Texas A&M University at Galveston Undergraduate Advising    

Advising Overview
Appointment Policies
Advising Responsibilities
Advising Outcomes
Typical Annual Academic Cycle
Email Etiquette
Important Institutional Rules and Policies
Additional Resources

Advising Overview    

PURPOSE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING 

Your academic advisor is a partner in your academic journey as you move through and graduate from Texas A&M University. Your academic advisor is a reliable source of information about your major who can help you explore your interests, consider alternative educational paths, select courses, develop your degree plan, and meet your degree requirements. Academic advisors can connect you with academic and personal support programs, co-curricular opportunities, and career exploration options.

CAMPUS ADVISING MISSION

The mission of academic advising is to enable Texas A&M University at Galveston students to achieve their goals. We aim to empower students as self-directed owners of their education by providing students with relevant academic tools and information, promoting independent skill development, and connecting students to necessary resources and opportunities.

CAMPUS ADVISING MODEL

The advising model at TAMUG is designed to provide students with the best possible support at every point in their academic journey. 

  • Undergraduate students in Galveston majors work directly with dedicated advisors within their academic department to ensure they are connecting to all of the resources and opportunities their major has to offer.
  • Students entering in the General Engineering major work with Galveston-based major-dedicated advisors from the College of Engineering throughout their full time in Galveston.

 

Appointment Policies    

TYPES OF APPOINTMENTS

  • Appointment policies vary by department. Please ensure you become familiar with the specific advising requirements of your academic department.
  • Many departments require students to meet with their advisor in certain semesters; for example, most students must meet with an advisor during their first and second terms. Some departments require advising appointments in all semesters.
  • All advisors have appointment times available throughout the term. It varies by advisor how this time is structured in terms of in-person versus online availability, scheduled appointment versus walk-in availability, and specific availability time. 

SCHEDULING AN ADVISING APPOINTMENT

  • All undergraduate advising appointments on the Galveston campus are scheduled via Navigate, which you can access from your Howdy portal or directly at tamu.campus.eab.com. Click here for more information on how to schedule in Navigate. If you have difficulty scheduling via Navigate, you can also schedule via the SLC front desk, at MAIN 206 or 409-741-4343, or via Zoom at the AskAgs Virtual Help Desk.  Appointments must be scheduled at least one day in advance. 
  • Graduate students should visit the Graduate Studies Academic Advising page to determine their advisor and schedule an appointment.

NO SHOWS AND CANCELLATIONS

  • If you cannot attend a scheduled meeting, please cancel the appointment in Navigate as early as possible. If you no show three meetings within a semester, you will not be able to schedule via Navigate for the remainder of that term. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for an appointment, it will be considered a no show and will need to be rescheduled to ensure adequate time.

APPOINTMENT EXPECTATIONS

  • Before the meeting:
    • Determine what kind of advising appointment you need and schedule with the appropriate advisor
    • Review your academic record to the best of your ability
    • Come prepared with questions 
    • Research and fact-find as relevant
  • During the meeting:
    • Come on time with any necessary materials
    • Sign in as appropriate
    • Take notes
    • Be open and honest with your advisor on how things are going with your classes
    • Be willing to share things about yourself and your goals
    • Ask questions! 
  • After the meeting:
    • Keep a record of the information you learned at your appointment
    • Complete any necessary follow up steps 
    • Send follow up questions via email
    • Utilize any suggested resources

