Undergraduate Advising

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Home / Academics / Undergraduate Advising
Students use telescope while in class.

Advising Goals and Expectations

Goals

These academic advising goals provide focus for the student-advisor partnership. 

Undergraduate Advising at Arcadia University

Expectations

These expectations for students describe how students can take the initiative, self educate, and embrace their responsibilities. 

These expectations for advisors outline how advisors support and guide their advisees. 

Academic Essentials

Graduation Requirements 

Undergraduates must accomplish three things in order to graduate from Arcadia: 

  1. Complete 128 credits. 
    • ​​​​​​​The “Overall Credits” line at the bottom of a student’s unofficial transcript (available on Self-Service) keeps track of progress.
  2. Complete the requirements of one’s Major.
    •  The requirements for every major are described in the Undergraduate Catalog and can be tracked on a student’s Academic Plan (available on Self-Service). ​​​​​​​
  3. Complete the requirements of the Arcadia Undergraduate Curriculum (AUC).
    • The AUC webpage explores the Integrative Learning Experiences, Areas of Inquiry, and Intellectual Practices that all student complete. Learn more about how it works and explore featured FAQs that provide additional helpful information, as does this AUC checklist for students who entered as traditional first years and this AUC checklist for transfer students.

Academic Policies 

Academic Policies and Regulations, available in the Undergraduate Catalog, are another academic essential with which all students should become familiar.

Academic Resources & Tips for Students

An Arcadia student’s ideas about how to make best use of advising

Advisor Information & Tips 

Advisors for undergraduates with a declared major are faculty members from that major’s academic department. Undeclared students are advised by our professional advising staff in Undergraduate Success.

Who is my advisor? 

  •  Advisor information is found at the bottom of the Schedule page in Self-Service.

How do I prepare for conversations with my advisor?

Dates, Registration & Forms

The Registrar’s Office’s website provides a significant collection of registration and other essential academic information. Some frequently-used quick links:

Using Self Service 

Tips/Guide to Registration in Self-Service

Other Helpful Items

  • This Arcadia Glossary provides definitions and explanations for terms and phrases that might be unfamiliar.
  • This interactive campus map helps you find the locations of offices and classrooms.
  •  This transfer equivalency tool provides useful information about how content taught elsewhere will count at Arcadia.
  • What can I do with this major? This website explores typical career paths and professional opportunities in different fields.

Student Success Resources

A collection of key offices and resources focused on helping all students thrive.

Career Education

The Office of Career Education provides students a range of services designed to foster career readiness. 

Civic and Global Engagement

The Office of Civic and Global Engagement assists students in pursuing a variety of experiential learning opportunities including Preview, upper-level Global Field Study courses, and semester or year-long study abroad programs. Schedule an appointment for advice about best program fit and how to make it work academically and financially. 

Landman Library

The Landman Library provides many services and resources to support students’ research, learning, and information literacy. 

Learning Resource Network (LRN)

The LRN provides free peer tutoring for a variety of courses and subject areas — including drop-in times and group options. In addition, Peer Study Assistants offer learning and study strategy tutoring.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center provides students free, collaborative guidance on their writing. 

Disability Support Services (DSS)

DSS supports student with learning and physical disabilities. DSS helps arrange reasonable and appropriate academic and housing accommodations; provides access to assistive technology; gives academic coaching support and close connection with LRN tutors. 

The Learning Resource Network: More Than Just Tutoring
Scheduling appointments at the LRN and Writing Center using Accudemia

Student Health Services

Student Health Services supports students’ physical and emotional self, teaches self-care concepts, and encourages safe and thoughtful practices as health care consumers. 

  • Schedule an appointment through the Patient Portal or by calling 215-572-2966.
  • Student Health Services FAQs

Counseling Services

Counseling Services is a free and confidential resource to assist students with personal challenges that may interfere with their academic progress. In addition, Counseling Services offer a variety of educational programs and support groups. 

Office of Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Office of Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which includes the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, provides leadership in creating equitable and inclusive learning and a working community where every person can thrive, and it provides training and development of faculty, staff, and students to enhance awareness and appreciation for difference. 

Care Team

The CARE Team is multi-office team that serves as a resource to faculty, staff, and students who have a concern about another member of the Arcadia community. A goal of the CARE Team is to successfully engage, support, and mitigate the concerns associated with students in distress. 

Office of Student Accounts 

The Office of Student Accounts assists students with issues related to billing and payments, including understanding a student’s financial account, resolving account and/or registration holds, and preventing obstacles related to these areas. 

Financial Aid Office

The Financial Aid Office helps students understand how financial aid works and create a plan that fits students’ (and their families’) needs and goals. Financial Aid staff help students navigate the financial aid process, answer questions about paying for college, and offer financial literacy programming.

Resources & Tips for Academic Advisors

Arcadia-Specific Resources and Tips

Quick Tips

How to find a list of my current academic advisees?

  • Use the “Advanced Search” function on Self-Service (rather than the “Basic Search” that the system defaults to). Fill in the current semester for “Academic Period”; and if you use “Bachelor of Arts” in the “Degree” filter then it will only pull major advisees and not minor advisees.

What do advising department liasions do and who is mine?

  • Department liaisons are the professional advisors in Undergraduate Success, and they answer questions from and provide support to academic advisors — about both individual student situations and broader advising issues. They also foster two-way communication between departments and Undergraduate Success about how to improve support for advising. The department liaison list is here.  

Advising resources from around campus

Professional Advising Organizations and Resources

  • National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) is a global community for academic advisors. Its website provides an extensive collection of resources for advisors, including a digital clearinghouse full of articles and other information indexed by subject.  
  • Advisors can also look to The Mentor for relevant, peer-reviewed articles on academic advising.
  • National Resource Center for The First -Year Experience and Students in Transition provides expertise, leadership, and a website full of resources and best-practices guides. 

Here are some NACADA articles to explore:

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