Module 1: College Advising
Role of Faculty Advisor

Sharing Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to do their “homework” with regard to deciding on and developing an emphasis within their major/concentration. MTSU wants students to be informed decision makers about their academic programs and the choices within the programs. Other student responsibilities include understanding academic rules and procedures of MTSU and those of the department, as well as course load/GPA requirements for financial aid they receive. The student should be familiar with the undergraduate degree requirements printed in the MTSU catalog.

The faculty advisor’s responsibilities include knowing their department’s academic program, any special rules, paperwork, or procedures the department maintains, and discussing these with the student when the student asks or demonstrates he or she does not understand them. Your familiarity with the undergraduate degree requirements is vital. Among the important requirements that can be monitored by the faculty advisor are rules about the upper-division form (must be completed during the second semester of the sophomore year) and other requirements for the department to consider candidacy. A quick review of the undergraduate degree requirements with the advisee is recommended so that the advisor can document that the discussion was held and that the student’s questions were answered.

The advisor should be available to their advisees as advertised by posted office hours. Some may prefer to do advising by appointment and if so, can make arrangements for that. Because the faculty advisor’s most important role in the advising relationship is to guide each student according to the student’s individual needs and character, it’s useful to think about the responsibilities that a focus on the individual student entails.

First, the advisor must know a little about the student in order to tailor his or her advising to the student’s interests, abilities and goals. How does the faculty advisor get information about the student which can help him or her guide the student’s development in their major and toward a career in their chosen field? Asking questions such as these can help:

• What drew you to this major?
• How do you want to use your degree?
• Which part of your “intro” class did you like the most?
• What has been your favorite class in your major so far?
• Do you work? How many hours per week?
• What strengths do you have that an employer in this field would value?
• Have there been any courses that have been particularly difficult for you?

A student’s strengths and areas for continued development, personality, preferences, interaction style, etc., can give clues to the advisor who is asked for suggestions about possible niches the student might explore in the field. The faculty advisor should take into account characteristics of the student which will help guide a discussion of what they might take as electives and how they can apply what they’re learning to their career goals. For example, is the student an energetic extrovert or a quiet introvert? This information might influence the direction in which you encourage them to go in the field—will they be more likely to find their niche as a sales rep in their field of marketing, or as a marketing researcher? Would they prefer to be the person delivering the service, or training, or making sales contacts, or do they prefer to be the person planning the “big picture” for the project or the one who designs the service or training program, or who is involved with determining the target markets for the product?

It’s important to get a sense of how much time a student will be able to devote to coursework. If a student is in a situation where they must work, recommendations for courses will need to take into account the student’s work situation. At some point, the faculty advisor might even need to discuss the student’s reducing work hours or finding on-campus work. Speaking of financial concerns, is your advisee on a scholarship? If so, you will need to remind them to keep the requirements for their scholarship in mind as they commit to work schedules and as they consider dropping courses. If the scholarship demands a certain GPA, discussions with the student about level of difficulty and time requirements for courses will be something to keep in mind. Asking the student to brief you on the requirements of their scholarship will usually give you a good idea of how aware they are of those requirements.

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