91´ÎÔª

How to Make Changes to Your Major(s) and Minor(s)

While it may seem daunting, the process of making changes to your field of study is actually pretty simple!

Before making any changes to your major or minor, you must meet with the Dean, Department Chair or Designee of the academic department or school for the major/minor.

During or after this meeting, students should work with the Dean, Department Chair, or Designee to request these changes.

• The Dean, Department Chair, or Designee must send an email to the Registrar, with you, the student, cc'd in the email request.
• Students are also advised to have any of their other academic advisors (like your TRIO advisor) cc'd in the email as well.
• Requests may be emailed toÌýgraduation@umontana.edu.

Major/Minor/Option changes are effective for the current semester if submitted during the first 15 days of instruction. Otherwise, these changes will be effective for the next semester.

You can also declare more than one major and/or more than one minor. This is common for students who have overlapping fields of study.

Be sure to keep track of your credits on DegreeWorks every semester to ensure you're on the path to graduating with all of your requirements fulfilled! If you need assistance with DegreeWorks, you can always set up an appointment with your TRIO advisor to perform a credit audit.

How Do I Know What Textbooks I Need?

Your first step should be to visit theÌý. The website can be a bit buggy, so we recommend checking it frequently in the two weeks leading up to the first day of class.

To find your materials, you will need to search by course number and section number (ex. College Writing 1= WRIT 101 01). You can find this by looking at your Student Profile in GrizPortal.

However, the website doesn't always update before the beginning of the semester, and not all professors have their class materials available through the Bookstore. If your class shows as having no materials, we encourage students to reach out to their professor directly through email and to ask about the textbooks they will (or won't) need for the upcoming semester.

Some classes have course materials that are paid for by the course fees you pay as part of your student bill. Others may use free online textbooks. This information is often (but not always) reflected when you enter a class into the Bookstore website.

Lastly, if your professor is not responding and the Bookstore shows no results, many past course syllabi are archived throughÌý. It is worth looking at a syllabus for the past 1-3 academic years to see if there are textbooks that are commonly used.

Do not use old syllabi to determine which edition of a textbook you should use. Always check with your professor before buying or renting an older edition.

Free Resources

UM students have access toÌýinterlibrary loansthrough the Mansfield Library. The Library staff can assist with placing an interlibrary loan request. They recommend students do their own research on availability first in order to process requests quickly.

• Ìýlets you place a hold on items in the Mansfield Library or in a partner library.Ìý
• ±«²õ±ðÌýÌýto find any textbooks that may be available for interlibrary loan.
• Tip:ÌýSearch for textbooks by ISBN#, as you will likely find them faster that way.

TheÌýÌýis another fantastic resource, especially for students who need many novels for their classes.Ìý

• Library card applications can be completedÌý.
• Valid photo identification and proof of address is required. PoA can be a postmarked envelope, such as a bill.
  • If a student has moved into a new residence but has not received mail yet, the Library can mail them a self-addressed postcard. Returning the postcard will give the student full library privileges.
  • For students without a current place of residence, they can apply for a limited use library card until their housing situation stabilizes.

Purchasing & Renting

Many students do not know thatÌýrentingÌýtextbooks is an option. Rentals are often for a semester, though some can be extended to an entire academic year.

We highly recommend studentsÌýrentÌýover purchase when they are given the chance. You don't need to purchase many of your books, especially for 100 and 200 level courses, which will not be used for more than a single class.Ìý

If you are assigned a textbook that is of a particular edition (e.g., 5th edition), contact your professors to see if older editions (e.g., 4th edition, 3rd edition) will suffice. Older editions are often less expensive to rent or purchase; however, the information may be outdated compared to newer publications. Always check with your professors beforehand.

TheÌýÌýcarries some used textbooks, though they tend to be rented out fairly quickly. You can also talk to them in-person aboutÌýÌýyou purchased during the semester or academic year.

Generally, however, we strongly recommend you use other retailers to find textbooks for much cheaper.

Ìýoffers fairly low rental rates on a variety of textbooks for students with Amazon Prime memberships.ÌýRentals are currently only offered in digital format.

• . Memberships then cost $7.49/month. Students can either verify their status with age (18-24) or with proof of active student status.Ìý
• Ìýfor discounted Amazon Prime memberships at $6.99/month.Ìý

Ìýrents out eTextbooks for $10.99/month, with a minimum 4 month rental. These may not come with access codes, so you may need to purchase the code separately from your rental.

