to study with us as a major.

Remember: The ACM cannot be used just for a SST minor or double majoring. It can only be used for a SST major toward a B.A. in SST (plus required minor in another discipline).

2) If approved, your home state will send the ACM certification to you and to the Provost office at UM. The Provost office will check your major in the registrar's system and we will make sure you are a major. This may require you to be patient: many students don't usually declare a major until orientation/enrollment, which is in spring or early summer. Once you're cleared as a SST major, then the Provost's office will notify you of your ACM eligibility and send the undergrad advisor a certification, which will be uploaded to our administrative shared box.

3) Next, SST's undergraduate advisors will need to check over your intended coursework. If an incoming student, you'll likely consult with an orientation advisor about this, although the undergraduate advisor in SST can be in the loop. Regardless, before orientation and advising, there will be an advising block on your account. If you don't meet with an undergraduate advisor, then you will meet with an undergraduate advisor in SST. This is when ACM really counts. We'll need to make sure you are signed up for at least one SST majorrelated course (or course in your minor) each term. That satisfies most home states' and UM's requirement of "progress toward degree."

4) After signing off on your coursework and conducting a final audit to ensure you're enrolled in coursework that makes "progress toward degree," an SST undergrad advisor will request that Financial Aid approve your ACM discount. You will receive a receipt for this request via email. This request is not final approval, but it will let the Financial Aid office know that they should award you the ACM discount. Financial Aid will then approve the request and will let the Bursar know to make the adjustment to your billing. If all the ducks are in a row, you will see the discount applied for that term's bill when the Bursar sends it out for payment (e.g., August 15 for Fall).

5) After the discount is applied, you just have to stay in SST major coursework, show up for courses, study hard, and keep your overall GPA above 2.0. For any course to count toward the major or its requisite minor, it also requires a C or higher for a final grade.

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Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions regarding ACM, please direct them to one of SST's undergraduate advisors: either Dr. Darren E. Grem, Associate Professor of History and Southern Studies or Dr. Simone Delerme, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Southern Studies.

Click here for Dr. Grem's faculty page and here for Dr. Delerme's faculty page. E-mail addresses are located there. If your last name begins with A-K, contact Dr. Grem. If your last name begins with L-Z, contact Dr. Delerme. Always e-mail us instead of calling our office phones since we may not be in the office but always have our e-mail inboxes handy.

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