The best source for advising information is hosted by Dr. Lowery. Virtually all questions I receive can be answered by the information on that site. Please check there first before emailing me. A common request is for signatures on various forms. The only form I sign is the pre-registration meeting form. All other forms requiring the signature of your advisor need to be taken to the Undergraduate Student Services office to be signed.
Note that advising appointments do not need to only occur during course pre-registration meetings. Sometimes an issue will come up in the middle of the semester that you need a fresh-viewpoint on. Please email me in order to set an appointment – just make sure you use a descriptive subject line for the email!
- Engineering Registration and the FE Exam: Again, the best source is maintained by Dr. Lowery.
- Student Counseling Services: Everyone needs assistance at different points. The SCS has some excellent resources – please feel free to make use of their services.
Pre-registration Meetings and Advising
Each semester the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering blocks their students from preregistration. This is not a punishment! We want to make sure you have the latest information regarding courses and the curriculum, as well as ensure you meet with your advisor to discuss your degree plan. Seniors (U4 >= 90 hours) and Co-op students who are working in industry THIS SEMESTER are exempt from these meetings and are not blocked. All CVEN freshmen (U1), sophomore (U2), juniors (U3), and second degree students (U5) are required to complete the steps described below.
Requirements to be Unblocked
The general departmental requirements to be unblocked from registration are:
- Review the advising information on eCampus for your class
- Fill the flowchart found in your packet with the courses you intend to take as well as the ones you have already taken. If you are ready for your technical electives, they are listed at online on the departmental site for current students – brownse down to the Technical Elective Plans for your catalog
- Schedule a meeting with your permanent advisor, NOT to the Student Services Office, for approval and signature. You can find out who your advisor is by checking at the advisor list posted online. If you cannot find your name on this list, you can contact the undergraduate office.
- Finally, take your signed curriculum planning sheet to room 140 of the CE Building to get unblocked for preregistration.
For my Advisees:
If you are one of my undergraduate advisees – Great! I’m the person you need to see for step 3 above. Please review the information regarding what you need to do for us to have a successful advising meeting.
Graduate School
Does graduate school make sense for you and your future carreer pans? That is a question that depends a lot on your desired area of specialization and future goals. For example, in structural engineering a graduate degree is virtually a requirememt to work in a structural engineering consulting office. You can find some basic information about the different graduate degrees available (did you know our program has a 1-year masters geared towards professional practice?) in a presentation made to CVEN 207. And this possibility is definitely something we should discuss during advising meetings. But keep the following in mind;
- It’s never too soon to think about the possibility
- Understanding the undergraduate material is
the first requirement (good grades will follow) - You owe yourself the benefit of considering
the option