New Student Registration Guide & FAQ Page — Pre-Seminary Program

Welcome to Martin Luther College! The information found on these pages will help you get registered for the proper courses as you begin your preparation for enrollment at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary!

Please read through this entire document before beginning.

Scheduling Resources

Use this page as a “registration central” for your process. It contains important instructions and links to help you with this process. The Navigation panels on the left give quick access to important sections. Here are links to helpful scheduling resources.

The MLC Undergraduate Catalog

pp. 44-46 provide details about general education requirements. These pages also list all the general education course menus.
pp. 73-77 provide details about the pre-seminary requirements and curriculum.
pp. 82-103 provide course descriptions for specific courses.

MLC Portal is where you access your Program Plan and the Schedule Planner.

Consult General Education Courses for requirements and menu options.
Consult the Course Status (toggle between semesters as needed) & the 5-Year Master Plan on the Portal to see which years and semesters courses are offered.

Getting Started

Get your individualized Program Plan. You will find it on your directory page of the MLC Portal under “Program Planner” located in the right column of the “Other Information” box.

If your non-biblical language option has changed, please notify Dean J. Danell at 507-354-8221 ext. 254 or via email at danelljc@mlc-wels.edu.
If you took an AP test, please be sure you have asked the College Board to submit your scores to MLC. The MLC code for reporting scores is 6435. (See pp. 25-26 in the Undergraduate Catalog for a list of AP exams, minimum required score, and corresponding MLC course.) Check your Unofficial Transcript after July 8 to see what credits you have earned.
If you took a college course during high school, be sure you have requested that the college from which you earned credits sends an official transcript to MLC for a formal transcript evaluation. Once this process is completed, check your Unofficial Transcript to see what credits have transferred in.

Read through the Pre-Seminary FAQs at the end of this page (use Navigation Panel on left). They answer many questions and provide specific information for the pre-seminary program.

Watch the Scheduling Video

After reading everything, watch the Scheduling Video for a visual guide on how to use the MLC Portal Schedule Planner.

Planning Your Schedule

Log on to MLC Portal using your MLC Account username and password which you set up earlier. Contact MLC Network Services if you have issues logging in.

Select the “Scheduling” tab and then choose:

“Schedule Planner”
Select “Preference” for personal preference choices (you do not need to do this, but it may be helpful with first planning).
Select “Modify Courses” to select courses and the semester you desire. Courses are in the middle and are organized by course number. To put the course into a semester, click on the “Add” button pointing to the appropriate semester. To switch semesters, you must delete the course from one semester and then use the “Add” button to put it in the other semester.
Select “Plan Schedule” to put the courses you have chosen into a weekly schedule. Be careful to note on the upper right the semester you are working with. You must develop a plan for both first and second semester if you are attending the full year. To switch between semesters in “Plan Schedule,” hover over 2023-24 Semester 1 in the upper right-hand corner and select 2023-24 Semester 2.
Select “Make It Fit” to design your schedule automatically according to the preferences you set in step #2 above. If a course does not fit, the course will appear in a white box on the left side of the screen. Clicking on the course in white will make potential meeting times appear in red boxes on the schedule grid. If you are unable to make your schedule fit your selected courses, you must go back to “Modify Courses” to make changes, by either switching semesters or dropping a course and adding another one. Many first-year courses are offered both semesters.

If you have conflicts that you are not able to resolve, please contact the MLC Scheduling Help Desk at 507-233-9156 ext. 279. The dates and hours it is open are below.

Your plan is automatically saved. You can go back to it any time through the MLC Portal.

Registration Day Procedure

You will be eligible to finalize your classes at your appointed time. Individual registration times can be found by selecting “Schedule Planner” under the “Scheduling” tab on the Portal. Times have been randomly assigned and are staggered. Registration for first-year students begins at 8 am on July 10.

Click on “Register” on the “Schedule Planner.” Note: This tab won't appear until your assigned registration day.
Click on “Finalize.” This finalizes the registration process.

Your registration time will remain open until you complete registration by finalizing your schedule. It is in your best interest to schedule at the appointed time.

IF YOU DO NOT FINALIZE YOUR SCHEDULE BY THE MAKE-UP DATE, THE RECORDS OFFICE WILL SCHEDULE FOR YOU.

