Academic Advising

The Office of Student Services
1810 Liacouras Walk

Suite 203
215-204-2890

www.temple.edu/cst
cst@temple.edu

The Office of Student Services in the College of Science and Technology guides students from new student orientation through graduation to ensure that they complete all degree requirements and work to their fullest potential.  Faculty advisors in each major use their knowledge of departmental curriculum to help students choose courses consistent with their specific career objectives.

Specialized services offered by this office include:

· New Student Orientation—Group advising and registration appointments for all newly-admitted first-semester freshmen and transfer students.

· Advising and Registration Services—Students may want to meet with professional advisors at different times during their academic career to check on remaining graduation requirements.  The express advising and advising-by-appointment schedule is available at www.temple.edu/cst/advising/officehours.html.  Registration with an advisor is required for students with a cumulative or last semester attended or major/track GPA below 2.0 and for any students registering for 18 or more credits. Newly-admitted or readmitted students are also required to meet with an advisor for registration.

· Petitions for Exception to Policy—Petitions are reviewed on a rolling basis by the Director and Assistant Director of Student Services. Typical petition requests include those for overload approval, for attending another institution for a semester or summer session, and for curriculum exceptions.

· Graduation Review—At 90 credits, students are required to schedule an official graduation review with their academic advisor.  The advisor will explain the remaining course and credit requirements needed to graduate.

Departmental Advising

After their New Student Orientation advising and registration session, students' major departments will have access to their academic credentials for subsequent advising by faculty advisors.  Faculty advising is very important in developing ties between a student's academic program and his or her professional goals.  Faculty advisors may assist students in finding research opportunities and professional internships and will help students choose courses that will best prepare them for their field of interest within a particular discipline.

Academic Advising and Student's Responsibility

All academic advisors are trained to read and evaluate information carefully to give students the best possible advice. However, primary responsibility for curriculum completion rests with the student.  Every student must be aware of the requirements of his or her degree and should obtain advising on a regular basis to ensure timely completion of his or her program.

Student Advisors/Ombudspersons

Each department in the College of Science and Technology has a Student Advisor/Ombudsperson (SA/O) who is a qualified undergraduate student in that department.  The SA/O is thoroughly familiar with requirements and curricula of the department and can competently advise fellow students on the courses and faculty members of the department.  He or she also has information about career options for the department's graduates.

Student Grievance Procedure

The SA/O is familiar with the College of Science and Technology Grievance Procedure and is the first person to consult in case of an academic grievance.  The SA/O will serve as a student-faculty liaison and attempt to resolve the grievance.  A student must initiate this first stage of the academic grievance procedure no later than thirty days after the beginning of the fall or spring semester immediately following the completion of the course in which the grievance occurred.  A copy of the College of Science and Technology grievance procedure can be obtained from the SA/O.  Each SA/O has an office in his or her department, and the SA/O program coordinator is located in the Office of Student Services.

Continuing Student Registration

Continuing student registration is the period during the fall and spring semesters when currently-enrolled students should register.  Degree Audit Reports (DARS) provide a compact summary of a student's progress toward a degree, including a list of requirements yet to be completed.  Eligible students obtain their DARS documents via OWLnet.

Prior to processing their registrations, freshmen are strongly recommended to meet with advisors to review their DARS documents and discuss course selections for the upcoming semester.  New transfer students and continuing students in good academic standing are encouraged to meet with their departmental advisors before processing their schedules via OWLnet.  Students ineligible to use OWLnet are required to meet with an advisor.

Pre-Professional Advising

Students intending to apply to a school of pharmacy should reside in the College of Science and Technology.  The curriculum and advising of these students is specifically tailored to fulfill the prerequisites set forth by the Temple University School of Pharmacy.  Pre-pharmacy students must declare a major upon completion of 30 credits.

Many of the courses required by professional programs such as dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine are incorporated into College of Science and Technology curricula.  This approach allows our students to fulfill degree requirements, while at the same time meeting admissions criteria for professional and graduate programs.

Knowledge gained in the College of Science and Technology curricula provides the foundation needed in preparing for Professional School entrance exams.