Advising at Tech

How Academic Advising Works at Georgia Tech

Your academic advisor can help you make the most of your college experience. Academic advising at Georgia Tech is “decentralized”, meaning all students work with advisors in their majors, rather than in a central advising office. Advisors know their major’s curriculum and are the experts to help students navigate their academic path at Tech successfully!

Your major advisor is a great resource for course scheduling and questions about registration, but can assist you with so much more, including:

  • Setting and reflecting on your academic, career, and life goals
  • Understanding degree requirements and your academic program options
  • Exploring opportunities such as study abroad, undergrad research, co-ops & internships or degree distinctions like Leaders in Service & Progress
  • Thinking about adding minors and certificates or deciding if your major is the right fit
  • Developing academic/learning strategies, and connecting you with academic support resources, such as tutoring if you experience academic difficulties
  • Providing guidance if you have questions about withdrawing from a course
  • Explaining Georgia Tech policies on topics like transfer credit, leaves of absence, academic standing, and readmission
  • Connecting with campus resources

Who Is My Advisor?

All entering students are assigned an academic advisor in their declared major at Georgia Tech. In addition to working with the advisor in their major, students may also consult advisors for minors, certificates, and pre-professional planning.

Undergraduates meet their assigned advisor at orientation (FASET) and at regular intervals during their college career. Not sure who your advisor is, or looking to meet with one outside your major? Click here to see the list of advisors for each major.

Is advising required?

That depends on your major: some majors require advising each semester, annually, or as you reach certain academic milestones. But even if you are not required to meet with your advisor, you will benefit by working with your advisor at least once a year so that you can review your progress, update your goals, plan for co-curricular opportunities, ask questions, or just get some encouragement. If you encounter academic difficulties, your advisor is likely to invite or even require you to meet so that you can work collaboratively on getting back on track.

What if I want to discuss changing my major?

Meet with an exploratory advisor! Specialized advising offers exploratory advising options for students who are unsure about major choice. These advisors can help you determine whether your current major is a good fit for your goals and interests, and if not, can help you explore other options. You may also want to meet with the advisor in major(s) you’re considering. Some advisors have appointments especially for students thinking about changing their major, while others require students to first attend a Change-of-Major meeting or Info Session. Full details on how to explore or change your major are available here.

How to make an appointment

Students use Navigate360, an online tool for scheduling advising appointments or for finding drop-in advising availability. During peak times, such as registration, many advisors offer drop-in hours for quick 5-10 minute questions. Scheduled appointments are for exploration, longer-term planning, and discussing academic challenges or concerns. Access Navigate360 through the app, or web platform for all advising appointments. See below for more FAQs about Navigate360.