Frequently Asked Questions
How is an adviser assigned to a student?
What is the adviser's role in advising?
What is the student's role in advising?
Why is academic advisement mandatory each semester?
How can a student contact his/her adviser?
What is an academic plan and what is the advantage of having one?
How many credit hours should I register for?
How does a student select courses and/or plan a course schedule?
How and When can a student register for classes?
How does a student request a course placement change in Degree Navigator?
Where can a student get help deciding on or selecting a major?
How does the student declare a major?
Campus Policies and Procedures
Academic Progress and Financial Aid
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ADVISING
Academic Advising is an important service provided by the college to assist students in developing and realizing their academic potential. The advising process provides students with the information needed to make informed decisions to progress satisfactorily through a degree program, or, in the case of a student who has not as yet declared a major, to provide information to facilitate their entrance into a major.
An important component of the advising process is the relationship developed by the adviser and student. The adviser helps students formulate an academic plan, explains general education and major requirements, monitors the student's academic progress, recommends opportunities for personal and academic growth and development, interprets college policies and procedures, and refers students to campus resources and services when required.
The advising process is two-sided. The ultimate responsibility for making decisions about goals and educational plans rests with the individual student based on the information and advice provided by the adviser and career counselor. The adviser and career counselor aid the student's decision-making process and help to identify and assess alternatives and the consequences of decisions.
Academic advising is mandatory at Buffalo State College and students are encouraged to contact their adviser early in the semester to discuss their academic progress.
How is an adviser assigned to a student?
Students who have declared an academic major are assigned an adviser within the department.
Undeclared students who are affiliated with specific programs, such as E.O.P., S.T.A.R., Services for Students with Disabilities, S.S.S.P., or Academic Probation are assigned an adviser within the program.
Undeclared students not affiliated with any of the above programs are provided an adviser through the University College Academic Advising Center. Advisers are assigned to students based on the student's major interest or career goals.
Establishing a good adviser/advisee relationship is essential. There are times that schedules, personalities, etc. may make it difficult to establish a productive adviser/advisee relationship. If a student experiences incompatibility, they are encouraged to discuss, with the chair of the department or program director, possible reassignment to another adviser.
What is the adviser's role in advising?
The Academic Adviser:
- Helps students to define & to develop realistic academic & career goals.
- Assists students in planning a reasonable program toward timely graduation.
- Is knowledgeable about college policies and procedures and explains them to students.
- Establishes & maintains an accessible schedule.
- Refers students to support services when appropriate.
- Acts as a liaison between the institution and the student.
What is the student's role in advising?
Students should:
- Know the policies & procedures in the 2005-2006 College Catalog, which is their contract with the college.
- Access Degree Navigator to evaluate their progress & the placement of required courses.
- Define & develop their career goals realistically.
- Attend advising sessions regularly & reschedule promptly when they must cancel.
- Use support services to improve their academic experience.
- Read all mail from electronic & hard copy notices from the college.
- Be Prepared.
- Read and become familiar with the catalog and your program.
- Review program requirements and choose courses before your advisement appointment that satisfy those requirements.
- Choose alternative schedules.
- Ask clarifying questions until you understand.
- Retain copies of schedule forms, progress reports, evaluations, receipts, and other important documents in a file.
- Most importantly....Be Advised!!!
Why is academic advisement mandatory each semester?
To progress satisfactorily through a degree program, each student must have available ample and accurate academic advisement, tailored to their educational needs. Academic advising is a function considerably broader than assistance with course scheduling. It is a process which helps students interpret the values and benefits of higher education, assists students in their choice of educational and career objectives commensurate with interests and abilities, and examines the consequences of possible short- and long-range goals.
Each semester, students meet with their adviser to review academic progress while making informed decisions regarding coursework for an upcoming semester. Advisors can offer more than a signature on a class pre-registration schedule. They are knowledgeable about institutional requirements and are aware of the support services available. Advisers in the University College Academic Advising Center assist undeclared students in selecting a major. They also assist students who may be questioning the choice of a major. Students should contact their academic advisor at least 5 weeks in advance if they want to declare the major.
How can a student contact his/her adviser?
Undeclared students can contact their adviser by visiting or calling the office the department they are affiliated with as noted below:
|
PROGRAM |
LOCATION |
PHONE (716) |
|
Academic Intervention Program |
South Wing 100 |
878-3734 |
|
E.O.P (Educational Opportunity Program) |
South Wing 610 |
878-4426 |
|
S.T.A.R (Success Track for Academic Readiness) |
South Wing 530 |
878-4048 |
|
Services for Students with Disabilities |
South Wing 120 |
878-4500 |
|
S.S.S.P (Student Support Services Program) |
South Wing 210 |
878-4042 |
|
University College Academic Advising Center |
South Wing 100 |
878-5223 |
A student, with their adviser's input, should formulate a plan tailored to the individual student's interests, abilities and goals. Devising a plan will help a student organize a tentative path to graduation while setting academic goals and organizing a course of study.
