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UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ADVISING

This page is intended for NEW, CURRENT and TRANSFER undergraduate students.

Graduate and Postbacc students: you may discuss policy with a undergradaute advisor, however for all academic program/course planning and graduation requirements you must meet with your assigned faculty advisor.

Purpose of Academic Advising

Academic advising is a professional and collaborative effort to help in your success. Advisors help you navigate your time at UA and to help you reach your goals.

Find your advisor here

General requirements

The School of Education requires all students throughout their program to take:

  • General education courses,
  • Professional education and literacy core courses
  • Teaching concentration and content field courses
  • Student Teaching experience
  • Understanding academic major/minor/certificate requirements, transfer credit concerns, and general education program requirements, and referring you to the necessary departments on campus for further assistance
  • Interpreting academic policies and procedures
  • Developing individual realistic and attainable short-term and long-term educational and/or career plans and goals
  • Helping you understand the importance of improving academic performance and overcoming academic challenges
  • Helping and guiding you in the development an appropriate course schedule each semester, including information on course pre and corequisites, as well as review of your Degree Progress Report (DPR) and graduation requirements
  • Referrals to student services for help with resolution of personal/individual problems or concerns and overcoming any learning barriers or challenges
  • Accepting full responsibility for making decisions on your academic choices and plans. You and your academic advisor (and faculty advisor) will discuss options available to you but ultimately you are responsible for any final decisions.
  • Determining your FERPA status. Your academic adviser is not able to discuss any academic or personal issue disclosed to them with anyone without your permission.
  • Selecting an academic major that fits your interests, skills, personality, and personal and professional goals.
  • Reviewing the Undergraduate Bulletin to learn more about academic policies, procedures, and requirements.
  • Careful and regular review of your DPR (Degree Progress Report) so that you know what you are required to take and complete for graduation, and to discuss any concerns/questions with your advisor.
  • Meeting with your academic and/or faculty advisor on a regular basis (at least once per semester) so that you can stay on point through your program as well as seek out any assistance you might need as early as possible.
  • Determining the courses you wish and/or need to take each semester and preparing to share that list with your adviser during your academic advising appointment; keeping all of your advising and curricular materials in an organized fashion and in one place so you can quickly access when needed.
  • when and how to register for courses, drop courses, etc. and the deadline dates needed for each as listed on the University’s academic calendar or the Registrar’s website.
  • Scheduling appointments with your adviser when you need assistance and cancelling any appointments that you are unable to keep or no longer need in a timely fashion.
  • Following up on referrals that your advisor provides to you
  • Learning about the campus resources available to you on campus that can aid you as a student (Tutoring, Counseling Center, Career Services, Financial Aid, etc).
  • Understanding academic performance standards (good standing, academic probation, academic dismissal, term warnings, etc).
  • Understanding what you need to do if you wish to change your major, add/delete minors or certificates, transient permission, transfer credit, study abroad, repeating courses, etc; and discussing questions with your advisor.
  • ACT/SAT-R scores
  • AP scores
  • Placement test scores
  • Pre-requisite courses
  • College-Credit Plus (CCP) courses
  • Admission to the SOE/Permission of faculty advisor, instructor, and/or School Director
  • Primary Inclusive Teacher Preparation Program (PK- Grade 5)
    Formerly called Early Childhood Inclusive Teacher Preparation Program
  • Mild/Moderate with Moderate/Intensive Intervention Specialist (K-12)
  • Middle Level and Middle Level with Intervention Specialist (Grades 4- 9)
  • Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) (Grades 7- 12)

See more information

Undergraduate bulletin

All students will take general education courses and all options are listed in your DPR

Discuss course options you have of interest with your advisor and learn which courses may double dip with academic program requirements

Curriculum Guides are provided to you as an aid in helping you understand the courses required for your program and the sequencing of such courses; It is a supplemental guide only and should be reviewed regularly on your own and with your academic advisor and/or faculty advisor. Degree requirements for graduation are listed in your Degree Progress Report.

Program Course Distributions are provided to you from your assigned faculty advisor and serves as a contract between you, your advisor, the School of Education, and the University of Akron

Additional information

Your DPR reflects your current major, minor and/or certificate programs. It only changes if you decide to change your major within BCAS or transfer to another UA academic program; if this is the case, you must complete the necessary paperwork through your advisor in order to make an official change to your record

To be fully admitted to the SOE, students must meet pre-admission course requirements and gpa requirements. Pre-admission requirements are listed in your DPR.

