Undergraduate Advisement

Ad-vise-ment

-noun
A process that you - as a student - undertake with advisors and faculty, to tap into the myriad resources provided to you as you take advantage of being a student at NYU. The advisement process begins with the selection of your first semester courses, where you will start to construct your academic plans to achieve career and life goals. Advisement continues as you progress to your degree completion.

Advisors in your school - both faculty and staff - are experts in their chosen profession, ready to help you navigate your academic life. The Advisement Web site is designed to inform you of many of the resources available to you that will help you make the most of your advisement process. Here, you will be able to explore your school’s advisement model - designed to meet the unique needs of your academic plans, as well as find both school-based and University-wide links to resources you may not have discovered yet.

Academic advisement at New York University is a fundamental and integral part of your educational experience. The goals of advisement at NYU include engaging students
actively in:

• Defining and pursuing educational and career objectives
• Understanding and fulfilling the requirements of your curriculum
• Becoming aware of the many learning opportunities that are available at NYU
• Selecting courses and other educational programs at the University that are intellectually challenging and personally rewarding

As part of this process, we encourage you to think broadly and critically about the overall shape, direction, and uses of your education, to develop lifelong planning and decision-making skills, and to make optimal use of University resources.

Types of Advisement

A student might seek support or advisement for a variety of reasons throughout their academic career.  Whether a student has a question about school policies or degree progress, or is interested in exploring areas as yet unknown to them, or just wants to talk through their goals and bounce ideas off someone to further develop their plan, advisors can work with student to help them achieve their goals.  See "Acclimating To and Navigating NYU" below.

Each school has organized the advisement process in a way that matches its specific curricular offerings and students' needs, and may provide one or more of the following types of advisement.  (For an overview of how advisement works for your school, please click here.)

Advising Centers

These offices are staffed by teams of full-time professionals who are broadly knowledgeable about the overall advising process in a school.  They are central anchor points in a school's academic advisement system and the place to go when unsure where to turn for any question or problem related to advisement.  To find your advisor, please click here.

Departmental Advisement

In some schools, students receive primary advisement in the department or program office of their declared or intended major.  While there may be some overlap with more general academic and administrative guidance, departmental advising frequently involves faculty and is intended to provide a more focused concentration on the knowledge, skills, and experiences associated with a particular discipline.  Students should refer to individual department websites for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Faculty Advisors

Faculty advisors provide guidance related to both academic and professional pursuits in a particular area of study.  Academic advice from faculty complements and extends other forms of academic advisement and classroom learning.  Faculty members serve as intellectual mentors, and help students to understand better the process of acquiring and applying knowledge, and to develop an appreciation for exploration, discovery, and the life of the mind.

Class Advisors

Some schools have advisors that focus on the specific needs of a particular class as they progress through the stages of their undergraduate career.  For an overview on how your school's advisement process works, click here. 

Acclimating To and Navigating NYU

Academic advisement at NYU is broadly defined to include virtually anything that can affect a student's ability to participate fully and succeed within our community of scholars. As you may have already discovered, NYU has a vast number of academic resources and support networks in place to help students get the most out of their education. These resources range from practical course-based support, to assistance in balancing daily stressors and generally acclimating to this new life in college. Students are encouraged to take advantage of these myriad resources, whether it is for help brainstorming an essay topic, preparing for a final exam, or managing the demands of a rigorous academic life.

Academic advisement can help you coordinate between and make optimum use of these resources in a manner that best fits both your learning style and your specific needs. Students should consult their school and/or department website for specific information based on individual circumstances.  Areas in which an advisor can help you include (but are not limited to) the following:

• School and University policies and procedures
• Academic adjustment and orientation to the college environment
• Liaison/linkage with academic departments, faculty advisors, and relevant administrative areas (e.g. University Registrar's Office, Bursar, Financial Aid)
• Preparing for graduation
• Help in identifying and using University-wide, New York City, and national resources to complement and further academic interests or studies
• Study skills, time management, and other techniques for academic success
• Help/guidance in securing tutorial and other academic support
• Involvement in co-curricular educational opportunities and activities
• Help and support in solving personal problems that can impede academic work
  

Academic Planning

If you are wondering what types of advice and assistance are available, consider the list below as a launching point for the ways in which various advisement resources can be helpful to you in planning your academic curriculum. This is a general guide and not intended as an exhaustive list. In other words, when in doubt, know you can always ask your advisor!

• Help in exploring and articulating educational and career-related interests and goals, and related academic planning
• Choosing a major, minor, double major, or double minor
• Course selection and sequencing
• Dropping or adding courses
• Help in tracking and maintaining progress within the Morse Academic Plan (MAP) and toward degree requirements
• Combined/joint degree, accelerated, and other specialized programs
• Study abroad planning and preparation

NYU's academic offerings are vast and offer students countless concentrations for study. Some schools have structured Majors; others afford you the opportunity to customize your academic plan. To complement your coursework, you can also choose to pursue a Minor. Minors require fewer credits than Majors and allow you to diversify your undergraduate studies, pursue other passions, and enhance your professional preparedness. As with most other academic planning at NYU, rules for majors, double major/minor and other special programs vary by school and field of study. Cross-school minors, majors, and combined degrees are not offered or applicable in all schools/divisions. The decision to add a second major or minor may involve the need for prerequisite coursework, registration for additional terms of study, or other factors that should be considered carefully. Advisors can help students understand their options and make informed choices as part of an integrated overall plan. To find your advisor, please click here.

Note: Since the Liberal Studies Program is for freshmen and sophomores only, majors and minors are not offered. LS students generally transition to one of the other undergraduate divisions at NYU and declare a major and/or minor at that time in the school from which they will be receiving their bachelor's degree.

Cross-School Registration

Academic advisors can help students know about and understand available options for taking courses in other NYU programs and schools and to choose those that fit best with each student's particular circumstances, interests, and goals. As with other areas of academic advisement, the school in which you are enrolled is the best place to start. 

To begin your exploration of your academic plans, and to make the most of your advisement meeting, please see our section on "Preparing for your Meeting" as well as "Unique Academic Opportunities."