Academic Advisement

All students in the School of Media and Communication must be advised in order to be cleared to register for the upcoming semester. Students are advised twice a year through scheduled appointments with their respective adviser.

Summer/Fall Advisement: Late February/Early March
Spring Advisement: Early October

Find out more about the advisement process in the School by going through the Q & A listing below and checking out the "What is Academic Advising?" page on the Student Success website.

How do I find out who my adviser is?

Students are assigned an adviser specific to their major in the School after attending an orientation session or once his/her change of major form has been processed. Advisers are listed in SOAR in the Student Center on the right side of the page.

What if there isn't an adviser listed on SOAR or I want to request a different advisor?

If you are listed as a major in the School of Media and Communication and do not have a current adviser listed on your SOAR account, please contact the main office at 601.266.4258 or email socFREEMississippi to request an adviser. In your email include a brief explanation for this request.

How do I sign up to be advised?

This is how that will work:

• You will receive an email from your adviser, asking you to sign up for an appointment to go over your  schedule. Please contact your adviser if you do not receive this request by Early October or Early March depending on the semester.
• Prior to your meeting, you should fill out the advising form. The form can be found here. Once you and your adviser have settled on the schedule, your adviser will sign it and send it to you. You should then send this form to rita.goffFREEMississippi. She will be able to lift the advising hold so that you can register.

What do I bring with me to my advisement appointment?

Students should come to an advising appointment prepared with a tentative schedule of classes on the advising sheet along with any questions he/she may have regarding classes, majors, minors, etc. The semester-by-semester guides for each major proves to be beneficial when tracking courses throughout a degree program, or students can utilize the planner within SOAR to be able to plan out schedules for multiple semesters.

Semester-by-semester guides are available in the bulletin located on the Registrar's website. Students can also see more information about SOAR and the planner here: https://www.usm.edu/registrar/faqs-soar

How do I change my major and/or minor?

Students wanting to change their major/minor to the School of Media and Communication and must fill out a form through SOAR. There is a form for changing your major and a separate form for changing your minor. Both forms require the Chair/Director of the specific major/minor to approve.  For instructions on how to navigate this process in soar visit the registar's website and choose the student option