Academic Advising

Faculty Advisors

Faculty Advisors are permanent full-time faculty members well versed in degree requirements who act as your point of contact within the department on academic issues.

Unable to Contact Your Academic Advisor?

If  you are unable to make contact with the Academic Advisor for the Fine and Performing Arts, you may try contacting the Academic Advisor for the Humanities. To see a list of the other College of Arts and Sciences Advisors (and the subject areas for which they advise) please visit the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Website.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: I am a new student. How do I get started and what steps should I take?

  A: See the New Student Checklist and set up a meeting with your academic advisor.

• Q: Does UAA require a portfolio for admissions?

  A: UAA is an open enrollment institution, for that reason we do not require a portfolio as part of the admissions process. However, if a student would like to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), they will be required to develop a portfolio over their first two years at UAA. In the Fall semester of their junior year, that portfolio will need to be submitted to the Art Department as part of the BFA submission process.

• Q: What is the difference between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Art?

  A: A Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is a liberal arts degree. The term liberal arts come from the Latin artes liberals – meaning the artes (i.e. general skills) that a liberals (i.e. free person) would need in order to be a contributing member to society. In other words, the B.A. in Art is a broader and more flexible degree program that allows students to focus their education on visual arts, while still instilling a wide range of universal skills. These skills will help students to become life-long learners with a more widespread spectrum in terms of career paths.

  A Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) is a professional/technical degree. In the pursuit of professional/technical degrees, students focus on honing a more specific set of specialized skills. In other words the B.F.A. of Fine Arts is a professionally oriented and more rigorous program designed to prepare students for careers in art. Enrollment in the BFA program is recommended only for those students willing to make the considerable commitment of time and energy necessary to achieve professional competence in the media they choose as their primary concentration. For more information on the differences between the BA in Art and the BFA in Art, and assistance in choosing the degree path that is right for you, please meet with your academic advisor.

• Q: How do I find the requirements for my program?

   A: The Catalog is a student’s official educational agreement with the university. It lines out exactly what requirements must be met in order for a student to earn their degree. These same requirements can be found in a student’s DegreeWorks Audit (available through UA Online). DegreeWorks tracks students’ progress toward degree completion by showing them what requirements they have completed and the requirements they still have remaining. 

• Q: How do I know what classes I should be taking and when?
   

  A: Set up an appointment to meet with your academic advisor. Students should be checking in with their academic advisor and faculty advisor at least once a semester to make sure they are staying on track. 

• Q: What is the difference between an academic advisor and a faculty advisor?

  A: An academic advisor provides academic assistance to students. They help you to register for classes, monitor your academics, navigate your way through the university system, stay on track for graduation, etc.

  A faculty advisor is more of a mentor. They are a professor here at UAA who will help to evaluate a student’s skills within their field of study, suggest courses/opportunities that will help a student grow within his/her major, and provide feedback on growth.

• Q: How do I register for classes?

   A: Visit the Office of the Registrar Website to learn how to register for classes, view important dates/deadlines, and find contact appropriate contact information.

• Q: The class I need is full, how do I use/get on the waitlist?

  A: Detailed information on using waitlists is available on the Course Options Website. Scroll down to “Waitlisting” and “Waitlisting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” for directions.

• Q: When I try to register of a class I get an error message, what does it mean?
   

  A: Visit the How to Register Website to view step-by-step instructions on registering for classes, as well as common registration errors.

   

• Q: When I try to register I get an error message that says, “Instructor approval,” what do I do?
   

  A: Some courses require that students get approval from the professor before they will be permitted to register for the class; even if a student has already met the published prerequisite.

  Approvals/Overrides can be entered in a myriad of ways

  1. The most simple way is for an instructor to enter the permissions into UA Online themselves (as they have access to do so 24/7). However, some professors do not prefer this method.
  2. The professor can send an e-mail to the advisor for the department of the course for which a student wishes to register, thus giving the advisor permission to enter an override.
  3. Note: Professors must include the student’s name, ID number, the type of permission they are granting (e.g. permission to override the prerequisite, or approval to enter the course), and the CRN for the course
  4. Some departments (like ART/MUS/THR) have approval forms that can be filled out by the student and the prof. and then submitted to someone within the department so that the permissions can be entered. If you need instructor approval for an ART/MUS/THR class please pick up an approval form at the front counter in the Fine Arts Building.
  5. In worst case/last min scenarios, instructor approval can be granted via the Add/Drop form (which can be found on the Registrar’s Forms Website under the “Registration” heading) during the 2^nd week of classes – as this serves as the override.
• Q: How much is tuition and fees?
   

  A: See the Costs: Tuition and Fees Website.  

• Q: How do I know what books I will need?
   

  A: After you have registered for classes follow these directions: Login to UA Online > Student Services & Account Information > Registration > Register/Add/Drop Classes, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the “Get Books” button.

  Or Go to the Textbooks section of the Campus Bookstore’s Website and click on the “Find your Textbooks” button.

•  Q: When I transferred to UAA many of my Art courses transferred in as electives. Is there any way I can get those to count toward specific requirements for my major?

   A: Students can request that UAA consider allowing the use one (or more) of their transfer courses to meet the intent of a specific requirement (or more) here at UAA via an Academic Petition (which can be found on the Registrar’s Forms Website under the “Degree Services” heading). Please meet with your academic advisor to discuss potential petitions.

•  Q: How do I know if I am ready to graduate?
   A: Students should meet with their academic advisor to verify that they are ready to apply to graduate.
•  Q: When and how do I apply to graduate?
   A: The graduation application deadlines are found on the Registrar’s Dates and Deadlines Website.

  The directions on how to apply to graduate can be found on the Degree Services Website.

  Should students wish to participate in the commencement ceremony they will need to acquaint themselves with the Commencement Website and RSVP to the ceremony.