Why You NEED an Academic Advisor.......

Most students do not want to spend the rest of their lives taking courses that count toward the first two years of college.  No student that I know wants to take courses here, then find out that they don't transfer to the program at a four-year institution.  Talking with an advisor can help ensure that you are taking the RIGHT courses to put you on track for graduation or transfer to another institution and make sure you are not taking UNNECESSARY courses.  An advisor can often help you figure out how to navigate your way through our college.  AND, an advisor can be someone who is "on your side," who looks out for you, and can offer you friendly and useful advice on a number of topics.  Every student should have an advisor and should see that advisor at least once a semester.  Remember that most instructors went into college teaching because they want to make a difference for students.  Most instructors will be flattered if you ask them to advise you.

Finding an Advisor:  Any full-time faculty member can serve as your advisor.  Anyone from the Advising and Counseling Center can serve as your advisor. 

If you are taking Learning Support courses, you should be advised each semester by someone who specializes in knowing the Learning Support rules.  You can usually find Learning Support Advisors in the Advising and Counseling Center on one of our campuses.  You may also find the online Learning Support Policy and Advisement Guide helpful in understanding the rules and regulations that pertain to Learning Support courses.  Consulting the guide, however, is no substitute for talking to an advisor.

If your major is undecided or undeclared, or if you are a "General Studies" major, any counselor or full-time faculty member can advise you.

Once you have decided on a Program of Study (major), you should be advised by someone who specializes in that Program of Study until you graduate.  You can find a list of advisors by subject and campus on the GPC website.

I will be happy to advise any of you.  I often do telephone or online advisement, so if you are not able to see an on campus advisor, I may be able to help you or put you in touch with someone who can help.

Program Advisement Forms:  Advisement forms for all of our Programs of Study (majors) are available online.  Don't freak out when you look at the long lists of courses.  In most areas, you only have to pick one course from the list.   These forms tell you the courses you need to take to graduate in a particular Program of Study.

Road Map to Graduation:  If you feel overwhelmed with you look at the list of courses on the Program Advisement Forms, and you are not sure where to start, you may want to look at my Road Map to Graduation.  The "road map" lists a plan for student who want to complete their associate's degrees in 4 semesters.  If you are a part-time student, it will take you longer than 4 semesters, but you can still follow the same basic sequence.

BEWARE!!!!!

Many courses at Georgia Perimeter College have no prerequisites other than exit from Learning Support courses.  That means that you can take them in pretty much any order you like.  However, there are some courses that must be taken in a particular order.  If you are not aware of this, it can prevent you from graduating on time.

Important sequences:

You must take a three-semester sequence of English courses, in order:

ENGL 1101>>>>ENGL 1102>>>>ENGL21xx (a literature course)

You must also take and pass the Regents' Test by the time you have completed 45 semester hours.  If you have not passed this test by the time you have completed 45 semester hours, you will be required to register for one or both Regents' Test preparation classes.  The Regents' Test is a test of college level reading and writing skills, and is required in all colleges that are part of the University System of Georgia.  You MAY be able to exempt one or both parts of this test if you have sufficiently high scores on the SAT verbal or SAT II writing tests.

Most students must take at least two semesters of college-level mathematics (Learning Support courses do not count toward this requirement).

MATH 1101, 1111, 1113, or 2431>>>>MATH 1113, 1431, 1433, 2420, 2431, or 2433 or CSCI 1300 or an extra Science course from Area D

If you are going to take any psychology courses other than introductory psychology, you must first complete Introduction to General Psychology (PSYC 1101).

PSYC 1101>>>>all other PSYC courses

If you are a Teacher Education major, you must complete EDUC 1603 (Foundations of Education) before you can take EDUC 2600 (Introduction to Exceptional Children).

EDUC 1603>>>>EDUC 2600

Teacher Education majors must also take PSYC 2103 (Introduction to Human Development), which has a prerequisite of PSYC 1101 (Introduction to General Psychology), so Teacher Education majors must take PSYC 1101 as their Area E elective.

PSYC 1101>>>>PSYC 2103

If you are a math, science or health sciences major, you will also find that many math and science courses must also be taken in specific sequences.

This page was updated on Thursday October 27, 2011.