Video explanation of advising expectations (can be stopped at 6:26).
The Department of Art and Design expects each student to:
- Print the single-page degree plan (under the correct catalogue year) and to use it to keep accurate records of the completed, pending and unmet requirements toward that degree.
- Run regular degree evaluations and compare with their own records of met and pending requirements with the records of his or her advisor. This is especially important as students approach their expected graduation date.
- Build their upcoming schedule based on their records of unmet requirements and their degree plan’s suggested schedule. It is very important to pay close attention to the suggested schedules and catalogue course descriptions due to prerequisites and single semester/year course offerings.
Freshman and Sophomores are required to have regular advising meetings prior to registration. Students must bring their personal records, a printed degree evaluation and proposed schedule. These meetings are intended to coach a student in maintaining accurate records.
If at any time a student finds discrepancies between their own records and their degree evaluation they should immediately make an advising appointment to resolve it.
The Advisor and Advising
The Art & Design advisor’s role is to work with and guide students in following their degree plan to complete all required courses. He or she is ultimately NOT responsible for you completing your degree; the onus for that falls on you. The advisor knows each of the Art and Design degree plans well and works with the A&D chair and faculty to streamline course offerings and to seek a successful path forward for each student.
Common Misconceptions about Advising
- “The advisor builds my schedule each semester.” Actually, you are responsible for planning and ultimately registering for your courses each semester by using your single-page degree plan as a guide. If you bring your personal records, a printed degree evaluation and proposed schedule, the advisor will review them and offer guidance or clarity so that you leave the meeting with confidence.
- “The advisor keeps track of my records so I don’t have to.” This is not the way to think about advising. Yes, your advisor will keep records across the scope of time you are at ACU, but mistakes can be made that lead to delayed graduation and/or significant additional costs. There is no substitute for your own record keeping regarding met and unmet requirements. If you don’t keep good records, it is easy to be surprised by unmet requirements as you approach graduation.
Faculty Advising
Faculty are ideal for advising when it specifically relates to your discipline. Here is a short list of topics that faculty are particularly suited for:
- Course advising as they relate to future career goals and/or graduate school
- How to strategically choose electives for greatest career benefit
- Advising related to graduate school
- Pro’s and cons of trying to graduate early
- Advantages of studying abroad (semester and/or summer term)
- Rationale of art/design course sequencing
Art & Design Class Schedules (Conflicts & Sequencing)
Often, students need to arrange their schedules around outside commitments such as work or athletics. Managing a traditional or heavy course load while also controlling when you are in and out of class can be very difficult. We understand that.
The department leadership makes every effort to offer our courses at convenient times and to avoid foreseeable conflicts, but this is made difficult due to the extended length of art and design studio courses, the availability of faculty to teach at specific times, and the sharing of classroom and lab spaces between courses.The department has made sure that Junior level courses, for instance, don’t conflict with other Junior level courses. The same goes for Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior level courses. But we do not have enough class space or faculty to make sure Junior level courses don’t conflict with courses from the other levels. For example, if a senior needs a sophomore level course, a course conflict is almost inevitable. The best way to avoid this predictable result is to carefully follow your degree plan by semester and year.
Please know that we no control over course conflicts that may occur between our courses and ones offered in other departments. If you are pursuing an interdisciplinary degree or have a minor in another discipline or department, your advisor is your best resource to avoid as many of these conflicts as possible.