Academic advising
begins at Orientation when the student meets with a faculty member,
professional and/or peer advisor. Upon enrolling in a major or
professional program, the student is assigned a faculty advisor from the
appropriate department or school. Undeclared majors in the College of
Arts and Sciences will be assigned an advisor by the College. In some
cases, students may be temporarily assigned to an advisor other than the
one they have been assigned to for their academic career at USF.
Academic advising is a continuing process of assisting
students in course selection and academic and career exploration.
Students meet with their advisors at regular intervals and prior to
semester registration. Registration cannot be completed without the
signed approval of the faculty advisor, department chair, or
representative of the dean. The school or college should be consulted
regarding the specifics of the advising process. The deans of each
school or college are available to assist students.
Academic advisors contribute to each student's academic
career by assisting him or her to
- understand USF, its mission, goals, standards,
policies and procedures, and resources for students;
- meet the challenge of being a University student by
establishing a clear relationship between the University programs and
the individual student's needs;
- understand and appreciate his or her abilities,
strengths, and interests; and
- select and make progress toward a career by
integrating information about the world of work and occupational choice
with an appropriate academic program.
In addition, assistance in developing time-management or
test-taking skills or changing study habits is available through the
Office of Academic Support Services. The office also provides testing
accommodations and support services to students with disabilities.
Testing and Academic Placement
Upon admission to the University of San Francisco, new
undergraduate students (except College of Professional Studies
students), freshmen and transfers may need to take placement tests for
placement in the appropriate mathematics courses. Students are
encouraged to take these tests prior to enrolling at USF.
The SAT writing score is used to place freshmen in writing
courses. All transfer students who have completed a college-level
writing course will take a special writing course designed for them.
There is also a foreign language placement test for College
of Arts and Sciences students and a calculus readiness test for students
planning to take calculus at USF. Students are placed in the level of
courses indicated by the results.
Mathematics courses are required for some, but not all,
majors. Check with your advisor before enrolling in a mathematics
course. It is not possible to succeed in any mathematics course without
sufficient preparation.
Placement tests may be taken only once. Students may not
re-take these exams.
For further information, please refer to descriptions of
the:
- Rhetoric and Composition Program, and the
- Department of Mathematics.
