Undergraduate Advising and Programs of Study

Advising

Advising is mandatory for all SPH undergraduate students. Advisors help students identify academic and career goals, recommend elective courses and professional experiences to support those goals, and assist students with navigating their programs of study. They also act as career mentors, and assist students with finding answers to specific questions or programmatic issues.

All new students are required to meet with their assigned advisor within the first two terms of attendance, or a hold preventing course registration will be placed on their account. Ideally, students should meet with their advisor during their first term, in order to develop an overall program of study and discuss opportunities to support their professional development. Thereafter, it is in the student’s best interest to connect with their advisor once each quarter, to assure adequate progress toward their degree.

PSU has seven Advising Pathways that group similar majors together. Students choosing Public Health Studies or Applied Health and Fitness majors are part of the Health, Science and the Earth Pathway, and will be assigned an advisor from that Pathway.

Students maximize the benefits of advising by:

• Contacting their advisor at least once per quarter (electronically or in person)
• Regularly monitoring university email for programmatic or institutional notices and important communication about progression through the program
• Immediately informing their advisor of changes in registration status or problems that could affect progress to degree.

Students may change advisors if their career interests change. Students are also encouraged to speak with faculty to learn more about areas of study and career opportunities.