Academic Advising

Academic advisors are a good place to start for any questions or concerns you have about courses, student rules, course loads, degree requirements, and anything else you might be wondering. If your advisor doesn’t know the answer to your question, they can help you find it! 

Academic advising is a partnership between the Academic Advising Office and the academic programs. In addition to a staff Academic Advisor, junior and senior students also meet with an assigned faculty advisor in their major.  The advising process  has three steps:

• Schedule and meet with an Academic Advisor to get your advising plan for the next semester.
• Juniors and Seniors should schedule and meet with your assigned Faculty Advisor for your major/classification; have your Faculty Advisor approve and sign your advising plan.
• Return your signed advising plan to the Academic Advising Office in order to have your advising hold lifted. 

All students are required to meet with their advisor each semester for preregistration advising. This will ensure your courses are planned in the correct sequence, prerequisite requirements are met, and you are on track for your chosen degree plan.  Students should also meet with an advisor in order to discuss major changes, minors, or general academic questions.  Advisors will also occasionally request to meet with a student for various reasons, as they identify a need.

Advisors will discuss your current courses, to make sure everything is going well; if not, they can assist you in finding resources for tutoring, writing support, academic coaching, counseling… whatever is needed. Your advisor will also discuss course planning for the next few semesters, to ensure that you are progressing through your coursework in a timely fashion, and meeting all degree and graduation requirements specific to your major and academic catalog.

• Your degree plan, and any notes you may have from previous meetings
• A list of questions you have for your advisor
• A list of academic goals and any concerns you want to discuss with your advisor

You are blocked from registering for courses for subsequent semesters until you have completed the full advising process. Once the process has been completed, the registration hold will be lifted.  You are encouraged to schedule their advising meetings early during the advising period to avoid any last-minute issues or registration problems.

• Email is the best way to reach your advisor. Please make sure you include your full name and UIN in each message, so your advisor can respond to the correct student. 
• If an advisor needs to reach you, s/he will contact you via your Texas A&M University at Qatar email address, so please make sure you check it frequently. This address is the official means of communication for any important information.

Advising meetings may be scheduled online through Navigate appointment scheduling system, in the Howdy Portal.