ACD 305–08: Academic Advisement

To ensure that each student receives academic advisement from appropriate faculty members

Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University

Faculty

All members of the faculty may be called upon to serve as academic advisors for undergraduate and graduate students. Students experiencing personal problems should be referred to specialized services of the university for additional assistance. Any faculty member should feel free in special cases to consult with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University.

Prospective and Undecided Students

Faculty may be asked to advise students considering admission to ASU or to a particular academic program. The university provides additional advising services for such students at the University Academic Advising Center, described in detail in ACD 117, “Cross-College Advising Services.”

Admitted Students

Each undergraduate student at ASU at Tempe campus enrolls and studies under the guidance of an assigned faculty advisor. The faculty advisor is appointed by the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled or by the dean’s representative.

Faculty advisors are responsible for counseling students on matters pertaining to vocational goals; selection of a curriculum and major field of specialization; planning the program of study; meeting university, college, and degree program requirements; and registration for courses. Advisors should also be available for consultation on problems students may experience.

Faculty advisors are expected to provide continuous educational counseling for their students throughout the undergraduate years.

Prospective and Nondegree Graduate Students

All academic units that offer graduate programs provide advising services to students interested in admission to a particular degree program. In addition to these services, the Division of Graduate Studies Advising Office serves current, prospective, and nondegree graduate students. Advisors provide general information about policies, procedures, requirements, and support services. Services of the Division of Graduate Studies Advising Office are described in detail in ACD 117, “Cross-College Advising Services.”

Admitted Graduate Students

Faculty advisement of master’s and doctoral students varies among programs. Generally, newly admitted students meet with an advisor in their academic unit to discuss program procedures and requirements, registration for courses, planning an initial program of study, and selecting a supervisory committee. Students also work with the advisor, program faculty, and the head of the academic unit to establish a supervisory committee.

Upon the recommendation of the head of the academic unit, and at the time the student files a program of study, the dean of the Division of Graduate Studies appoints the student’s supervisory committee. The supervisory committee is responsible for the guidance and direction of the student’s graduate program, and the chair of the supervisory committee is usually regarded as the student’s faculty advisor.

The supervisory committee of the master’s student provides guidance in planning the program of study, administers examinations (if required), and directs the student’s thesis and oral defense (if required).

Two committees supervise the doctoral student’s graduate program: the program committee and the dissertation committee. The program committee advises the student in planning the program of study and administers the comprehensive examinations. The dissertation committee (whose members may also serve on the program committee) approves the subject and title of the dissertation, advises the student in formulating the research topic, and guides the student in completing the research and writing of the dissertation.

For related information, see:

1. ACD 117, “Cross-College Advising Services”

   and

2. ACD 305–06, “Reporting Date.”

See also the University Student Initiatives Policies and Procedures Manual— USI 602–01, “Mental Health Emergencies.”