Advising & Mentoring
There are many people affiliated with the Office of Student Academic Affairs that are here to help you. They don't all do the same thing, so read below to find out who can best meet your needs.
Academic Advisors are here to help you by providing department-level and college-level advising services. Assess academic qualifications and progress. Assist students with quarterly and annual course planning, registration details, enrollment questions, and prerequisite satisfaction. Counsel prospective students on academic requirements necessary to enter the College's programs. Refer students to campus services and resources, as appropriate. Review candidates' eligibility for readmission, special admission, major change, double majors, and minors. Evaluate and advise students in academic difficulty. Act on student petitions for exceptions to College and/or department requirements. Review student degree progress toward graduation. Advise students of discrepancies discovered in these reviews.
The Professional Development Officer supports the professional development of our students by working with our departments and student chapters of our professional societies. He also serves as a liaison with industry and the Career Center in addition to coordinating undergraduate research programs. He will support and promote undergraduate opportunities in discovery, inquiry, and creativity-based scholarship through mentored research experiences with our faculties and professionals.
Faculty Mentors promote a strong relationship between students and professors in the department. They also consult on matters pertaining to career planning, understanding engineering in general, and specifically for gaining a better appreciation of their major. Mentors can also provide guidance on what it takes to be successful as an engineering student, and provide suggestions to enable students to gain confidence and self-motivation.
Faculty Advisors are responsible for consideration of petitions to waive or substitute major courses, as well as other exceptions to the major requirements.
Department Chairs are responsible for the instructors and teaching assistants who teach each course. Any concerns that a student may have regarding an individual instructor, or teaching assistant, that cannot be handled directly with the instructor, should be taken to the department chair. Chairs also have responsibility for planning the courses to be offered in any particular term.