Academic Advising FAQs

A Faculty Advisor is a Professor from your field of study who has been assigned as your advisor. Some of the benefits of working with your faculty advisor are:

Faculty can recommend appropriate course sequencing of courses in your schedule.
Faculty members often know typical course rotations.
Faculty member know the correct pre-requisites.
Faculty members are familiar with the type of work involved in a course and can recommend a balanced course load.
Faculty are experts in their field of study and can advise accordingly.
Faculty can assist you with course waivers, substitutions, etc.
Faculty can offer great professional networking opportunities.

An Academic Advisor is a professional staff member who will help you plan your college schedule, choose a major or may assist with course registration. Advisors assist students in academic planning related to the students' abilities and interests; convey and interpret the University's academic rules and regulations, academic prerequisites, programs, majors and courses of study; work with faculty to enhance the advisement process; refer students to related offices (personal counseling, career planning, etc.) as appropriate.

What is a check sheet?

A check sheet works as a ‘road map’ guiding you through your program of study. The check sheet lists the requirements for your degree. Students are sent official check sheets with their acceptance letter and the advising staff sends updated check sheets when processing Change of Program requests. Adhere to the check sheet for the year that you were accepted into a degree program at UMA. Students may request a change to another year’s check sheet through the Advising Center; however, one cannot enter into a year previous to their entrance into the program.

Refer to your check sheet when meeting with your faculty advisor. Feel free to contact your faculty advisor or member of the advising staff throughout the year as questions arise. Please retain your check sheet and update it every semester as this will assist you during registration and advising periods; follow the requirements carefully each semester to ensure an accurate picture of your academic progress. All of UMA's checksheets can be found online here.

What are the Core/General Education requirements?

The faculty has designed a set of minimum expectations that students are expected to satisfy with the intention that every degree graduate will be prepared to function in our society as an effective and informed citizen. To this end, the Core/General Education requirements are the courses that are required in each program to provide for the development of core skills, competencies, and abilities in written communications, oral communications and quantitative skills, as well as knowledge based learning experiences the General Education Requirement areas of Scientific Inquiry, Social Science, Humanities and Fine Arts. The full description of the Core and General Education Requirements may be found in the UMA Catalog. Specific requirements for each program are outlined on the Program Checksheets.

Registration ... Who, What and When?

Prior to Registering:

Review course options using this course guide or the online MaineStreet Class Search function https://mainestreet.maine.edu/.
Prepare a draft schedule using the MaineStreet Wish List function or a registration request form.
Meet with your advisor to discuss your draft schedule. Make adjustments as appropriate.
If you are in a program/major that requires advisor permission for registration**, ask your advisor to sign your registration form, give you an enrollment pin number (via telephone or e-mail) or “Approve your Schedule” in MaineStreet. Once your schedule is approved, proceed to registration.

** Architecture, art, biology, graphic arts, dental assisting, dental hygiene, interdisciplinary studies, medical laboratory technology, music, nursing, photography, and veterinary technology degree students all need advisor permission to register.

Registration Options:

IN PERSON - At Augusta or Bangor or at a University College Center

VIA PHONE - 1-877-862 -1234 (statewide) or 262-7808, opt. 3 (Bangor).

ONLINE – Via MaineStreet https://mainestreet.maine.edu/

Please note: For students participating in self registration, adding courses to your Wish List does not automatically register you for a course. You must “Finish Enrolling” to officially register for your selected courses.

College lingo . . . what does it all mean?

GPA: GPA stands for Grade Point Average. Your semester GPA and cumulative GPA can be found in MaineStreet.

Academic Probation: If your GPA falls below a 2.00 you are placed on academic probation. While on probation, you must meet with an advisor before registering for courses.

Suspension: If, after being placed on probation, you do not raise your GPA to an acceptable level, you may be suspended. While suspended, you may not register for courses for one semester.

Registration Hold: If you have a registration hold, you may not register for courses until the hold is removed. A registration hold could be the result of a number of things, including a past due balance, a missing immunization record, or suspension.