How does a student select courses and/or plan a course schedule?
Selecting courses is the important part of the registration process, since it requires planning and thought to ensure that selected courses meet the student's academic goals and the college's requirements.
Students who have developed an academic plan with their adviser will be able to select courses that meet general requirements. These courses can fulfill the requirements for many majors and allow flexibility if students are undecided or change their major later.
When making decisions about course selection, advisers will help students in answering some of the following questions:
-
Do the courses fulfill a general education or major requirement?
-
Do these courses follow the student's academic plan?
-
Are there any prerequisite courses that must be taken first?
-
Based on the student's past experience, does the student have the ability to succeed in these courses?
-
Will these courses help the student achieve his/her academic goals?
Planning a course schedule involves selecting times that best fit a student's personal schedule. Balancing work, school and other obligations is a challenge for many students. Time management is an especially important skill to cultivate. Students need to plan their course selection around these commitments. Many students benefit from completing a trial schedule to map out possible class schedules to plot their time obligations - class, work, family, social life, etc. Course availability will vary and students will want to be flexible with their schedules to graduate on time.
How does a student register for classes?
Using their campus NT username and password, students logon to BANNER.
Check out these links for more information.
Where can a student find a list of courses they have taken and how these courses relate to general education and major requirements?Degree Navigator is Buffalo State's web-based student audit system. It shows the requirements of a student's academic program, completed courses, current course enrollment, course placement and any deficiencies. The system allows students and academic advisors to access and retrieve academic program information, from both on and off campus. Students can use it to check grades, review where they are at with academic requirements, and see how close they are to graduation.
Students can access Degree Navigator at http://www.buffalostate.edu/registrar/dn4student.xml
How does a student request a course placement change in Degree Navigator?
It is important to remember that Degree Navigator is a computer software program. If there is incorrect information in the full report, it is most likely because the information in the computer is incomplete or simply inaccurate.
Any questions or concerns should be addressed by emailing audit@buffalostate.edu.The email is monitored daily.
Students should follow the procedures below for requesting Degree Navigator changes to student audits:
- Incorrect placement of courses in the Major
-
- Contact the Major Department’s Audit Administrator
- For any students inquiring about Transfer Courses, High School Credit, and AA/AS General Waivers
-
- Contact Admissions: 878-5713, Moot Hall 110
- Placement of courses in the General Education Area, General Questions on Audit Behavior
-
- Contact – Audit@buffalostate.edu
-
- The example below shows how to submit changes to Audit@buffalostate.edu:
- Student Name: example- David Kinney
- Subject Major Code: example- 0115
- Student username: example- kinndn11
- Student Gen Ed: example- GE2K
- Be sure to include a brief description of the problem: example- COM205 shows as Core Humanities and it should be placed in the major concentration.
Choosing a Major
Where can a student get help deciding on or selecting a major?Buffalo State's Career Development Center(CDC) offers a wealth of information on careers, career planning, career counseling and guidance.
Students can make an appointment with a career counselor to discuss any career planning concerns by calling (716) 878-5811, or stopping by Grover Cleveland Hall 306. After discussing career planning concerns with a career counselor, students may have the opportunity to take a personality or an interest inventory to help identify appropriate career options, such as DISCOVER.DISCOVER is an interactive computer-assisted career guidance system that provides information about occupations, schools, and academic majors. It helps students learn more about themselves and identify occupations that may be right for them. The DISCOVER system can help with:
- Learning about the World of Work.
- Identifying work-related interests, abilities, and values.
- Finding and investigating occupations (over 500 descriptions).
- Choosing or changing a major.
- Researching graduate and professional schools.
The CDC has up-to-date reference information and is a student's best source for detailed career information for each of the Buffalo State majors. Books, brochures, and magazine articles are categorized by majors for review.
Students are also encouraged to browse the undergraduate majors section of the Buffalo State website. The individual major sites contain information about the degree programs offered, the department location, information about the department, a program fact sheet with information on career opportunities.
How does a student declare a major?
Students complete a "Change or Commit Form for Major, Minor, Second Major, Dual Degree" form available in the department of the major they would like to declare.
Campus Policies and Procedures
Academic Standards - assistance related to academic progress and financial aid eligibility
Academic Progress & Financial Aid - important factors in a student's ability to receive financial aid
Dates and Deadlines - Fall through Summer Academic Calendar
Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog - The college catalogs are available in PDF format. In order to view PDF files you must have Adobe's free Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Click on the link to install.
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