New Advisors

Five Ways to Get Started as an Academic Advisor at UMBC

In addition to exploring the variety of advising information and resources on this website, here are five other steps we recommend for new advisors:

  1. Connect with your Department Chair and Advising Coordinator to learn about advising practices and procedures in your department. A listing of Advising Coordinators across campus is available here. Your departmental colleagues can provide in-depth information about the curriculum options for majors in your field.
  1. Review the academic calendar for registration events, with particular emphasis on the timeline for advance registration—registration for returning students that takes place mid-semester for courses to be taken the following semester.
  1. Join the Academic Advising Community group on myUMBC for access to timely information, invitations to meetings, professional development activities, and discussions about new policies and procedures for advising.
  1. Familiarize yourself with the “Advising Center” area in Peoplesoft Student Administration. By accessing a student’s record from the “Advising Center,” you can:
  • provide advising “clearance” to register (mandatory for all students at UMBC)
  • see the student’s degree audit to identify gaps in their program completion
  • see the student’s unofficial transcript, course history, and grade reports
  • see the student’s transfer credit report showing details of all transfer work posted as well as Advanced Placement and other credit awarded based on tests
  • view the student’s complete “advising profile,” which contains placement information for Math and English, background data re high school GPA, SAT scores, etc.

You can reach the Advising Center from your myUMBC home page by clicking on the topic “Advising and Student Support” and then “Advising Center.”

  1. Review the two most vital undergraduate catalog sections for advisors:

BONUS SUGGESTIONS

  • Do not hesitate to contact the Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising staff with any questions you may have about academic advising at UMBC.
  • Consider working with us as an Orientation Advisor assisting new UMBC students during Winter Orientation (mostly during January) and Summer Orientation (selected dates in June through August).