Important Dates

June 26 | You should receive via mail instructions to register for your courses online.
June 26 - July 7 | Begin planning your schedule in the MLC Portal Schedule Planner.
June 26 - July 7 | MLC Scheduling Help Desk available for questions from 8 am - 4 pm CDT. (507) 233-9156 ext. 279
July 10 - July 14 | Online course registration is open. Please note the day and time for scheduling. The MLC Scheduling Help Desk is available from 8 am - 8 pm CDT. (507) 233-9156 ext. 279
July 18 | Make-up day.

MLC Scheduling Help Desk

If you have any questions during the scheduling process or about anything on this page, call the MLC Scheduling Help Desk The people at the help desk are there to help you with your scheduling needs.

MLC Scheduling Help Desk Availability

June 27 - July 8

By phone (507) 233-9156 ext. 279 from 8 am to 4 pm CDT
By email to records@mlc-wels.edu

July 11 - July 15

By phone (507) 233-9156 ext. 279 from 8 am to 8 pm CDT

After July 15

By phone (507) 233-9156 ext. 279 from 8 am to 4 pm CDT
By email to registrar@mlc-wels.edu

FAQs

As much as possible, please follow the plan that has been laid out for your first year. Once you arrive on campus, your advisors will help you plan out your subsequent years and offer you guidance on which courses to take.

Can I schedule 1st-semester courses in 2nd semester and 2nd-semester courses in 1st? Can I move courses from one year to another year?

Yes, but . . .

some – especially the language courses – cannot and should not be moved.
do not schedule ENG1303 (Rhetoric & Composition) and ENG130x (Literature Seminar) in the same semester.
do not schedule more than one Biblical History and Literature course (THE1001, THE1002, THE2001) in the same semester.
Maintain the sequence HIS2112 (Rise of the West) first, then HIS2113 (Modern West).
Don’t move any elective courses into the first year; at this point you lack the prerequisites.

What are the (Gen Ed Menu) courses in my Program Plan?

Some courses in your program plan appear as a grayed entry and do not specify a particular course. These represent general education courses required of every MLC student. Any course from a given menu can meet the Gen Ed requirement in that area. (Note that some areas require more than one course to fulfill the Gen Ed requirement, for example, Theology.) Here are a few notes about each area of the Gen Ed menus. (Note: Not everything here will necessarily apply to your individualized program plan.)

Intercultural. This can be a tricky one to choose. It’s probably best to wait and schedule this in consultation with your Advisor.
Mathematics

MTH1012 Organizational Personal Finance — either semester
MTH2010 Calculus I — first semester only (pre-req is high school precalculus or equivalent)
MTH2020 Elementary Statistics — second semester only
MTH2022 Discrete Math – first semester only
If you need a fifth course for one of your first two semesters, moving a Gen Ed Math course up in your program may be an option.

Physical Education. You are required to take two activity courses. These are listed on pp. 95-96 of the Undergraduate Catalog. These courses all begin with PED11xx. Each of these courses lasts one quarter.

Note: If you have participated on a high school varsity soccer team, do not take PED1131 (Soccer). This course is to be taken by students with beginning or intermediate skill levels only.

Science. Please note …

- SCI1003 & 1004 (Biology & Biology Lab) and SCI1102 (Physical Science) are available either semester every year.

- SCI2021 (General Chemistry I) is available every year, but only in semester 1.

Of the other courses on the menu, SCI2101 (Physics: Mechanics) is available in semester 1 (but a calculus background is recommended), and SCI2102 (Physics: Electricity and Magnetism) is available in the second semester (but a calculus background is recommended) this year.
If you need a fifth course for one of your first two semesters, moving a Gen Ed Science course up in your program may be an option.

Theology. All three of these courses are required at some point, and are generally taken during the first three semesters. They do not have to be taken in any specific order.

How do I schedule Music courses like Wind Symphony, Piano, Organ, or a Choir?

Complete the Music Experience Inventory form online as soon as possible, even if you have no music experience. (It’s part of your New Student Checklist.) If you indicate an interest in joining Wind Symphony on the form, Wind Symphony will automatically be entered in your schedule planner. You must add all other music courses to your schedule planner.

Schedule section 01 for piano, organ, choir, instrument and vocal lessons. After your Music Experience Inventory form has been reviewed and after your brief audition during student orientation week, your music course level may be adjusted in your schedule. You will also then be assigned an instructor for keyboard, instrument, and/or vocal lessons. Students registered for lessons will receive an email from their assigned instructor before the semester begins. It will include their assigned lesson time.