Satisfactory Academic Progress: If you are receiving financial aid, your academic progress is measured regularly to determine if you are on track for graduation. You may become ineligible for financial aid if you are not meeting your degree requirements in a timely manner. For more information, please see Financial Aid.

For more information on any of these topics, please see the catalog. A more complete glossary of academic terminology is available in the Student Handbook.

How do I know who my advisor is?

Your advisor is a UMA faculty member in your program of study who is available to assist and support you throughout your college career. After you are admitted to a degree program, you will receive a letter with your advisor’s name and contact information. If you have forgotten advisor’s name, check your MaineStreet account, or call the Advising Center at 1-877-UMA-1234 ext 3149.

How do I change my advisor?

Once you have been admitted into a degree program, you will be assigned a faculty advisor in your program. Augusta and University College students can request to change their advisor by calling 1-877-UMA-1234 ext 3149 or via email. Bangor students can request to change their advisor by contact the advising center on the Bangor campus at 262-7808 or via email.

How do I change my program/major?

To change your program/major or minor, you must complete a change of major form, found here (PDF doc). You can also print and submit the form in person on the Augusta or Bangor campus at the Advising Centers.

If you would like assistance in choosing a program or determining if your current program will meet your career goals, career advising is available. Click here for contact information.

I think I am close to graduation ... now what?

Confirm with your faculty advisor that you have completed all of your program requirements. Once this is done, submit an Application for Graduation Card to the Registrar's Office, University of Maine at Augusta, 46 University Drive, Augusta, ME 04330. To have a card sent to you, call 1-877-UMA-1234 or 621-3185. You can also submit your request online here.

I am balancing school with work, family and/or other responsibilities. How much homework is there?

Recognizing that each student is unique and individual differences exist, the typical guideline for school work is that you will have about 3 hours of homework per credit hour. If you are taking 12 credit hours of course work (the minimum to be a full-time student), you would have about 12 hours of class time and 36 hours of homework per week for a total of 48 hours dedicated to your studies. Please note that the workload for online classes is expected to be the same as other courses. Students in a 3 credit on-line class should expect to spend about 12 hours a week completing the work for the class.

If you are employed full time (40 hours/week), we generally recommend that you take a maximum of 2 classes per semester.

Finding your optimal balance of work, school and personal time is a learning process. Start off conservative. It’s better to do fewer classes well! View a UMA College Success Workshop on Time Management in Blackboard.

How do I make an appointment to meet with a faculty advisor?

During the academic year, most faculty advisors are available and schedule their own appointments. Please contact them directly. Contact information for your assigned faculty advisor may be found in two locations: the A-Z Directory on UMA’s home page at http://www.uma.edu/directory.html (last name first) or in your Student Service Center in MaineStreet (your advisor information is listed right hand side). PLEASE contact the Advising Center in Augusta at 621-3149 or Bangor at 262-7808 or at a University College Center or Site nearest you at 1-800-868-7000 for help in navigating MaineStreet or connecting with your faculty advisor.

When faculty advisors are not on campus, generally between semesters and during the summer, professional advisors in the Advising Centers and at University College locations are available to discuss your academic plans and career goals with you.

How do I find my grades?

Students may access their grades in MaineStreet, our electronic Student Information System. Log into MaineStreet and open your Student Service Center. From here, to review your transcript, choose the “Other academic” window and select “official Transcript” from the drop-down choices. To view your grades by semester, select the Academics tab the top of the Student Service Center page. Students may request that official transcripts be mailed by returning the on-line transcript request form at http://www.uma.edu/assets/docs/admissions/transrqform.pdf.

How do I activate my university e-mail?

UMA students have a dedicated mail.maine.edu e-mail address. A student must be enrolled in at least one class to be able to activate their e-mail account. Click the following link for the set-up page, http://mail.maine.edu. If problems are encountered while setting up email, students should contact Computer Services at 1-800-UMA-1234 x3475.

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Faculty Advisor, Academic Advisor . . .What's the difference?