Advising in the College of Letters & Science
Academic advising in the UCLA College of Letters and Science is shared between advisors in the College and departmental advisors. There are four College advising units, and each major/minor has a designated department advisor. To learn more about the structure of academic advising, click the links below:
- Structure of Advising in the College:
https://caac.ucla.edu/about-the-center/academic-advising-in-the-college/ - Departmental Advisors:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hxw0IlZPGYFWZ3I-9ETghTxiSArZPUXXVH_ibPC94xA/edit#gid=0
There are four advising units in the College:
- College Academic Counseling (CAC): A316 Murphy Hall
- Academic Advancement Program (AAP) : 1205 Campbell Hall
- Honors Programs : A311 Murphy Hall
- CAC-Athletics : JD Morgan Center
Students in AAP, Athletics, and Honors work with academic advisors in those programs. Some students may be in more than one program. All other students work with CAC academic advisors. The advising unit can be found at the top of their Degree Audit Report (DARS).
Academic advising is a partnership between the student and their advisors. To learn more about the AdvisorStudent Partnership, see https://caac.ucla.edu/about-the-center/the-advisor-student-partnership/.
Academic advising and counseling in the College of Letters and Science at UCLA is a partnership between the student and their College and departmental advisors. Students should work with both their College and departmental advisors not only to ensure they are completing all degree requirements and graduating on time, but also to maximize their time at UCLA by exploring co-curricular opportunities.
COLLEGE ADVISING
College advising is designed to help students plan their academic careers at UCLA, including satisfying degree requirements, planning their programs, deciding on a major, thinking about graduate school and career plans, and considering how they can best engage at UCLA.
Most College advising units also have peer counseling programs. Peer counselors are undergraduate students trained on academic policies who can offer a unique peer perspective in navigating UCLA.
DEPARTMENTAL ADVISING
Departmental advising addresses anything to do with a specific major or minor. This includes major/minor eligibility criteria and application process, courses, department-specific scholarships and opportunities, graduate school, and careers.
Students should consult with their departmental advisor when they are considering pursuing a major or minor, planning their classes, need to apply coursework from other institutions to the major or minor requirements, thinking about graduate schools pertaining to the discipline, or wanting to discuss their current and/or postgraduate aspirations and goals.
You can find your departmental advisor here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hxw0IlZPGYFWZ3I-9ETghTxiSArZPUXXVH_ibPC94xA/edit#gid=0
Whom should I consult?
| Sample questions | College Advising | Departmental Advising |
| What should I major in? | X | |
| I want to petition a class I took at a community college for GE credit. | X | |
| I want to double major and minor. What should I do? | X | |
| Who can help me plan my classes? | X | X |
| What can I do with x major? | X | X |
| How do I get into x major? | X | X |
| I have an academic hold on my record – what should I do? | X | X |
| How do I get involved in research related to my major? | X | X |
| What am I going to do after I graduate? | X | X |
| Will this class count towards my major or minor? | X |
College advisors are here to support students intellectually, professionally, and personally.
- Intellectually, advisors can help students collaboratively design a strategic course plan exploring majors and minors, and connect their learning across disciplines and beyond the scope of UCLA.
- Professionally, advisors can help students explore valuable leadership and teamwork experiences, and relate the skills acquired from their undergraduate experience to their career goals.
- Personally, advisors can help encourage students to participate in extra- and co-curricular activities and challenge them to reflect on their personal development and well-being.
Advisors can also help students with the transactional aspects of their undergraduate careers, such as understanding degree requirements, transferring credit from other institutions, knowing about policies and deadlines, planning their academic program, taking time off, graduating on time, and more.
We suggest meeting with an academic advisor at least once a year to ensure students are on track, and as often as students have questions or are planning their academic program.
Connecting with Academic Advising
Students can connect with an advisor in their advising units through various means after they have completed their New Student Sessions.
