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Director: KD Maynard
613 Goodell Building, (413) 545-2191
Website: advising.umass.edu

All undeclared first-year students (those who were not directly admitted to one of the university’s schools/colleges/majors) receive advising and undergraduate dean’s services through Undergraduate Advising.  The primary goal of Undergraduate Advising is to help students become empowered to determine and successfully pursue their academic plans and to maximize their educational opportunities.

Students first meet with advisors during Summer New Student Orientation (NSO), prior to their first semester. At this time, students have an opportunity to express their interests and goals, and begin to formulate an academic plan.  Students may choose to join a Residential Academic Program (RAP), a living-learning commmunity, organized around a common interest, that affords students the opportunity to take some classes with the specific group of students who live with them in a designated residence hall.  They also learn about the vast array of majors available on campus, and the various requirements related to majors, schools/colleges, and the university as a whole. They work closely with their advisors to choose courses for their first semester in order to achieve a balanced workload, and to meet General Education requirements and prerequisites for potential majors.

When students arrive on campus in September, they will meet again with deans and advisors from Undergraduate Advising, to review and clarify their opportunities and responsibilities for their first year.  Students are encouraged to continue their relationship with an advisor during the academic year, making contact at critical points in the semester as they work together to develop strategies to make progress on the student's personalized academic plan, until a major is formally declared.

Advisors can provide a wealth of information about academic opportunities on the UMass campus.  In addition to assisting students prepare to join the university’s other schools, colleges, and programs, advisors provide referrals to a number of services and resources to help students be successful (e.g. Learning Resource Center, Writing Center, Disability Services, Athlete Support Services, and CMASS, the hub for ALANA student services, activities, and cultural enrichment for the campus community).  Advisors can help students monitor their academic progress, and pursue special learning opportunities, such as study programs elsewhere (abroad/through Domestic Exchange/within the 5-College Interchange), internships, research, community service learning, etc.  Additionally, when students face academic difficulties (a cumulative grade point average below 2.0, or challenges in choosing a major), advisors work with students to get back on track. 

The first-year program for Undergraduate Advising is designed to facilitate each student's successful transition into an academic major department and respective school or college before the end of the student’s sophomore year.  While UMass has no established deadline for the declaration of a major, declaring in a timely fashion enhances the student's likelihood of graduating on time.