policies & procedures

General Petitions

What are petitions?

Petitions are the forms used to make changes to the student's academic record.

Where can I pick up a petition form?

A petition form can be downloaded from the UH website under the subheading FORMS, or can be picked up from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Academic Affairs Center, Room 315, Agnes Arnold Hall or from a departmental advisor. Petitions can also be picked up at the Office of Registration and Records in the Welcome Center.

Where do I submit my petition?

You may submit your petition to your departmental advisor. For each request, you will need to submit a separate petition.

What are the types of petition requests?

ADMISSION STATUS CHANGE:
This request is used to change the status under which a student was admitted into the University. In other words, you may change your admission status from conditional to unconditional. An unconditional status is for incoming freshmen who are from accredited public or private high schools in the state of Texas, who rank among the top 10% of the student’s graduation class and who applied by the published deadlines. You should attach any documentation that is required by the department.
CLASSIFICATION:
This request is used to change the classification of the student. The undergraduate classification is based on the number of completed UH hours and the number of accepted transfer hours. If you are seeking a graduate classification, you must have applied and been accepted into a Graduate program. Postbaccalaureate students (students who have received a Bachelors degree or higher from an accredited university or college) who wish to complete a second degree, either Undergraduate or Graduate, should use this form to indicate their educational intentions to pursue another degree. You will need to attach any documents that are required by your department, including transcripts and transcript evaluations.
COURSE OVERLOAD:
This request is used to take more hours than the Undergraduate or Graduate catalog indicates for your major and/or classification. You will need to indicate the number of hours you are requesting to take in the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area. In addition, you will need to list the names of the courses you desire, your cumulative grade point average (GPA), and the reason for the request.
DEGREE OBJECTIVE CHANGE:
This request is used to change the type of degree you are pursuing to another degree of the same level. In other words, you can change your degree from a Bachelor of Arts degree to a Bachelor of Science degree. You must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00. You may also need to read and complete No. 8 (Change of Major Request). You should use the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area to detail information regarding your request. You will need to attach any documents that are required by your department.
DEGREE REQUIREMENT EXCEPTION
This request is used for course substitutions for courses that are required by your degree plan or to make other changes to your degree plan. You should use the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area to detail information regarding your request. You will need to attach any documents that are required by your department (transcripts, course descriptions, course outlines, or a course syllabus).
CHANGE OF MAJOR:
This request is used to change your major to another major or to add a major. You should use the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area to detail information regarding your present academic program.
WRITING PROFICIENCY EXEMPTION OR WAIVER: This type of request is no longer applicable.
SPECIAL PROBLEMS COURSE REQUEST:
This request is used to ask for enrollment in a special problems course. You should use the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area to detail information regarding your request.
COURSE EQUIVALENCY EVALUATION OF TRANSFER CREDIT:
This request is used to get the acceptance of a transfer course as a equivalent credit for a UH course. You should use the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area to detail information regarding your request. You will need to attach a transfer evaluation, a course description and/or outline from the other university, college, or junior college.
OTHER:
This is for all other requests not included above. You should use the EXPLANATION OF REQUEST area to detail information regarding your request. In addition, you will need to attach any required documents to the petition.

How long is the petition process?

The petition process will take approximately two to three weeks. The petition will be routed to the necessary person(s) who will review your petition and who will make the approval/disapproval decision. Once your department chair has made a decision, the petition will be sent to the Academic Affairs Center for a final decision. Once a final decision is made , the copies of the petition will be sent to your departmental advisor from whom you should be able to obtain your copy of the final decision.