  • Pre-admission courses should be completed as soon as possible to increase chances of being fully admitted to the SOE.
  • You may be advised and/or required to repeat courses to boost your pre-admission and/or overall gpa

All students in general will take courses for pre-admission (depending on licensure area):

  • English Comp I and II (C or better grade required in both courses)
  • Speech (Honors students do not take speech)
  • General Education Social Science -6 credits (Art and Music Ed students must complete one course)
  • General Education Natural Science -7 credits; one course must be a lab course (Honors students, Art Ed, and Music Ed students must complete one 4 credit science course)
  • General Education Math/Statistics/Logic

GPA Minimum Requirements for Pre-admission:

  • 2.5 Pre-admission course gpa
  • 2.5 Overall gpa (cumulative)

Licensure area

  • Your SOE academic advisor will discuss pre-admission course requirements with you pertaining to your licensure area.

Once admitted to the SOE, students will work closely with a faculty advisor within their licensure area and may receive assistance in:

  • Information and advising on course selection
  • Course substitutions/waivers
  • Degree clearance related to major program content
  • Information related to Ohio Assessment Exams, student teaching, etc

You are responsible for scheduling your own classes during your enrollment period

  • Review your Degree Progress Report (DPR) in your MyAkron account so you know what you are required to fulfill for graduation and review course options with your academic adviser
  • Enrollment date will load into your MyAkron Student Center; however, you are advised to schedule an appointment with your academic adviser BEFORE your enrollment period so that you can discuss the next semester’s courses. This will allow you time to review the Schedule of Classes when it becomes available prior to your Enrollment date and move sections to your shopping cart.
  • Enroll in your courses on your enrollment date, if possible, or very soon thereafter. Do not wait to register or you may not get the sections or schedule that you desire.
  • You can also utilize the Student Center Quick Reference Guide

More information/reminder on how to register

Assistance with registration with SOE courses if you are admitted to the School:

  • For closed courses, you will need to contact the individual faculty member and inquire if you can enter into their class; contact them via the UA people search option.
    • If you have permission via email, send the instructor’s email to your academic adviser so they can enroll you in the class and make sure the section you want is in your shopping cart
  • For Controlled Classes or Department Consent Required courses: you must contact the academic department that is offering the course to discuss the possibility of entering a course
  • For Wayne College courses: no advisor or faculty member on the main campus has authority to enroll you in a Wayne College campus course. You must contact the faculty member that is teaching the course or contact the Wayne College advising team.
    • Wayne College course sections are typically reserved for Wayne students so there is no guarantee you can enter into one of their sections without permission. [Wayne College section course numbers start with “7”]

Find your advisor and schedule an appointment by calling 330-972-7880 or via this link.

What to expect/prepare for your appointment:

  • Appointments are virtual and in-person
  • Appointments are typically 30 minutes; please call in on time for your appointment; calling in 10-15 minutes after your scheduled appointment time will result in you having to reschedule the appointment. Please arrive on time for in-person appointments.
  • No Show appointments are documented at all times; please be courteous of your advisor and other students who wish or need an appointment; cancel your appointment if you cannot make it
  • Review your DPR PRIOR to your appointment, and write down an intended schedule and questions you may have to review with your advisor
  • Advisors also provide assistance to students via email; however, please note that a scheduled appointment is far better than an email if you wish to receive timely and direct information related to your questions. Scheduled appointments take precedence over email concerns and questions.
  • Academic Advising takes place throughout the year, not just during registration time. It is not unusual for advisors to be booked for several weeks during peak registration and at the start of each semester. Plan accordingly and schedule early as much as you can to avoid having to wait for an appointment and/or miss your opportunity to register on time during your enrollment period.
  • Your academic advisor will oftentimes communicate with you via email throughout the semester.
  • Please make sure you are regularly looking at your UA email (Inbox, junk, and/or clutter folders) so that you do not miss important information being sent to you.

Students already admitted to the School of Education, should make contact with their assigned faculty advisor initially. You can also work with a BCAS SOE advisor, but note that you may be referred to your faculty advisor based on circumstances.

Walk-ins

  • No probation or major semester course scheduling questions are permitted during walk-in hours
  • Typical walk in discussion should be no more than 10 minutes as there are other students waiting in the queue to be seen. Plan accordingly and if you have major issues/questions please schedule an appointment

FBI and BCI clearance is an annual requirement in this field. Background Checks are MANDATORY for all field work in the LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education (SOE).

Prior to the start of every academic year, students should have a cleared BCI/FBI report.

For more details

Related information: