Nov 03, 2024  
2023/2024 University Catalog 
    
2023/2024 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Academic Advising



Importance of Academic Advising

Completing the requirements for your degree in a timely manner requires planning. Academic advisers can help you develop meaningful academic goals.  Advisers provide you with educational guidance and connect you to important campus resources and services for your academic plan. Don’t wait until you have a problem to see an adviser. Let the adviser help you prevent any problems. The sooner you make the decision about what your major will be, the better you can plan your academic program. There are many program choices available at SDSU. An adviser can assist you with this decision process. Choosing the major that is right for you and compatible with your life goals will enhance your academic success. Requirements, policies, and procedures may change from year to year. Advisers can clarify which changes may affect you and which will not.

Advising Services

  • Understand advising tools and graduation requirements
  • Develop an academic plan
  • Evaluate transfer credit
  • Choose or change a major
  • File for graduation
  • Prepare to enter a professional school (medical, dental, legal, etc.)
  • Plan your next semester’s schedule
  • Identify and connect with campus resources and support services

Advising Tools

Degree Evaluation

The Degree Evaluation is a personalized academic advising tool to help you track your progress toward graduation. Your online degree evaluation, available at my.SDSU is a personalized document that provides a status report on your progress toward completing your graduation requirements. The degree evaluation outlines how your courses fulfill your General Education, major preparation, major, and other graduation requirements and shows which classes you can select to fulfill these requirements. You can review your unofficial degree evaluation in my.SDSU to ensure that you are on track to graduate within your desired time frame. Don’t risk a delay in graduation due to a missing graduation requirement.

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

MAPs provide a recommended four-year sequence to complete general education, major, and graduation requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and complete degree requirements in a timely manner. The Major Academic Plans (MAPs) created for each major are not meant to encompass every major-specific requirement or a required sequencing of courses. Refer to this catalog for a complete description of requirements, including: course prerequisites, minimum grade requirements, unit limitations, and General Education approved courses and distribution requirements.

The MAPs will help you identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement. They will also suggest sequencing to ensure you complete prerequisites prior to taking the higher-level course.

Student Responsibilities Regarding Advising

University Catalog. Know your catalog year (or years) for your General Education requirements and for your major requirements and be sure to access the online SDSU University Catalog. Provided you maintain your enrollment at SDSU, this catalog or these catalogs establish the requirements you must complete for graduation. Details regarding catalog rights are listed under Graduation Requirements.

Use your academic advising tools.  Your degree evaluation, MAP and university catalog are important advising tools that you should review regularly.  These advising tools will help you understand your graduation requirements.

See your adviser regularly. Don’t wait until you encounter a problem before seeing an adviser. Check your degree progress regularly.

Keep an advising file. SDSU does not release copies of other schools’ records. Evaluations, test scores, and other important academic information should also be kept in your personal advising file.

File for graduation. Graduation is not automatic; you must apply to graduate during the stated graduation application periods. Filing early will assure a final graduation evaluation before your last semester of enrollment. It is recommended you file for graduation once you have passed 90 units. Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/applytograduate.

Seeing an Adviser

There are many types of advisers at SDSU to support you. The Student Success Help Desk can help you find an adviser or connect you with a campus resource.

Each first year student will be assigned a coordinated care adviser when they begin at SDSU. This adviser will ensure that all first year students have the navigational and developmental support to succeed at the university and serve as students’ primary advising point of contact within their first and sophomore year.  First year and sophomore students can find their assigned coordinated care adviser in SDSU Navigate (EAB).

Major Advising

The Major Advisor is a professional staff or faculty advisor who:

  • Provides guidance specific to your major of record and graduation requirements, including: Academic plan/map; Course, schedule and elective planning; Academic/personal challenges (see for referral); Course substitution process; Degree Evaluation review; Graduation process; Letter of support; Planning for graduate studies

  • Helps guide you in selecting courses, planning and scheduling your major preparation and upper division major courses, and assistance with creating an academic plan to support your progress towards graduation. Only Major Advisors are authorized to provide advice on classes to take to satisfy major requirements. 

  • Answers questions regarding career opportunities and graduate studies in your major field; Academic plan/map; Course/schedule/elective planning; Academic/personal challenges (see for referral); Course substitution process; Degree Evaluation review; Graduation process; Letter of support; Planning for graduate studies.

Students can locate a major advisor at the major advisor directory.

NOTE: Not all major advisors are available during the summer months. If your major advisor is unavailable during the summer months, email studentsuccess@sdsu.edu for the proper advising referral. 

The Office of the Registrar

Student Services West, Room 1551, 619-594-6871, FAX 619-594-4902

The Office of the Registrar works with the university community to encourage and promote student learning in a welcoming and supportive environment. They support student success through records evaluation. Evaluation Specialists in the Office of the Registrar are available to assist with transfer credit evaluation and graduation evaluations once a student is an active graduation candidate. 

Educational Opportunity Programs, Outreach and Success

Student Services East, Room 2109, 619-594-6298
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Students who are Compact Scholars, EOP Scholars, Guardian Scholars and Price Community Scholarsneeding advising should go to the Office of Educational Opportunity Programs, Outreach, and Succes, Student Services East, Room 2109, 619-594-6298.

For general requirements for master’s or doctoral degrees (except for the major), contact the College of Graduate Studies, Student Services East, Room 1410, 619-594-5213.

For teaching credential advising, contact the College of Education, Office of Student Success (LH-259). Teachers holding preliminary California credentials issued on the basis of programs completed at other universities or in other states, may secure program advising from the Office of Student Success, Lamden Hall, Room 259, 619-594-6320.

New Student Orientation is conducted by the Office of New Student and Parent Programs, 619-594-1509, for new students (freshmen and transfers) and provides important pre-registration advising and campus resources. Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/orientation.

College Academic Advising

Major/faculty advisers for each major and minor are available to help you plan your course schedule, and provide you with advice about career options and graduate school. For advising in your undergraduate or graduate major, contact the adviser or advising center assigned to your major and class level. A more detailed listing follows. A directory of SDSU undergraduate academic advisers is available at https://studentsuccess.sdsu.edu/major_advisor_directory​. Each of the academic colleges can also provide advising support to connect you with an academic adviser. 

College of Arts and Letters

College of Education

College of Engineering

College of Health and Human Services

College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

College of Sciences

Division of Faculty Advancement and Student Success

Fowler College of Business

Preprofessional Advising

For specialized advising such as preprofessional advising (premedical, prelaw, etc.), contact the adviser assigned to your preprofessional area. A detailed listing follows and can also be found at https://studentsuccess.sdsu.edu/seeing_an_advisor#preprofessional​. It is recommended that students contact their preprofessional adviser in their first semester at SDSU. Advisement for students planning to attend professional schools is available for the following programs:

Predental
Prelaw
Premedical
Preoccupational Therapy
Preoptometry
Prepharmacy
Prephysical Therapy
Prephysician Assistant
Prepodiatric Medicine
Presocial Work
Preveterinary Medicine

* Advisers in prelaw are not available during the summer months.

For additional information, visit preprofessional advising.

College of Arts and Letters

Assistant Dean & Student Success Center

  • Arts and Letters, Room 172, 619-594-6270

Africana Studies

  •  Arts and Letters, Room 373, 619-594-6531

American Indian Studies

  •  Arts and Letters, Room 331, 619-594-6991

Anthropology

  • Arts and Letters, Room 448, 619-594-5527

Asian Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 473, 619-594-3934

Brazilian Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 626, 619-594-4771

Chicana and Chicano Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 348, 619-594-6452

Classics and Humanities

  • Arts and Letters, Room 662, 619-594-5186

Comparative International Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 536, 619-594-1654

Economics

  • Nasatir Hall, Room 329, 619-594-1675

English and Comparative Literature

  • Arts and Letters, Room 226, 619-594-5307

European Studies (French, German, Italian, Russian)

  • Storm Hall, Room 224A, 619-594-5111

Geography

  • Storm Hall, Room 314, 619-594-5437

Food Studies

  • Storm Hall, Room 314, 619-594-5437

History

  • Arts and Letters, Room 588, 619-594-5262

International Business

  • Arts and Letters, Room 208, 619-594-4505

International Security and Conflict Resolution

  • Nasatir Hall, Room 126, 619-594-6244

Islamic and Arabic Studies

  • Nasitir Hall, Room 311, 619-594-8945

​Jewish Studies

Language, Culture, and Society

  • Storm Hall West, Room 214, 619-594-5268

Latin American Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 377, 619-594-1103

LGBTQ+ Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 346, 619-594-6524

Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages

  • Storm Hall West, Room 214, 619-594-5268

Philosophy

  • Arts and Letters, Room 446, 619-594-5263

Political Science

  • Nasatir Hall, Room 126, 619-594-6244

Religious Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 662, 619-594-5185

Rhetoric and Writing Studies

  • Storm Hall West, Room 141, 619-594-6515

Science, Technology and Society Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 346, 619-594-6524

Social Science

  • Nasatir Hall, Room 122, 619-594-4289

Sociology, Sports, and Society

  • Nasatir Hall, Room 224, 619-594-4826

Spanish and Portuguese

  • Arts and Letters, Room 134, 619-594-6588

Sustainability

  • Storm Hall, Room 306B, 619-594-5600

Urban Studies

  • Storm Hall, Room 309B, 619-594-0906

Women’s Studies

  • Arts and Letters, Room 346, 619-594-6524

Fowler College of Business

Assistant Dean

  • Lamden Hall, Room 419, 619-594-5828

Fowler Center for Student Success    

  •   Lamden Hall, Room 419, 619-594-5828

Undergraduate: https://business.sdsu.edu/undergrad/advising

  • Accountancy
  • Finance
  • Financial Services
  • General Business
  • Information Systems
  • International Business (See College of Arts and Letters)
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Real Estate

Graduate Business Advising Office

  • Lamden Hall, Room 448, 619-594-8073

Graduate website: https://business.sdsu.edu/grad/office

  • MBA (various specializations)
  • MS in Accountancy
  • MS in Business Administration (various concentrations)
  • MS in Global Business Development
  • MS in Information Systems
  • MBA/MA in Latin American Studies
  • MBA/Juris Doctorate

College of Education

(Degrees, Credentials, and Certificate Programs)

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs           

  • Lamden Hall, Room 346L, 619-594-1426

Office for Student Success          

  • Lamden Hall, Room 259, 619-594-6320

Administrative, Rehabilitation and Postsecondary Education       

  • Lamden Hall, Room 246, 619-594-6115

Certificate Programs

  • Cognitive Disabilities
  • Community College Teaching
  • Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment
  • Psychiatric Rehabilitation
  • Rehabilitation Administration
  • Rehabilitation Counseling
  • Rehabilitation Technology
  • Workforce Education and Lifelong Learning
  • Supported Employment and Transition Specialist

*Child and Family Development

  • Lamden Hall, Room 259F (Undergraduate), 619-594-7035
  • Lamden Hall, Room 403 (Graduate), 619-594-5380

Certificate Program       

  • Early Childhood, Transdisciplinary Education and Mental Health (EC-TEaMH)      

Counseling and School Psychology          

  • North Education, Room 187, 619-594-6109

Service Credentials        

Pupil Personnel Services              

  • School Counseling
  • School Psychology

Dual Language and English Learner Education

  • Lamden Hall, Room 332, 619-594-5155

​Credential Programs

  • *Bilingual Multiple and Single Subject credentials
  • Bilingual (Spanish) Special Education

Educational Leadership

  • North Education, Room 166, 619-594-4063

​Credential Programs

  • Administrative Services Credential          

*Liberal Studies

  • Lamden Hall, Room 255, 619-594-6131

Master’s Programs

  • See individual department listings

Doctoral Programs

  • See individual department listings

Nursing (Health Services)

  • Adams Humanities, Room 3133, 619-594-5117

Social Work

  • Hepner Hall, Room 119, 619-594-0780

Pupil Personnel Services

  • Child Welfare and Attendance
  • School Social Work

Special Education

  • North Education, Room 70, 619-594-6665           

Specialist Credentials

  • *Early Childhood Speical Education Added Authorization
  • *Early Childhood Special Education
  • *Mild/Moderate Support Needs
  • *Extensive Support Needs

Certificate Programs

  • Behavior Analysis
  • Developing Gifted Potential

Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

  • Speech, Language, and Hearing, Room 244, 619-594-4787
  • Bilingual (Spanish) Special Education Clinical-Rehabilitative Services

Teacher Education

  • Lamden Hall, Room 255, 619-594-6131

​Credential Programs

  • Reading and Literacy Added Authorization
  • *Multiple Subject and Single Subject
  • Reading and Literacy Added Authorization
  • Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist

* Advising in Lamden Hall, Room 259, 619-594-6320

College of Engineering

Assistant Dean

  • Engineering, Room 200B, 619-594-5807

Aerospace Engineering

  • Engineering, Room 308, 619-594-6074

Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

  • Engineering, Room 424, 619-594-6071

Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Engineering, Room 426, 619-594-0967

Mechanical Engineering

  • Engineering, Room 326, 619-594-6067

College of Health and Human Services

Assistant Dean

  • Education, Room 154, 619-594-6151

CHHS Advising Center

  • Education, Room 151, 619-594-3835

CHHS Advising Website:

https://chhs.sdsu.edu/academics/advising

  • Exercise and Nutritional Sciences

  • Gerontology

  • Nursing

  • Public Health

  • Social Work

  • Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

Assistant Dean*

  • Professional Studies and Fine Arts, Room 217, 619-594-6928

Aerospace Studies (Minor)

  • Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, Room 385, 619-594-5550

Art and Design

  • Art South, Room 559, art.advising@sdsu.edu

Communication and Health Communication

  • Communication, Room 235, ncartercurtis@sdsu.edu, 619-594-4948

Dance

Hospitality and Tourism Management and Recreation and Tourism Management

  • Adams Humanities 4158, 619-594-4964

International Studies (Minor)

Journalism and Media Studies

Adams Humanities 4200,  619-594-5145

Learning Design and Technology ldt@sdsu.edu

  • Distance Education Certificate
  • Instructional Design Certificate
  • Instructional Technology Certificate
  • Military Science (Minor)
  • Adams Humanities 4200,  619-594-5145​

Military Science (Minor)

  • Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, Room 451, 619-594-2561

Music

  • Music, Room 224, 619-594-1779
    • Minors
    • Music Education
    • Professional Studies
  • Music, Room 241, 619-594-6031
    • Bachelor of Arts in Music
    • Entrepreneurship and Business
    • Global Composition
    • Jazz Studies
    • Music Recording Technology and Audio Design
    • Performance
    • Professional Studies

Naval Science (Minor)

  • Communication, Room 130C

Public Affairs (Criminal Justice, Public Administration)*

  • Adams Humanities 4227 and 4226, 619-594-2693 and 619-594-6084​

Theatre, Television, and Film

  • Dramatic Arts, Room 204B, 619-594-4670

College of Sciences

Assistant Dean

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 321

Director of Advising

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 604E, 619-594-1152

Astronomy

  • Physics, Room 241, 619-594-7118

Biology

  • Life Sciences, Room 102, 619-594-6442
  • Cellular and Molecular
  • Clinical Laboratory Science
  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Marine Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Zoology

Chemistry and Biochemistry (Chemical Physics)

  • Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Room 332, 619-594-5582

Computer Science

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 531, 619-594-6837

Environmental Sciences

  • Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Room 339, 619-594-2063

Earth and Environmental Sciences

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 117, 619-594-1395
  • General Geology
  • Engineering Geology
  • Environmental Geosciences
  • Geophysics
  • Hydrogeology
  • Paleontology
  • Oceanography (Minor)

Health Professions Advising

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 323, 619-594-3030

International Security and Conflict Resolution

  • Storm Hall, Room 223B, 619-594-3768

Mathematics and Statistics

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 589, 619-594-7240
  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 513  619-594-4170

Oceanography (Minor)

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 117, 619-594-1395

Physics (Chemical Physics)

  • Physics, Room 133, 619-594-2051

Psychology Advising Center

  • Life Sciences, Room 105, 619-594-5412

Student Success Center

  • Geology/Mathematics/Computer Science, Room 429, 619-594-1116

Faculty Advancement and Student Success

Senior Assistant Dean, Administration, Room 220, 619-594-5842

Also advising in:              

  • Interdisciplinary Studies in Three Departments, 619-594-7715
  • Undeclared Students, 619-594-5842
  • Weber Honors College, 619-594-2872

Students who have general questions and unsure where to start may also contact the Student Success Help Desk for phone, zoom or email support. Visit: https://studentsuccess.sdsu.edu/help_desk or email studentsuccess@sdsu.edu

College of Graduate Studies

Assistant Dean

  • Student Services East, Room 1410, 619-594-5213

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Advisement concerning general requirements (except for the major) and administers the Interdisciplinary Studies master’s degree. A departmental graduate adviser is available in all programs offering graduate degrees.

SDSU Imperial Valley

It is recommended that SDSU Imperial Valley students see an adviser prior to registration each semester. Visit the SDSU Imperial Valley Academic Advising website or call 760-768-5512 to schedule an appointment with an adviser.