Your advisor will assist you in selecting courses to meet the academic requirements of the Biological Engineering major, while also meeting your personal goals.
As a Biological Engineering student, you will be assigned an academic advisor when you: enroll as a first-year student at University Park Campus; declare Biological Engineering as your major; or when you transfer to University Park from another campus location, college, or university.
Your advisor is a resource to answer academic questions during your career at Penn State. It is hoped that your advisor will become your friend and provide useful information concerning academic and non-academic matters as the need arises. You will normally retain the same academic advisor until you graduate, but changes are available upon request.
The Student-Advisor Relationship: Roles and Expectations
Biological Engineering students should establish a working relationship with their advisors for a productive and efficient college experience. The following lists provide guidance on the roles and expectations of both the student and the advisor:
Responsibilities and Expectations of Students
- Ensuring that proper courses are selected
- Ensuring that courses are taken in the appropriate sequence, adhering to prerequisites
- Ensuring that graduation requirements are met
- Completing petitions for degree requirement substitutions prior to the graduation semester
- Developing course schedule for each semester
Responsibilities and Expectations of Advisor
- Keeping advisee records up to date each semester
- Providing guidance on selection of courses
- Providing career guidance
- Encouraging students to engage in co-curricular activities
- Promoting summer job, internships and co-op opportunities
- Help inform student of minors and how minors might fit with career plans
