Miami University is committed to undergraduate education and to student success. Academic advising is an important component of the learning process and Miami has a collaborative advising system in which students connect with various members of the advising community throughout their undergraduate experience. The advising community includes faculty, first-year advisers, the Undergraduate Advising Information Office, divisional advisers, and staff in academic support and career-related offices.

Advisers are interested in getting to know students and in supporting them as they explore and define their academic plans. This support includes information about the Miami Plan for Liberal Education, divisional and major requirements, choosing a major, career planning, and making referrals to appropriate campus support offices.

Advising at Miami

The Undergraduate Advising Information Office (UAIO) serves as the one-stop source of information for general advising-related questions. This office assists students with navigating the Miami University advising system and provides direction when students are wondering who to ask and where to go with a specific advising question. The UAIO encourages students to utilize campus programs and resources to create a dynamic educational program of study and directs students to the appropriate departments.

Advising for First-Year Students
Academic advising for first-year students living on campus includes direct access to a full-time adviser who lives and works in their residence hall. Often assisted by a trained graduate student, this adviser serves as the student’s primary adviser throughout the first semester. First-year commuter students meet with an adviser on staff at the Commuter Center, located in Room 100 of the Shriver Center.

Advising beyond the First Year
Students are assigned a faculty adviser in their department of major in the spring semester of their first year. Once a faculty adviser is assigned, he/she becomes the student's primary academic adviser for the duration of their career at Miami (specific information about each major, including divisional and contact information, can be found from our listing of majors and minors.) Students enrolled in the School of Fine Arts and the School of Engineering and Applied Science are assigned faculty advisers in the fall of their first year and will meet with both their First-Year Adviser and their faculty adviser. If a student changes majors, he/she will be assigned an adviser in the new academic department. Students who have not yet decided on a major work with professional divisional advisers in the College of Arts and Science Advising Office.

Advising Support Services
A number of support services are available for students pursuing special areas of interest, including the University Honors Program, Study Abroad, Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Reserve Officer Training Corps. The Rinella Learning Center also provides services such as tutoring and peer mentoring for students experiencing academic difficulty through its Tutorial Assistance Program (TAP). Students with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder can get help from the Center's Learning Disabilities Services.

Additional Opportunities
All students are invited to take advantage of additional advising opportunities designed to help them explore career options, start job searching, and build professional networks.

		For students who are undecided or uncertain about their choice of major, Miami offers the Exploring Majors Fair, providing an unique opportunity to investigate various curricular and career options. Others who want to explore careers consistent with their goals and abilities might want to consider for-credit courses like those offered by the Rinella Learning Center and Career Services, which provide strategies for academic success through exploration of unique interests and learning styles.
		In addition to sponsoring the popular career fairs, which bring over 300 employers to campus each year, Career Services manages an extensive career resource center and organizes practical job-search workshops.