Ìýhas a stock of novels andÌýtextbooks.

ÌýandÌýÌýare good alternatives for finding textbooks. They offer both rentals and purchases.

Ìýhas mostly novels, some textbooks.

Ìýis best for finding novels.

While we try to compile a ton of scholarships and other opportunities, we can't gather everything out there available to students.Ìý

We're more than happy to help guide students to opportunities we already know of, working on applications with students, or encouraging them as they find new, exciting opportunities! However, keep in mind that whatever you want- scholarships, internships, research programs, study abroad, or something else- is somethingÌýyouÌýneed to be looking for. And you need to lookÌýevery semester.

How Do I Start Looking?

It depends on what you're looking for.Ìý

• Generally, opportunities likeÌýinternshipsÌýandÌýresearch programsÌýare focused more on yourÌýmajor or academic field,Ìýyour year in school,Ìýand your overall career or academic interests/plans.ÌýAfter all, internships and research programs (for undergraduates) are typically about building professional, field-relevant experience. Start by looking for internships or research opportunities for your major (ex. Sociology), and then widen out to your academic field (ex. Social Sciences)
• ScholarshipsÌýare a mixed bag with many different factors. Common ones are:
  • Merit Scholarships: Awarded based on academic merit, or how well you've done in your studies. This doesn't necessarily mean being a 4.0 GPA student. Many times merit-based scholarships will require minimum GPAs ranging between 3.0 and 3.5. If you're a good student who meets all the eligibility requirements, then you should apply!
    • This is especially true of students who excel in areas beyond the classroom. Have you won a prestigious award or received some type of honor? Have you been doing interesting research? Are you highly involved on campus? Have you continued doing well in your studies despite significant disadvantages or other responsibilities like parenting? These are all things to highlight in scholarship applications.
  • Need-Based Scholarships: Financial need is a requirement to apply for the scholarship, but is not usually howÌýthe scholarship is awarded. These scholarships often require verification or proof of your financial need, usually through a copy of your filed FAFSA or verification from the UM Financial Aid Office. Don't worry if you need Fin Aid's stamp of approval- that's something your TRIO advisor can help with!
  • Demographic Scholarships: Open to students who belong to certain demographics that are considered traditionally underserved and underrepresented in college environments. These may include, but are not limited to: female students, first-generation college students, low-income students, students who are ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, nontraditional students, student parents, and/or rural students.Ìý
    • Students who identify with more than one demographic are encouraged to look for scholarships that overlap with multiple demographics (ex. scholarships for LGBTQ+ women or scholarships for Native students with disabilities) in addition to opportunities particular to one demographic (ex. scholarships for LGBTQ+ students or scholarships for women). This casts a wider net of scholarships a student may qualify for!
• Study abroad funding often falls into the same camp as tuition scholarships, where they're awarded based on academic merit, financial need, diversity, etc.
  • However, the most financially generous study abroad scholarships (federally-funded programs) tend to include factors related to your career and academic interests/plans; your ability or interest in speaking/learning another language; and if that language is considered common (Spanish, French, German) or criticalÌý(Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc.)

The best place to start is withÌýyou. Who are you? What do you want to do? What are you studying?ÌýWhat interests you? Answering these questions will help guide you through initial searches, and help give us (and you) a better idea of what to start looking at.Ìý

Remember to check your academic department's UM webpages for scholarships awarded based on your academic major.

Visit the Office for Experiential Learning & Career SuccessÌýfor assistance finding, applying to, and interviewing for internships and jobs. UM students and recent alumni (graduated within the past 2 years) can access all of their services for free!

If you're interested in nationally competitive scholarships, contact theÌýOffice of External Scholarships & FellowshipsÌýto get help with scholarship applications and editing essays. Their office may be in the Davidson Honors College, but you do notÌýhave to be a honors college student to work with them. Open to UM students and UM alumni.

Lastly, keep an eye on our (frequently updated) Opportunities & Scholarships pages.

Google opportunities, scholarships, and internships. Treat applications like long assignments and chip away at them a little bit each week. Look early, look often, and keep track of what interests you.

Research Tools

ÌýFree search tool for students to search for research and articles, as well as publish their own works.

Particularly useful for humanities and social sciences courses. Access it for free by choosing the "Find my institution" option, and then typing "The 91´ÎÔª, Missoula" in the search bar.

This page provides suggested research platforms based on course subject covering STEM, social science, and humanities courses. These range from Accounting to Counseling to Wildlife Biology.

