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 an audition for admissions?

  A: UAA is an open enrollment institution, for that reason we do not require a portfolio or auditions as part of the admissions process.

• 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 adviser. Students should be checking in with their academic adviser and faculty adviser 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: Follow the directions outlined for using the Student Schedule Planner (PDF) &/or watch the Schedule Planner video tutorial for information on how to register using the Schedule Planner. (Allows a student to register for all classes at once, and shows where to find further/more detailed video tutorials.) Or, follow the directions for Step-by-Step Online Registration (PDF). (Allows students to register on a class-by-class basis). These, and further directions, can be found under the “How to Register” section of the Registration Guide.

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

  A: There is detailed information on using the waitlists in the Registration Guide. Click on the How to Register button, scroll to the “Waitlisting” heading, and then click “Waitlisting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” button for directions.

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

  A: There is a list of error message a student may come across, as well as their meanings, in the Registration Guide. Click on the How to Register button, scroll to the “Step-by-Step Registration” heading, and click on the “Common Registration Error Messages” button.

• 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 web page 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 web page under the “Degree Services” heading). Please meet with your academic adviser 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 & Deadlines web page.

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

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

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 webpage.