Academic Advising

By providing support, direction, and guidance, advisers at UMD help students reach their educational goals, experience academic success, and graduate in a timely manner. The Swenson College of Science and Engineering endorses the following principles regarding academic advisement:

  • Advising in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering is an integral component of its teaching and learning mission. The purpose of academic advisement is to assist students in identifying academic and career goals, developing educational plans consistent with those goals, and evaluating progress toward those goals.
  • Both the student and the advisor bear responsibility in the development and completion of an educational plan, and ultimately each student's academic career is his or her own responsibility. The responsibility of the advisor is to provide guidance, information, and assistance as students make academic and career decisions.

While students ultimately make their own decisions concerning their academic plans and careers, advisers assist them with decision-making processes and the exploration of options. Students are encouraged to establish a close working relationship with their academic adviser and meet regularly with him or her to develop a better understanding of their responsibilities, the requirements of their curriculum, and other regulations. The Swenson College of Science and Engineering Student Affairs Office assigns each student an adviser.

While each student has an opportunity to work with a faculty adviser in their major field of study, professional advising staff may, in some colleges, serve as initial advisers for freshmen, transfer students, or for students who have not yet decided on a major. In other colleges, if the student has selected a major, as indicated on the Application for Admission, he/she is assigned a faculty adviser in the selected department. If the student’s interests or major objectives change, the student should request a change of adviser at the Student Affairs Office of the college that offers the desired program or major.

At UMD, the adviser’s role is:

  • to help students clarify their educational values and goals;
  • to provide accurate information on educational options, policies, and procedures;
  • to guide students toward an academic program in which they can be successful;
  • to acquaint students with the campus resources that can support their academic and personal success.

Students are responsible for scheduling, preparing for, and keeping advising appointments; seeking out contacts and information and knowing the basic requirements of their degree program. Students bear the final responsibility for making their own decisions based on the best information and advice available.

The student’s role is:

  • to prepare a plan for degree completion that incorporates all requirements and considers testing requirements, application dates, upper division requirements, and entrance and exit requirements;
  • to read the catalog, course schedule books, program worksheets, Web sites, and other available materials to understand University and college policies;
  • to meet with their adviser regularly to review the academic schedule for the following term and progress toward degree completion. This can help students understand any sequencing of courses within their majors or other issues related to the integration of courses into a comprehensive program of study.