Advising and Academic Information

Advising for first year and undeclared engineering students takes place in the Student Development Center. Students are required to sign up for a time to meet with a professional advisor, Josh Atcher, Anat Levtov, Adrienne Maxwell or Kristin Lang before early registration for the upcoming semester begins. Appointments can be made either through MyUI (Student Information - Advising Appointment), or by contacting the Student Development Center at 319-335-5763 or 3612 Seamans Center.

Undeclared engineering majors should declare their program of study no later than the start of the spring semester of their sophomore year.

Currently enrolled, declared engineering students are required to meet with their faculty academic advisor at least once a semester prior to registering for the next semester's courses, generally the week before early registration begins. Students will be able to schedule an appointment with their advisor through MyUI to meet and discuss their upcoming semester courses; alternatively, faculty will place a sign-up sheet outside their office door with available times. Typically, students can begin scheduling online or by sign-up sheet two weeks prior to early registration.  If a student is unable to meet with their faculty during the times listed, it is the student's responsibility to contact the faculty member and set up a time that will fit within their schedule.

Students can find out who their academic advisor is by logging into MyUI and going to "Student Information" then "Program of Study & Advisors". Students wishing to change their academic advisor may do so by completing the Change of Academic Advisor form.

Expectations for students:

To meet with their faculty advisor at least once a semester, although it is highly recommended to meet more frequently

To arrive on time as scheduled

To come prepared to the appointment with list of future courses, questions and concerns

Students with questions regarding the Pre-Requisite Check and policies should refer to the Pre-Requisite Q & A.

The Peer Advisor program is a resource developed by students, for students. They offer advice on their respective majors, course combinations, course loads, and share their personal journeys to a career in engineering. Additionally, they provide support to their peers through workshops and outreach.

Come to the Student Development Center, 3612 Seamans Center, for assistance with your questions about majors, general education courses, or policies and procedures. The Peer Advisors work closely with the professional academic advising staff.

Find More Information

Students who have declared a pre-professional major have the opportunity to meet with an additional advisor in the Academic Advising Center, C210 Pomerantz Center, throughout their undergraduate career. The pre-professional advisors will help students as they prepare for their application to graduate or professional school. These programs include Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Physical Therapy, and other pre-health programs.

If you are interested in pursuing a pre-professional major in addition to your degree in Engineering, email you advisor to declare.

Pre-Health Resources
Pre-Law Resources

In the College of Engineering, we hope that students will take advantage of numerous opportunities to get involved beyond the classroom to become an “Engineer and something more.” If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities below, you are welcome to schedule an appointment by contacting the Student Development Center at 319-335-5763 or 3612 Seamans Center.