REACH (Remote Engagement and Advising in the College Hub) Drop-in:
Students in AAP and CAC can meet with a Peer Counselor, College Academic Mentor (CAM), Student Affairs Advisor, or College Advisor over Zoom for brief questions and concerns ranging from changes to study lists, clarification on policies or procedures, assistance reviewing DARS, and creating connections to other campus resources.
Students in Honors Programs should check https://honors.ucla.edu for drop-in services and availability.
Message Center:
Students can submit common questions through Message Center and usually receive a response within 3-5 business days, often sooner. Based on the complexity of your student’s concern they might be referred to additional resources or suggested to see us during drop-in hours.
Appointments:
Schedule a 30-minute appointment for in-depth program planning, guidance on major and minor options, and exploring opportunities at UCLA.
Attend a CAC workshop: https://caac.ucla.edu/academic-planning/workshops/
- Pre-Med 101: A Guide to Being Pre-Med at UCLA
- Crafting Your UCLA Journey
- Enrollment Workshop
- iGrad Workshop
Resources for Academic Planning
Center for Academic Advising in the College: https://caac.ucla.edu/
Advising Syllabi: https://caac.ucla.edu/about-the-center/the-advisor-student-partnership/
CAAC Social Media: https://caac.ucla.edu/center-programs/center-social-media/
Informational Handouts: https://caac.ucla.edu/petitions-forms/informational-handouts/
New Student Information: https://caac.ucla.edu/academic-planning/new-student-information/
Tassels to the Left: http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/degreepath/
AP and IB Credit for the College of Letters and Science:
AP Articulations for College:
https://admission.ucla.edu/admitted-students/ap-credit-the-college
IB Articulations for College:
https://admission.ucla.edu/admitted-students/ib-credit-the-college
IGETC (transfer students only): https://caac.ucla.edu/academic-planning/completing-igetc/
Cluster Program: https://www.uei.ucla.edu/academic-programs/ucla-cluster-program/
Degree Requirements: https://caac.ucla.edu/academic-planning/degree-requirements/
Degree Audit Reporting System: https://youtu.be/apD25KZFcSQ
Expected Cumulative Progress: https://caac.ucla.edu/policies/expected-cumulative-progress/
Double Major/Minor: https://caac.ucla.edu/petitions-forms/change-in-major-or-minor/#tab-id-2
Find Your Major Assessment: https://caac.ucla.edu/academic-planning/find-your-major/
List of majors and minors: https://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Academics/Departments-Programs-and-Freestanding-Minors
Pre-Health at UCLA: https://prehealth.ucla.edu/
Pre-Med/Pre-Health Academic Planning: https://caac.ucla.edu/academic-planning/pre-med-pre-health-planning/
University Studies ACE UCLA!: https://caac.ucla.edu/center-programs/university-studies/
Add/Drop Deadlines: https://caac.ucla.edu/policies/add-drop-deadlines/
Registrar’s Office: https://registrar.ucla.edu
Schedule of Classes: https://sa.ucla.edu/ro/public/soc
Annual Academic Calendar: https://registrar.ucla.edu/calendars/annual-academic-calendar
Term Calendar: https://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Term-Calendar
Parent and Family Association: https://alumni.ucla.edu/parents/
Bruin Resource Center: https://www.brc.ucla.edu/
Transfer Resource Center: https://transfers.ucla.edu/
First Year Experience: https://firstyearexperience.ucla.edu/
Dean of Students: https://deanofstudents.ucla.edu/
Center for Accessible Education: https://www.cae.ucla.edu/students
Counseling and Psychological Services: https://www.counseling.ucla.edu/
Career Center: https://career.ucla.edu/
International Education Office: https://ieo.ucla.edu/
RISE at UCLA: https://risecenter.ucla.edu/
Student Organizations: https://sa.ucla.edu/RCO/public/search
Tutoring Resources: https://caac.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tutoring-Resources-Handout-rev.-9-16-2024.pdf
Undergraduate Research Center:
Sciences: https://sciences.ugresearch.ucla.edu/
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: https://hass.ugresearch.ucla.edu/
Undergraduate Writing Center: https://uwc.ucla.edu/
Center for Academic Advising in the College