Advising - Kendall College of Arts and Sciences

Advising

Undergraduate

The numerous academic options offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, combined with the flexibility to design a personalized program, require careful guidance of students from the first year though preparation for graduation. The Center for Academic Advising maintains student records and its professional staff coordinates advising activities within the college.

A professional advising staff oversee faculty advisors and in some cases work directly with the students. All students have a faculty adviser within the department of their field of study. Faculty advisors meet with students and assist students in selecting courses and help students plan for graduation and in some cases graduate studies.

Academic advising has a high priority in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students are expected to see their advisors each term before enrolling. Beyond the formal advising structures, however, all students are encouraged to make full use of the academic resources of the university and to seek advice from members of the faculty on specific academic issues in the areas of particular interest to them.

Students ultimately are responsible for proper enrollment, attainment of acceptable academic standards and fulfillment of graduation requirements. At the first sign of academic difficulty, responsible students should ask instructors for help and should seek the assistance from Center for Academic Advising.

Students should go to the Center for Academic Advising to declare majors, minors and certificates, add and drop classes and declare pass/fail options.

Graduate

Graduate student advising is coordinated by the faculty in a student’s program of study.  Faculty work closely with Graduate Program Advisors in the Graduate School to assist students each semester through the enrollment process as they work toward completion of their graduate degree.

Transfer Credit Policies

Credit earned at other institutions is evaluated after admission by the academic advisors in the college of enrollment. Transfer applicants will be notified in writing of their advanced standing and the number of hours remaining to complete a degree or certificate program at the University of Tulsa. Once students have completed 62 hours, no additional work from a junior or community college can be applied toward graduation requirements. The last 45 hours of course work must be completed in residence at The University of Tulsa.

Transfer work taken while a student at the University of Tulsa must be approved by the adviser in the student’s collegiate advising office prior to enrollment at the other university. Courses repeated at another institution do not count for University of Tulsa credit without prior approval from the Dean.

For questions about transfer credit, please review the Transfer Credit Policies and visit with your professional academic advisor in the Center for Academic Advising.

  • New Students

    We’ve included important information on your enrollment for the fall semester. You should complete two important online diagnostic exams prior to selecting your first-semester classes.

    Since most of our majors require study of a foreign language, you should plan to complete the Language Placement Exam if you wish to continue the study of a language that you started in high school. You should take this exam to assess your placement in Chinese, French, German, Russian, or Spanish. To take a language that you have not studied previously, you simply enroll at the beginning level.

    Everyone must also complete ALEKS, the math placement test.

    We will use ACT or SAT scores and any previous collegiate transcripts to place you in English courses, as well as other appropriate coursework for your intended major.

    New Student Portal

    As a newly admitted student you should go to the New Student Portal and follow the instructions to activate your TU account and log into the portal, the gateway to your life as a TU student! You will be able to find your user-name and set your password by following step-by-step instructions.

    Once you have your user name and password you can visit the New Student Portal where you will be able to:

    • submit your intent to enroll form and pay your deposit
    • create New Student Checklist
    • view your financial aid award
    • sign up for orientation and housing
  • Language Placement

    TU students who are seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree must meet a language requirement of proficiency through the intermediate level. Those who seek a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, or Bachelor of Business Administration degree must meet a minimum language requirement of proficiency through the beginning level.

    TU utilizes an online placement exam as one of three criteria to help ensure students begin studying languages at a course level that matches their level of proficiency and achievement. Students whose language background allows them to be placed in a course beyond the first-semester level may also receive credit for the previous course.

    If you have questions about taking the online placement exam, you may call the Department of Languages directly at 918-631-2332 or make contact by e-mail at language-placement@utulsa.edu or call 1-800-331-3050 and ask for the Department of Languages.

    Password:  hurricane
    Login:  TU student ID Number (or SSN if you don’t know your TU ID number)

    Language Placement Exam

  • Mathematics Placement

    The University of Tulsa recognizes that understanding of mathematics is a core requirement for success in college, regardless of your intended field of study. 

    It is important for success in mathematics that you enroll in a course for which you have the necessary preparation and which leads to the math courses required for your particular major.

    ALEKS is a powerful, artificial intelligence based mechanism to assess math proficiency and skill level. The ALEKS Placement Assessment is available online using your TU Username and Password. It covers material from Basic Math through Precalculus and will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

    After the assessment, a targeted Prep and Learning Module is available for you to review and learn material, and to improve placement and eventual course outcomes.

    Who has to take the ALEKS Placement Assessment?

    • All entering freshmen, regardless of AP, IB, dual enrollment.
    • All entering transfer students with no transfer credits for Calculus I or higher.
    • We highly encourage all transfer students to take the exam if they need additional mathematics coursework. If the score on the exam indicates a lack of preparedness for the course, the student should seriously consider taking any missing prerequisites or taking an ALEKS learning module, included with the assessment.
    • Some returning students are required to take the Placement Assessment if no prerequisite courses have been taken.

    Is there a fee for using ALEKS?

    Use of ALEKS is included in your student fees.

    Can I retake the ALEKS Placement Assessment?

    Yes, you may take up to 3 placement assessments. However, to make each attempt worthwhile, it is important that you spend time working in your ALEKS Prep and Learning Module in between placement assessments so that you can improve your skills.

    When can I start my ALEKS Placement Assessment?

    • Placement Assessment access is available now. New students may access ALEKS by going to the New Student Portal and logging in. The test will appear under the New Student checklist. For specific questions regarding the math assessment and the math requirement, please contact our advising office at 918-631-2244 and schedule a time with an adviser.
    • Returning students may use the link below. You will need your TU Username and Password to log in and begin the assessment.
    • Returning TU students:  ALEKS
  • Freshman

    Each new freshmen student is assigned a professional advisor in the Center for Academic Advising. Freshmen students meet with their assigned professional advisor to coordinate enrollment for their first and second semesters at TU.  If a student remains undecided about their major after their second formal advising session, the student will remain assigned to their professional advisor until a major is declared.

  • Upper Classmen

    Sophomore

    Students are encouraged to choose a major no later than their sophomore year. Once accepted by a department, the student is assigned an adviser by the department chair.

    Junior

    Students are encouraged to return to the Center for Academic Advising at least once for a graduation check to ensure timely completion of all degree requirements.

    Senior

    Students should return to the Academic Advising prior to the second semester of their senior year for a graduation check to ensure timely completion of all degree requirements.