Advising Frequently Asked Questions

  • You can add most courses on MyUI without any required approvals until Sunday, January 31 at 11:59 p.m. Search for the course on the “Course Type” search on MyUI  ̶  Courses and Registration (scroll below the list view of your current courses.) Once you identify an open section that works in your schedule, register directly by clicking on the blue “Enroll” link on the right side.  
  • Starting Monday, February 1, you will need to request permissions/authorizations and follow the process outlined on the University Registrar’s website. 
  • The last day to add most academic courses without Dean’s approval (which requires extenuating circumstances) is Friday, February 5 at 4:30 pm.  
  • You can change sections on your own on MyUI without any required approvals until Sunday, January 31 at 11:59 p.m.. Log into MyUI  ̶  Courses and Registration. On the list view of your courses, scroll to the section you would like to change and click the “Change” link on right side of the page. Select “Change Section” and choose your desired section from the list of available options. Click to confirm the change.
  • Starting Monday, February 1, you will need to request permissions from the instructor of the new section and follow the process outlined on the University Registrar’s website.  
  • Search for the course on the “Course Type” search on MyUI  ̶  Courses and Registration (scroll below the list view of your current courses.) Click on the blue “Add to Waitlist” link on the right side of the page. To increase your chances of enrolling quickly, add yourself to as many waitlists as will work in your schedule; make sure you check for schedule conflicts with your current courses.
  • Continue to monitor email and text messages closely – seat offers expire after 24 hours.
  • Keep checking MyUI to see if seats have opened up in any other sections of the course that may work for you - seat availability changes frequently.
  • MyUI waitlists are only active until Sunday, January 31 at 11:59pm. In order to add a course after that time, you will need to receive instructor permission. Contact the instructor listed in MyUI and follow the instructions to add a course.
  • See the Registrar's website for more information about waitlists.
  • Most students can drop a class on MyUI without any permissions/authorizations until Sunday, January 31 at 11:59 p.m. Log into MyUI  ̶  Courses and Registration. On the list view of your courses, select the “Drop” link on right side of the page. Ensure that you click through all of the required screens to confirm the drop. International students and athletes may need to request additional permissions for a drop; specific instructions will be provided when initiating the online process.
  • Starting Monday, February 1, you will need to request permission/authorization from your academic advisor on MyUI. You can initiate the process by clicking on the “Drop” link on right side of the page. Be sure to click through all of the pages to fully initiate the drop. Your academic advisor is not automatically notified of your request, so you should email them to request they authorize your drop. Once your advisor grants permission, you must log back into MyUI and complete the drop process.
  • Friday, February 5 by 4:30 pm is the last day to drop a class without a ‘W’ on your transcript. A ‘W’ on the transcript means you withdrew from a course. Please reach out to your advisor or utilize academic advisors’ daily drop-in hours with any questions about dropping classes. If you are thinking of withdrawing from all of your courses, log-in to virtual drop-in hours to speak with an academic advisor and review the process.  
  • A red asterisk (*) on your schedule indicates that there is a conflict between course times. Take a close look at the class times and ensure that none of your lectures, labs, or discussions overlap. To resolve these conflicts, follow the instructions to change sections or log-in to virtual drop-in hours to speak with an academic advisor for assistance.
  • If you cannot spot overlapping course times, the conflict may be a mid-term exam that is scheduled during the regular meeting time for another course. You should plan to attend your regularly scheduled course and email the professor giving the exam to set-up an alternative testing time. This is quite common, so do not stress, but make sure you make arrangements with your professor well in advance.
  • Beginning Monday, January 25, and continuing through the entire spring semester, you can schedule an individual advising appointment by clicking on the Advising Appointment tile on MyUI or by calling 319-335-5763. Use these meetings to discuss your major plans, future classes, elective focus areas, minors, honors, and/or anything else you would like to talk through.
  • Students with faculty advisors: Many faculty members do not utilize the MyUI appointment system during the semester, so just email or call their office to request a time to meet. You can also contact your department’s office with questions or check the College of Engineering Virtual Hub on ICON to view the Engineering Registrar’s drop-in hours (under the Have Questions? Contact Information module).
  • Beginning Monday, January 25, and continuing throughout the entire spring semester, academic advisors and peer advisors will be holding virtual drop-in hours. Click here to sign-in with your HawkID.
    • Academic Advisors: Monday-Friday, 1:00-2:00 pm – use for making schedule changes for the spring semester or for quick, time-sensitive questions.
    • Peer Advisors: Monday-Friday, 1:00-3:00 pm – visit their website for more information including their schedule, bios, and contact information.
  • You can add most minors and certificates on your own on MyUI  ̶  Student Information  ̶  Programs of Study & Advisor. You can then request a new degree audit to review the course requirements.
  • Pre-health: Contact the Academic Advising Center directly: advising-center@uiowa.edu or (319) 353-5700 to request an additional pre-health advisor to assist you.
  • WITHIN ENGINEERING:  Complete the “Change of Major/Program of Study” form on the Academic Forms page. Your major will be changed and a new advisor assigned (if needed) within one week.
  • OUTSIDE of ENGINEERING:  Visit virtual drop-in hours as soon as possible to meet with an academic advisor to review the process of changing colleges.
  • NEW! Are you interested in improving your academic habits, test taking skills, time management, or ability to bounce back in stressful situations? Join one of the academic success workshops specifically offered to engineering students this spring to learn tips and strategies that you can use to help you achieve your academic goals. More information about these workshops can be found on the College of Engineering Virtual Hub on ICON.
  • The College of Engineering offers a wide range of academic support resources for students. You are encouraged to visit Engineering Tutoring, offered via Zoom, Sunday – Thursday from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Tutoring will begin on Monday, January 31. 
  • Are you interested in finding a study group? Join the College of Engineering Study Tables! Click here to learn more.
  • Additional University of Iowa campus resources are listed here – we encourage you to try different resources to find the one(s) that will work best for you!

Quick Links

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Events

College of Engineering Undergraduate Virtual Commencement Ceremony

Sunday, May, 16 - 12:00 pm

UI President Bruce Harreld; Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel; Sherry A. Bates of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa; and Dean Harriet B. Nembhard will deliver messages to students....

More details about College of Engineering Undergraduate Virtual Commencement Ceremony

A Conversation with Secondary Educators About College-Bound Students’ Learning Experiences During the Pandemic

Wednesday, May, 19 - 4:00 pm

Join us for an interactive discussion with STEM high school educators about pandemic learning experiences in high schools during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years. We’ll explore...

More details about A Conversation with Secondary Educators About College-Bound Students’ Learning Experiences During the Pandemic

Summer Institute on Cross-Disciplinary Graduate Education

Tuesday, June, 8 - 3:00 pm

How can cross-disciplinary, project-based courses serve graduate students across the University? This question is under investigation at the University of Iowa by both the Andrew W. Mellon-funded...

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