Academic Advising
For more information contact Sally Schoolmaster (she/her/they), Assistant Dean of Academic Success
ADVISING MISSION STATEMENT
In a caring and supportive environment, PNCA Academic Advising provides students with the foundation and framework to outline and achieve their educational and professional goals.
Advisor Responsibilities
Advising is a collaboration between the student and the advisor. Advisors play a supportive role while leading students to become self-sufficient and proactive in their educational and professional goals. To accomplish this, advisors will:
- Help students outline their educational and career goals
- Teach students how to utilize SAGE, including how to register for courses, create a graduation plan, and track their progress via SAGE’s Degree Audit
- Direct students to support services including Financial Aid, Accessible Education Services (AES), Academic Support Center (ASC), Office of International Education (OIE), the Registrar, and the Career Design office
- Help students update their educational and career plans as they progress through the PNCA curriculum
Student Responsibilities
As part of the collaborative process and to become proactive in their education and career goals students are expected to:
- Develop academic and career plans
- Register for classes based on these plans
- Use SAGE to monitor their progress toward graduation
- Be proactive in using student support services including Financial Aid, AES, ASC, OIE, the Registrar, and the Career Design office
- Adjust their plans as needed
- Plan their transition into the workforce
All First-year students meet with our Professional Advisor. Incoming Fall students will have their first advising appointment over the summer leading up to their first PNCA Fall semester. Incoming Spring students will have their first advising appointment in January.
Depending on their credit count transfer students will meet with either our Professional Advisor (approx. 30 or fewer credits) or a Faculty Advisor (approx. 30 or more credits). You will be assigned your advisor once you are officially a PNCA student.
Students transition from their Professional Advisor to their Faculty Advisor. Faculty Advisors are assigned by major. All students, except GFA majors, will meet with a Faculty Advisor from their department. GFA students are assigned to a Faculty Advisor based on their stated interests.
Students continue with their Faculty Advisor with added support from our Thesis Advisor (Director of the Thesis Program). Second-term seniors will also have a Thesis Mentor.
Advising Learning Outcomes by Class Level
First-term (Foundation)
- Send the WU Registrar Official Dual Enrollment Transcripts, AP test scores, or IB exam scores (if applicable)
- Obtain High School Transcripts if necessary
- Take digital tools test (if they choose to do so)
- Update emergency contact in SAGE
- Understand the different kinds of holds and which offices to contact to remove them
- Use SAGE effectively, including understanding class registration, reading Degree Audit to monitor academic progress, creating a graduation plan, and checking advisor notes.
- Declare a major
- Work with their advisor to create a graduation plan (ideally completed by the end of the term)
- Understand how to apply for Study Abroad, including scholarships, and know the deadline for applications
- Understand how long it will take to graduate (i.e., if you take 15 credits per semester, you will graduate in four years. If you take 12 credits per semester, you will graduate in five years. Etc.)
- Understand how many credits they want to take each semester going forward (i.e. is 15 credits a manageable workload, or should they take 12?)
- Work with advisor outlining educational goals
- Refine graduation plan with their advisor
- Begin initial discussions of desired career paths
- Apply (if interested) for Junior-year study abroad, including financial aid/scholarship resources (Office of International Education will help support)
- Meet with the Career Design office to discuss internship options
- Refine graduation plan with their Faculty Advisor
- Choose classes based on educational and career goals
- Set up an internship with the support of the Career Design Office (not required but highly encouraged).
- Refine their graduation plan with their Faculty Advisor and understand which specific classes need to be completed to ensure their on-time graduation.
- Choose classes based on educational and career goals