UM's internal catalogue of research, creative scholarship, and other academic resources.Ìý

Citation Resources

offers free, updated guides on citation formatting and styles. These guides frequently have examples that students can view to see how citations should look within a paper.

generates appropriate citation format based on either MLA (9), APA (7), or Chicago citation styles, as well as the type of resource being used (Book, Anthology, Periodical, etc.). Note that, when copying and pasting from the citation generator, the citation's font and size may have to be changed after pasting.

College Discounts

Enrolled college students can take advantage of many discount/package deals.Ìý

ÌýBegins with a 6-month free trial. Membership then cost $7.49/month

ÌýPremium is free for 3 months, then costs $5.99/month

First 3 months are free, then costs $7.99/month

Updates student discount lists. Features discounts including car insurance (for students <25 years old) and phone plans.

Dedicated exclusively to finding and promoting student discount deals.

UM students can also use their student IDs at a variety of places around Missoula to get available discounts.

Students are often confused about what classes they need to take. Thankfully, there's a much easier, quicker way for students to access that information directly themselves.

DegreeWorksÌýis a program that lets students see what classes they have to complete to graduate and how much progress they're making in completing all of those requirements. DegreeWorks will also allow you to see what classes fulfill a particular requirement. This is true of courses required for major(s), minor(s), and general education requirements (gen eds).Ìý

You can access DegreeWorks by logging intoÌýÌýand finding the DegreeWorks card.Ìý

Aside from a few exceptions, like your Introductory Writing requirement (e.g.,WRIT 101/201), students can often satisfy general education requirements by picking from a wide variety of classes.

For example: Theatre History I (THTR 330H), BIOB 210N (Communicating Biology), Ways of Knowing (HONR 121L), and Science Writing (325) all fulfill theÌýsameÌýgeneral education requirement (Writing Across the Curriculum) for the 2024-2025 academic year.Ìý

However, students need to pick their courses carefully. The requirements that a class satisfies may change from year-to-year. Be sure to look at these courses in DegreeWorks to see what they fulfill. Always schedule an appointment with your TRIO advisor to get help with registering for classes.

Also,Ìýkeep an eye out for courses that can be "double dipped".ÌýThese are courses that can satisfy more thanÌýoneÌýof your general education requirements and lead you to complete these requirements (and your degree) faster. .

Why Do I Need to File My FAFSA So Soon? Can't I Wait?

Filing your FAFSA as soon as possible every year gives you the best chance at receivingÌýallÌýof the federal financial aid you qualify for.Ìý

The FAFSA will not wait for you.ÌýMore than 17 million students fill out the FAFSA to receive federal financial aid every single year. Aid,Ìýespecially free aid like Pell Grants,Ìýis distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. You may qualify for a full Pell Grant ($7k+), but waiting until May or June to file your FAFSA makes it more likely you'll get a smaller award ($~3k).

If you need help filing your FAFSA, TRIO students should contact their TRIO advisor to set up an appointment. They are more than happy to sit down with you and help!

You can also reach out to the Financial Education CenterÌýon campus to set up an appointment to get assistance with filing your FAFSA.

Campus Tutoring:ÌýIn addition to the tutoring provided by our registered TRIO Tutors, we also connect students with tutoring services offered by the university, including Study Jams.

The Math Learning Center: This on-campus center is a fantastic free resource for students struggling with their Math courses. Math tutoring is one of the most requested academic services from TRIO students, and while most of our TRIO tutors do provide math tutoring, we highly encourage students to take advantage of the Math Learning Center's tutoring services.

Undergraduate Advising Center:ÌýWe work closely with UAC in the delivery of our academic advising services to ensure that students are enrolling in their required courses and remain on track to graduate.

The Writing Center:ÌýThe Writing Center is integrated into our COLS 160 class and can help you develop the skills you need to master college level writing. Our programs work together to help you pass the Writing Proficiency Assessment. You can also independently schedule appointments with them to get assistance with writing and editing essays.

: Provides students with information on how to enroll in college and how to stay in school once enrolled. Also details some scholarship and financial aid options.

ÌýThe Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA, for short) is free for students to fill out. Filing a FAFSA gives students access to certain income-based federal aid, such as Pell Grants, Work Study, and Subsidized Federal Loans. Some scholarships may also require that a student has submitted a FAFSA in order to demonstrate financial need. We recommend students file a FAFSA every year that they are in school and to file early, as aid is given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

This provides a good explanation of the various different types of awards FAFSA offers, as well as the differences between direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

Financial Aid Office:This is an excellent website that should be used by all students at UM who depend on financial aid (that's about 70% of our students!)

