Helping Students Find Their Path
Academic Advising for Undergraduate Students
Academic advisors are here to help you make the most of your college experience, and WNE offers different kinds of academic advising support.
Your primary academic advisor is your Faculty Advisor, a faculty member in the College in which you are completing a degree. Some students may also be assigned a University Advisor (a professional advisor in the Advising Center). All students can also access advising services and general guidance by stopping by the University Advising Center or scheduling appointments by contacting the office. Contact information for Faculty Advisors can be found in the University Faculty Directory, and contact information for the University Advising Center can be found on the University Advising Center.
Prior to the start of your coursework at WNE, you will receive specialized advising to register for your first semester of coursework.
- New first-year students are advised by the University Advising Center.
- New transfer students are advised by the academic dean's office (or major department) of the College in which they are completing a degree.
Shared Advising Support: Faculty Advisors and University Advisors
Faculty Advisors are specialists within your major and college. They can sign off on your registration plans. They can also advise you on your curriculum and major requirements, career and internship options within your major, major elective options, and offer mentorship and networking advice.
University Advisors in the Advising Center can help you when
- You have general questions about WNE policies, forms, systems, and processes.
- You seek guidance for exploring majors or minors or making a transition from one major to another.
- You are interested in academic coaching and other academic supports to help with your academic success and progress to degree.
- You would like advice on multi-semester planning and progress to graduation.
- You are a new first-year student with questions about your first semester course schedule or your AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment credits.
- You have an advising question that you don't know who to ask!
Who is my Faculty Advisor?
Your assigned Faculty Advisor's name can be found in Self-Service. To find who your Faculty Advisor is you can, navigate to “Student Planning” from the Self-Service homepage, click “Go to Plan & Schedule”, and switch to the “Advising” tab. There you can find your advisor's name as well as their email.
- If classes have begun and your Faculty Advisor's name does not appear in Self-Service, contact the academic dean's office of the College in which you are completing a degree.
- At the end of the first year of study, many students will experience a transition in their primary academic advisor from a First-Year Faculty Advisor to a Major Faculty Advisor in a chosen area of study. Your major department and academic dean's office will support you in this transition and can answer any questions about it.
- If you are in a program that merits specialized advising (such as an Honors Program or a second (double) major), your degree audit in Self-Service may display the name of an additional advisor beneath the name of your primary Faculty Advisor.
- All students are welcome to attend drop-in hours or schedule an appointment meet with advisors in the University Advising Center.
Who is my University Advisor?
Currently, students can speak to any University Advisor with their questions. You can stop by the office or call Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. during the school year. The University Advising Center is located on the second floor of the St. Germain Campus Center in the Student Hub.
Course Registration
Course registration activities occur at several times during the year and always in consultation with a student’s Faculty Advisor. Students receive notification from the Registrar’s Office each semester that describes registration policies and procedures. You can also visit Self-Service for current course offerings.
For support on how to use the Student Planning (course registration) tool in Self-Service, you can find many helpful tips and videos on the Registrar’s Registration page.
FAQs
Information provided below should be checked against the current Western New England University Catalog. Though every effort has been made to be consistent with the Catalog, the Catalog should be considered authoritative in the event of a discrepancy.