Associate Dean
School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Green Hall Room 4.528, Ph. 972-883-2360
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Majors in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Who Does What?
Types of Advisors
Academic Advisors
These are non-faculty professional staff members. They are knowledgeable about the technicalities of UTD and program requirements. Academic Advisors help students prepare and update their degree plans, aid in the selection of classes, and assist students in registering each semester. They have regularly scheduled hours for drop-in advising. No appointments are necessary.
Faculty Mentors
These are regular professors in the School of Behavioral and Brain Science. Their role is to help students with career planning and to serve as academic mentors (they are often not, however, up on the technicalities of UTD requirements). Contact the Associate Dean if you want to be assigned a Faculty Mentor. Students can request specific faculty and can request to switch mentors once they get to know faculty.
Peer Mentors
These are advanced undergraduates who have volunteered to show new students "the ropes." New students are strongly encouraged to request a peer mentor. Contact Leah Nall or fill out an application (available on the bulletin board outside her office).
Recommended Schedule for Seeing Program Advisors
- When you initially enter your major, you must see an Academic Advisor to create a degree plan.
- Freshmen will be advised at orientation and then should be advised more in depth during the first few weeks of starting at UTD. They also must be advised before registering for classes as long as they remain freshmen (less than 30 credit hours.)
- Sophomore, Junior and Senior transfer students must be advised before they register for their first semester of classes at UTD.
- For students changing majors, this should be done before or at the time you apply to change majors.
- Before you register each semester, check in with a Academic Advisor to discuss what classes you plan to take. The advisor can help make sure that you are not missing out on important prerequisite sequences and tell you about last minute changes in the schedule. This can be done using our open, walk in hours. No appointments are needed and none are taken during busy registration periods. Avoid the last minute rush by seeing an Academic Advisor as soon as the Class Schedule is published.
- Early in your second-to-last semester before graduation (when you see the schedule is out is a good time), you must have an Academic Advisor complete a Degree Plan Audit before you are "approved" (on the UTD computer system) to graduate (see the Application for Graduation Procedures handout). If all has gone well, the audit should clear you to graduate the next semester. Remember, you must pay the graduation application fee when you register for your last semester.
Recommended Schedule for Seeing Faculty Members
- During your first semester in the major, it is strongly recommended that you meet with your Faculty Mentor. Hopefully this will be the start of a productive mentoring relationship. The purposes of the meeting are to:
- Discuss topic of interest and concern to you.
- Clarify your career goals and explore career options.
- Consider the best elective courses to take.
- Plan ways to meet career and/or graduate school objectives.
- Periodically visit with your Faculty Mentor to further develop and refine your career plans or to just discuss topics of academic and personal interest. Remember, at some point in the future you may need a letter of recommendation from a professor; there is not much professors can say in a letter if they don't know you well. As always, the Associate Dean is available for consultation during his drop-in office hours and by appointment. Contact him directly for an appointment at 972-883-2352.
How to contact?
Any questions about advising should be directed to the Associate Dean's Secretary in room 4.528, Green Hall. The Associate Dean is available for consultation during his drop-in office hours and by appointment at 972-883-2352.
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