UM Financial Education Program:Offers one-on-one financial counseling/coaching sessions and financial workshops to students. They will work with students on both personal and college finances.

A short guide explaining more about the FAFSA and what it offers in greater detail.

American Indian Student Services:This office provides support for the 500+ American Indian students on our campus. They offer additional mentoring programs and services, as well as more information on financial aid options and opportunities specifically for American Indian students.

ASUM Legal Services: Offers low-cost legal assistance to UM students. While they are not always able to provide full-attorney representation on every case, ASUM Legal will at least provide legal advice to every student in need, along with additional assistance, resources, and referrals.

Bear Necessities: Provides a whole host of support and assistance to students. Their services include a confidential Food Pantry open 5 days/week with some weekend availability; application support and assistance for students applying to SNAP, Medicaid, and/or LEAP; a resource library with free winter clothing and scantrons; support in searching for affordable housing; and assistance with applying to emergency funds for UM students.

Counseling and Psychological Services:When individual or group counseling could help you address problems that are getting in the way of your success, this office has an excellent staff whose careers are focused on working with college student issues. Students can complete a total of 12 counseling sessions in an academic year. Curry will provide community referrals for students who need or would like additional counseling beyond the 12 session limit.

• Curry Health has published a list of additional resources regarding specific mental health situations/concerns here.

ODE:ODE ensures that programs of the 91´ÎÔª are as accessible to and usable by students with disabilities as they are for any student. They determine the student'sÌýeligibility to requestÌýreasonable modificationsÌýand coordinate modifications for those who are registered with their office.

VETS Office:ÌýThe 91´ÎÔª has established the Veteran’s Education and Transition Services Office (VETS Office) to assist veterans and their family members in achieving academic success. They are a liaison for G.I. Bill education benefitsÌýbetween the 91´ÎÔª, the Veterans Administration (VA) and the student.

Student parents who struggle with access to affordable child care may qualify for one of Montana's public assistance programs.ÌýPlease note you must be a Montana resident to apply.Ìý

ÌýHelps qualified, low-income Montana families pay for licensed/registered child care during a parent's work and/or school hours.Ìý

• Must meet income eligibility requirements based on household size andÌýGross Monthly Income (GMI). GMI is your total monthly earnings before deductions, including taxes
  • This sliding fee scale also displays what a monthly copay fee may be for families who qualify.
• Must meet an activity requirement by actively working and/or attending school
• Must be paying for or enrolling child in licensed/registered child care
• Student parents who qualify for Best Beginnings Scholarship who are parenting children with special needs may also qualify for supplementary child care subsidies through

Provides up to $2,500 per year for assistance for Montana families with household incomes of less than $131,000 per year.

• Student parents who qualify for Best Beginnings but don't have access to licensed child care can access assistance through this program

offers people the opportunity to build their own bike for free through their Build-A-Bike program.

Participation in Build-A-Bike is free. To be eligible, all you need to do is complete a free BikeWell class, and volunteer for 1.5 hours at Free Cycles. Build-A-Bike typically takes about 20 minutes.

Free Cycles Missoula is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 AM to 6 PM.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program offers free tax filings for individuals or families that make $60,000 or less in the spring. These tax filing sessions tend to be held in the Gallagher Business Building on campus.Ìý

• Here is last year's flyer.

Montana residents can qualify for free tax filing services . Each partner has different requirements, but AGI limits range between $45,000-$79,000.

The IRS also offers free direct access to for taxpayers whose AGI is $79,000 or less.

provides free job search and preparation services to Montana residents. These include:

• Assisting with unemployment applications for qualifying individuals
• Aiding in the job search, interview preparation, and resume/cover letter writing
• Helping residents acquire
• A special for Montana Medicaid recipients
• Professional development and certification training through
• Programs for short-term occupational training or on-the-job training

is open from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 11 AM to 5 PM on Wednesdays.

connects anyone in need with free food and food security resources. Their services are fully confidential; they will only ask you about your household size and household income. Please note that services are notÌýtied to income level and anyone, from any situation, can use the Food Bank.

The Food Bank is located on 1720 Wyoming St. They are open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM, and on Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Partnership Health Center and the Missoula Food Bank collaborate to offer primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services through .