Advising Responsibilities    

ADVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Empower students to take ownership of their education 
  • Assist you in developing a realistic and coherent educational career plan
  • Provide campus resources and referrals
  • Encourage exploration of various majors and co-curricular activities
  • Assist in clarifying University policies, procedures, and requirements
  • Provide relevant, current academic information
  • Assist in academic planning, course selection, and consistent progress to degree
  • Understand general education and departmental requirements
  • Advocate for student success and development
  • Maintain confidentiality through to the guidelines set forth by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Be proactive! Initiate contact with your advisor and schedule meetings
  • Be an active participant  in the advising experience 
  • Keep your advisor apprised of changes in academic progress, course selection, and goals
  • Explore opportunities for co-curricular activities
  • Be responsible for your education and accountable for your decisions, including those regarding University policies
  • Prepare for advising sessions and bring appropriate resources or materials.
  • Learn to use the appropriate systems and tools in Howdy
  • Obtain necessary signatures on forms and submit them to the appropriate office for processing
  • Be familiar with institutional processes, deadlines, policies, and rules
  • Understand college resources and seek them out when needed
  • Discuss career and transfer plans
  • Be familiar with and understand your degree audit and catalog requirements
  • Accept responsibility for your decisions and outcomes of these decisions
  • Follow through on plans-of-action identified during advising meetings
  • Check your TAMU email account regularly, manage your inbox and respond to actionable items

Advising Outcomes    

FIRST YEAR OUTCOMES

  • Degree Requirements:
    • Understand the requirements for their degree program, including major, core, and university areas
    • Articulate the primary focus and learning outcomes of their major
    • Demonstrate understanding of degree requirements and degree evaluation
  • Campus Resources
    • Utilize relevant areas of Howdy, including ‘Degree Evaluation’, ‘Search Class Schedule’, and ‘Add or Drop Classes’
    • Articulate University academic policies and procedures
    • Identify who their advisor(s) is/are
    • Identify and engage with an array of campus resources
  • Critical Thinking
    •  Assess their own academic performance
    • Self-select and register for courses that meet degree requirements and align with personal goals

SECOND YEAR OUTCOMES

  • Degree Requirements
    • Articulate the relevancy of their major coursework to their personal goals
    • Recognize high impact educational experiences, such as internships, study abroad, field experiences, etc, and understand how to fit them within their major
  • Campus Resources
    • Understand the process of, and resources for, completing their Degree Planner requirements
    • Identify the appropriate campus resources for a wide array of needs
  • Critical Thinking
    • Identify their own areas of growth throughout their time in college, as well as articulating ongoing areas of development needed
    • Articulate their career/professional goals and understand how their own interests and strengths relate to those goals

THIRD YEAR OUTCOMES

  • Degree Requirements
    • Demonstrate the ability to audit and interpret their degree completion utilizing the degree evaluation
  • Campus Resources
    • Effectively share knowledge of campus resources with other students
    • Engage with high-level campus resources including active involvement in major-specific programs and services
  • Critical Thinking
    • Identify the learning outcomes of their specific program of study and interpret how they are achieving competency towards those outcomes

FOURTH YEAR OUTCOMES

  • Degree Requirements
    • Identify missing graduation requirements and ensure all graduation requirements are being met by the point of graduation application
  • Campus Resources
    • Articulate how campus resources have holistically impacted their academic career
    • Identify and utilize any resources needed for graduation and career preparation
  • Critical Thinking
    • Develop a cohesive narrative around their academic and co-curricular journey as it relates to their ongoing personal and professional goals

Typical Annual Academic Cycle    

AUGUST

  • Howdy Week, SALT Camp, Tiki Camp O-Week, and Gig’Em Week
  • Beginning of Fall semester
  • Add/Drop period through fifth class day

SEPTEMBER

  • Labor Day holiday
  • Change of Curriculum application closes
  • Priority application deadline for December Graduation
  • Undergraduate degree planner due

OCTOBER

  • Fall Break
  • Mid-term grades post
  • Spring course schedule goes live
  • Spring registration time tickets assigned

NOVEMBER

  • Spring course pre-registration
  • Q-Drop and Withdrawal deadline
  • Final application deadline for December Graduation
  • Thanksgiving Holiday

DECEMBER

  • Final Exams / Fall classes end
  • Final grades post
  • December Commencement and Commissioning
  • Change of Curriculum application opens
  • Winter Break