Students desiring to participate in a choir should register for section 01 of the course in one of the following ways:

New students who wish to sing in choir should register for MUS2048, Chorale.
Note: if the male population can support an additional choir, it is possible that a 4th hour option (MUS2039 Männerchor) may be opened up. Students will have an opportunity to declare interest in the 4th hour option at their choir audition.)
If you have added choir, MUS1103, or MUS1104 to your schedule planner, an audition time will be given to you during orientation week.

What is the MUSxxx Vocal Music (Pre-Sem Menu) course I see on my Program Plan?

Pre-Seminary students are required to take a one-credit vocal music course. The options are listed on the top of p. 77 in the Undergraduate Catalog. Please note the following:

MUSxxxx Choir. The two choirs available this year are MUS2048 (Chorale) and MUS3036 (College Choir).

Both are eighth-hour choirs and may be difficult for those in athletics. However, participation in either choir still allows for enrollment in MUS2047 Wind Symphony.
Both are audition choirs.
MUS3036 (College Choir) is made up of mostly upperclassmen. Very few spots are open for first-year students. It is a traveling choir and meets five times per week.
While only one semester of a choir is required, our choirs (like a sports team) appreciate a student’s participation for the entire year.
Many pre-seminary students audit choir and/or wind symphony if their schedule is already at 18 credits, simply because they love music. If you choose to do this, you must still fulfill the one-credit vocal music requirement at some point.

MUS1103 (Sight Singing Fundamentals) is a course centered around learning the basics of reading music and is intended for students with little to no music literacy.
MUS1104 (Vocal Skills) is a course designed for those needing to develop the basics of singing technique and is intended for students with little to no singing experience.
MUS203x Applied Voice courses are meant for experienced singers who seek individual voice training. There are limited spots available.

Why is my first non-biblical language course already scheduled?

Your first non-biblical language course is determined mainly by the results of the language diagnostic placement exam you took. You were automatically scheduled based on the results of that test. This may mean that your first course is delayed until semester 2. During the first two weeks of the semester (the drop/add period) you will have a chance to confirm or change that placement. If you feel you were misplaced, please contact the Deans Office. Do not schedule another non-biblical language course.

Why is THE1401 Early Ministry Experience I already scheduled in Semester E?

This program requirement has already been scheduled for you. Early in the semester, our pre-seminary Director of Early Ministry Experiences will meet with you and explain what this is about.

Why are there English courses already in my schedule planner?

If your English ACT score was 17 or below, you may be required to take ENG0001 Essential Skills for College Composition and ENG1303 Rhetoric and Composition concurrently during your first semester of studies. ENG0001 does not fulfill any of the English requirements for graduation. These courses will already appear in your schedule planner. If this applies to you, then you will have to take your English Literature Seminar course in semester 2.

Why is there already a Math course in my schedule planner?

If your Math ACT score was 17 or below, you are required to take MTH0003 Developmental Mathematics in your first semester. MTH0003 does not fulfill any of the Mathematics requirements for graduation. It can be taken concurrently with MTH1012 Organizational and Personal Finance (recommended) or before taking any other general education math courses.

Where do I find course descriptions?

See the MLC 2023-24 Undergraduate Catalog.

How many credits may I schedule?

Students may not take more than 18 credit hours per semester. Pre-Seminary students normally take five (5) courses of 3 or more credits per semester.

May I audit courses?

Yes, beyond 18 credit hours, students may audit courses up to 21 total credit/audit hours. Students often audit choir, wind symphony, etc., after they have reached 18 credits. (Audits do not earn credit. Refer to the 2023-24 Undergraduate Catalog (pg. 30) for audit policies.)

Are my AP credits reflected in my Program Plan?

In most cases, yes—though these credits are “pending” until MLC receives official notification from the College Board of tests taken and scores received. If you expect to receive AP credits, check your MLC Portal Unofficial Transcript after July 8. Once official notification of AP credit is received and processed, this will automatically show up in your Program Plan. Please be sure you have requested that your AP scores be sent to MLC. Our AP code is 6435.

Are credits earned from another college reflected in my Program Plan?

In most cases, yes—though these credits are “pending” until MLC receives and evaluates an official transcript from the college from which you received the credits. If you expect to receive transfer credit from another college, please be sure you have requested that an official transcript from that college be sent to MLC.

What if I need an additional course to reach five (5) content courses in a semester?

Consider moving up one of the Gen Ed Science menu or Gen Ed Fine Arts menu courses to fill that spot.