Walk-ins are welcome. Dental hygiene appointments are available, with full dental services coming sometime in the near future. Behavior Health services are offered via telehealth. This clinic is not an emergency medical facility.

The clinic is located on the 2nd floor of the Missoula Food Bank at 1720 Wyoming St.

Clinic hours are the same as the Food Bank's: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday.

Ìýoffers high-quality, comprehensive health care that includes physical, dental, and behavioral health services. They offer a variety of financial resources and support to help ensure accessing medical care is affordable.

Patients can access a variety of , including an income-based ; for patients who do not have health insurance coverage; payment plan options; a Medication Assistance Program for established PHC patients; and assistance with applying for health insurance.

is helpful for finding specific problems or questions you might have. Instructions are explained step-by-step with picture examples.

Students can also enroll in the . This is an online, self-paced tutorial that gives students practice navigating and using Canvas.

is another course students can enroll in to learn about and practice using Canvas.

To minimize technical issues, students are encouraged to open Canvas inÌýÌýorÌý.

It is also recommended to and Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus to help with opening, downloading, editing, and submitting assignments through Canvas.

UM students have freeÌýaccess to both Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus.ÌýSee the Microsoft Office tab for instructions on installing the application.

Please note: if you have any version of Microsoft Office previously installed, you must uninstall it before downloading and installing 365 ProPlus.

Enrolled UM students have free access to Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus through their UM accounts. To install Microsoft Office on your laptop/computer, follow the steps below.

Log in to your student email through a web browser to get started.

You will need to open your student email in Outlook's web client through a browser (e.g., Firefox, Chrome). This will not work through an email software application installed on your computer.

Go to the top left corner, and click on the square of small white dots to the left of 'Outlook'. This will bring up an application menu. Click on 'More apps'.

You will then be brought to the Microsoft 365 home page. 

Make sure you are on the Home tab. You may initially be taken to the My Content or Feed tabs, as Microsoft will update whenever you open shared or sent files, particularly PDFs. The option to install apps is on the home page only.

Once you are on the home tab, click 'Install and More' on the righthand side of the screen. This will present you with a few options. For installing on computers, pick the first option to install applications. This will take you to your account page.

From here, it's as simple as hitting the Install Office button to download your program and run the installer. Office can be installed on up to five computers and five mobile devices. You will need to log in with your UMConnect student email address (NetID@umconnect.umt.edu) to authenticate your Office license.

Not sure what your NetID is? .

Instructors may use to distribute and share course materials with you.

There are for students, ranging from beginner users to advanced.

Google Drive

is a free alternative to Microsoft Office. It comes automatically with any Google (or Gmail) account you may have.Ìý

Not only does Google offer many of the same applications as Office, but it also lets you access the materials you're working on (documents, essays, presentations, etc.) from any computer or smartphone that you're logged into.

Google Drive also lets youÌýshareÌýmaterials with other users and lets you edit together in real time, making group assignments and projects a bit easier to manage.

• Google Drive:ÌýThe 'hub' of your Google account. This will let you see any materials you're working on (documents, presentations, sheets, forms, etc.), as well as any materials shared with you by other users. .
• Google Docs: The counterpart to Microsoft Word. Use for typing essays, letters, and other documents. .
• Google Sheets: The counterpart to Microsoft Excel. Used to make tracking spreadsheets. .
• Google Slides: The counterpart to Microsoft PowerPoint. Used to make presentation slides and, well, powerpoints! Slides is often particularly helpful for doing group presentation projects, thanks to the share feature.Ìý.

Microsoft Office

As a UM student, you have access to Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus through your student account. See the tutorial above for help with installing Office on your computer.

It's a good idea to install Office so you can open documents, spreadsheets, and other Office files without having to upload them to Google Drive.

Office comes with a few different applications. These are the ones you're most likely to use.

• Microsoft Excel: Used for making tracking spreadsheets and compiling data. .
• Microsoft PowerPoint:ÌýUsed to make presentation slides. Has more thematic options than Google Slides. .
• Microsoft Word:ÌýUse for typing essays, letters, and other documents. .

Have an older computer? Make sure it meets .

When using Zoom, make sure to:

• Stay muted when you are not speaking. When you are muted, your microphone icon should be red and have a slash through it.
• Keep the video feed off if you are having issues with internet speed.
• Rejoin if you are booted from the Zoom meeting due to technical difficulties.

Check out this .