JANUARY

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday
  • Beginning of Spring semester
  • Add/Drop period through fifth class day

FEBRUARY

  • Change of Curriculum application closes
  • Priority application deadline for December Graduation

MARCH

  • Mid-term grades post
  • Spring Break
  • Summer and Fall course schedules go live
  • Summer and Fall registration time tickets assigned

APRIL

  • Summer and Fall course pre-registration
  • Q-Drop and Withdrawal deadline
  • Final application deadline for May Graduation

MAY

  • Final Exams / Spring classes end
  • Final grades post
  • May Commencement and Commissioning
  • Change of Curriculum application opens
  • Memorial Day holiday
  • Summer I and 10-week classes begin

JUNE

  • Add/Drop period through fifth class day
  • Last day to Q-drop or Withdraw from Summer I
  • Change of Curriculum application closes

JULY

  • Independence Day holiday
  • Final Exams / Summer I classes end
  • Summer II classes begin
  • Add/Drop period through fifth class day
  • Last day to Q-drop or Withdraw from 10-week courses
  • Last day to Q-drop or Withdraw from Summer II
  • Priority and Final deadlines for August Graduation

AUGUST

  • Final Exams / Summer II and 10-week classes end
  • Final grades post
  • August Commencement and Commissioning
  • Change of Curriculum application opens

Email Etiquette    

When emailing your advisor, we recommend following these guidelines for best results:

  • Utilize your official TAMU email account
  • Include your full name and UIN
  • Ensure you are utilizing appropriate language and properly addressing your advisor
  • If you have already established an email chain with your advisor (ie, your message is in response to a previous message you sent or a message received from your advisor) reply all  to the ongoing chain rather than beginning a new correspondence
  • Include necessary context; a brief statement of your issue/concern, the reason for a needed appointment, etc 
  • If you are hoping to schedule an appointment, include your upcoming or general availability
  • Allow 1-2 business days for a response; if you require a quicker response, consider calling or meeting in person

Important Institutional Rules and Policies    

FERPA

  • FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended. It is commonly known as FERPA, the Privacy Act or the Buckley Amendment. It is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate and misleading data through informal and formal hearings.
  • Additional details: aggie.tamu.edu/registration-and-records/transcripts-and-diplomas/student-records-policy

Student Rules

  • It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the rules of the institution. Being unaware of a rule does not exempt the student from the requirement to adhere to it. Be sure to fully read through the full scope of student rules via the additional details link below.
  • Additional details: student-rules.tamu.edu/rules

Financial Aid Eligibility Policies

Change of Major Policies

  • If you plan to change majors, you must make a request to the academic college, department, or major you want to transfer into by submitting a change of major request form. Departments have different policies and requirements (i.e. maximum amount of hours, GPA requirements or course requirements) needing to be completed before accepting applicants. It is essential to review the requirements for your specific intended major in planning your coursework.
  • Additional details: us.tamu.edu/change-of-major

Force Add Policies

  • The process to request a force add into a course varies by department.
    • For any courses owned by the FSCI, MARB, MARE, or MCES departments (including any courses with subjects of BIOL, CHEM, FSCI, MARB, MARF, MARE, MARR, MARS, MATH, PHYS, or STAT) utilize the online form at www.tamug.edu/academics/course_override_form.html 
    • For courses owned by any other department, speak with an advisor or department head for that department.

University Catalog

  • The Undergraduate and Graduate and Professional catalogs provide information about the academic programs of Texas A&M University to students, prospective students, faculty and staff of the University. Included is information concerning admissions, academic regulations and requirements, services available to students, academic offerings and a list of the administrative officers and faculty of the University. While every effort has been made to make this catalog as complete and accurate as possible, changes may occur at any time in requirements, deadlines, fees, curricula and courses listed in these catalogs.
  • Additional details: catalog.tamu.edu

Additional Resources    

Emergency Contacts

Academic Resources

Financial Resources

Additional Tools and Advising Resources