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Academic Advising

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Academics

About Advising

Academic Advising is key to student success and our office is here to help you in moving efficiently through your academic path at University of St. Thomas. Your academic advisor is most likely a member of the faculty in your area of academic interest. Our office is an extension of the services they provide.  

Why Visit Advising

Typically, you would visit our office to better understand: 

  • Your degree plan 
  • Credits that have successfully transferred to UST 
  • What classes you have left 
  • How long it will take you to graduate 
  • Remaining costs between now and when you graduate 

 

We can help keep you on the right track, so you remain on your timeline to graduate with all the required courses needed to satisfy your major. 

Where is Academic Advising?

We’re located on the 2nd floor of the Crooker Center. You can walk in at any time during business hours, Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. or Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. We try to respond to emails within 24 hours. 

Who Visits us?

Advising by Classification

As a freshman, we help you lay out a 4-year degree plan with what you intend on studying. 

We also make sure you know what, if any, college credit has successfully transferred to UST. This might include one or more of the following: 

  • AP exams 
  • IB exams 
  • Clep exam 
  • Dual credit

As a transfer student, we make sure you know what college-level credits have successfully transferred to UST, so you can know for sure what you’re still required to do. 

UST accepts up to 72 credits from a community college and up to 90 credits from a university. The maximum number of combined transfer credits that UST will accept is 90. 

  • In general, you’ll be eligible to receive credit under the following conditions: 
  • Credits were attained at a regionally-accredited institution 
  • Grade of “C” or higher 
  • Coursework was academic/college-level 
  • You provide official transcript(s) from the originating institution(s) 
  • Transferable courses may not necessarily apply toward the requirements for a major or minor. 

If you’re a high school student looking to take dual credit, we make sure you know what courses are available and when.

If you’re in Houston for a temporary period of time and you’re planning to return to your host institution, we’ll want to know what courses the host will accept from UST, so we can advise you on what’s available and when.

As a Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med student, we work with your HPAC advisor to help you understand what courses you need to complete in order to meet all requirements for any Texas medical or dental school application. 

Advising for Future Success

When you first come to UST, it’s critical that you visit us so we can help you interpret and understand your degree plan. If you wait, you might think you’re set to graduate at a specific time only to find out that you still have credits required to complete your major.

Be proactive and avoid surprises. Get a jump start by reviewing the degree plan for your area of study. 

Academics

Need more information?

Frequently Asked Questions

Academic Advising is a great office to ask all the questions that you may have about timing for your degree plan. Some frequently asked questions include:  

Fall semester:

The schedule is generally available starting in October. Registration begins around November.

Spring semester:

The schedule is generally available starting in March. Registration begins around April.

Log on to your MyStThom account and click on the icon that says “Advisor and Registration.” You’ll find your advisor’s name, photo and contact information. 

You’ll need to fill out a form and bring it to the Department Chair . If they sign it, you will then take the signed form to the Registrar’s Office. 

Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll need to make sure the transcript is sent to the Registrar’s Office so they can assign you credit, depending on your grade. 

You’ll need to fill out a form provided by the Academic Advising Office and have it signed by your Department Chair. If they sign it, you would then take the signed form to the Registrar’s Office. 

Note: Some restrictions apply with certain majors that can only be declared if specific conditions are met. 

Whether it’s AP exams, dual credit, or previous college courses, the best way to determine exactly how many credits successfully transferred to UST is by visiting our office where we can review this with you one-on-one. In most cases, we’re the best resource on campus for answering this question. 

The University requires you successfully complete 126 credit hours to graduate. After we calculate what you’ve completed, what you’re currently taking and what you have left to complete your core curriculum and major requirements, you may end up shy of the 126. If so, you’ll see elective hours on your degree plan. These are the hours you elect to take to fill the gap. 

You can elect to take more courses in your major, perhaps fulfill the requirements to achieve a minor, or maybe just look for courses that fit your schedule. 

Questions?

Contact Us

Reach out to or visit Academic Advising. 

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