Academic Support

Navigating the Curriculum

One of your primary responsibilities as an academic advisor is to discuss goals and curriculum planning with students. Advisors should help students assess their interests, explore opportunities, and integrate these interests and opportunities into a comprehensive course plan.

• Academic worksheets are user-friendly and can help your advisee create a four-year plan.  You can find worksheets specific to each catalogue year on the AASC page for Academic Worksheets.
• The degree audit is a critical tool to be used in the advising process.  It is the individual student’s “program map” indicating the requirements for graduation.  Degree audits are available electronically to the student and the student’s assigned advisor through Self Service > Student Planning.
• Meetings prior to registration each semester serve as a good time for discussion and curriculum planning. You should be available to your student advisees for discussions about degree progress and planning, and to grant permission to register before each registration period.

It is important to note that advisors “advise” but do not make decisions for their students. Students should be encouraged to take responsibility for their curricular choices from the beginning of their academic career at Loyola.

Special Programs

Many students choose to participate in the various special programs that Loyola Offers.

Office of International Programs: Study Abroad

• Loyola students may choose from a wide variety of Study Abroad Programs at Loyola.
• The Office of International Programs has also created a PDF guide for advisors with tips for planning for study abroad.

Honors Program

• The Honors Program at Loyola University Maryland seeks to create a special environment for academic inquiry and personal enrichment.  Honors students are selected based on academic achievement, motivation, leadership, and extracurricular involvement.  The Honors Program is designed so students from all divisions of the University – humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, education, and business – can participate.  Honors students fulfill their entire core curriculum through the Honors Program. This alternative path through the core takes the place of the regular University core curriculum.
• You can find more information on the Honors Program website.

Sellinger Scholars Program

The Sellinger Scholars Program is an honors program in business administration designed to prepare students for roles of leadership and service in a diverse and changing world.  Application is welcomed from students who are highly motivated and seek an enriched educational experience.

Advising Student Athletes

Student-athletes are held to certain standards which are set by Loyola University Maryland and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The administrators who work in Student-Athlete Support Services are advocates for the student-athletes in all aspects of their academic careers.  They are the liaisons between the faculty and the athletic department. All student-athletes have signed waivers indicating that the Academic Administrators are privy to all information which would normally be protected by the Buckley Amendment. A student-athlete who does not sign this waiver is not eligible to participate in Division I athletics.

Please contact the Office of Academic Affairs for Varsity Athletics with regard to advising student athletes:

• Colleen Campbell, Director (X5391, ccampbell1@loyola.edu)
• Andrea Hoffman, Assistant Director (X5960, amhoffman1@loyola.edu)
• Daniel Fitzpatrick, Assistant Director (X5361, drfitzpatrick@loyola.edu) 

Some things to keep in mind while advising student athletes:

• Student-athletes sometimes choose to take a lighter course load during their competitive season. All student-athletes need to maintain at least twelve credit hours per semester to remain eligible for practice and competition.
• It is preferred that student-athletes be advised to take their electives during their competition season to lighten their academic loads.
• Every student athlete’s course withdrawal form must be signed by their faculty advisor and the appropriate administrator from the Office of Academic Affairs for Varsity Athletics (either Colleen Campbell or Andrea Hoffman). If a withdrawal form does not have one of these signatures on it, please direct the student-athletes to Jenkins Hall 013/015 to obtain the required signature.
• All student-athletes will have their schedules reviewed by Colleen Campbell or Andrea Hoffman.
• Student-athletes may have schedule conflicts due to practice times and travel for competition. The practice times will be available at the time of registration.

Major/ Minor Declaration Process

Many students arrive at Loyola having already decided their major course of study. We refer to this decision as an intended major. However, because Loyola thinks it is important that first year students be given the chance to explore all disciplines and consider their choice of major under the guidance of a Messina advisor, students are not allowed to officially declare their major until the end of the second semester, and must do so by the end of the third semester. At the time of declaration, the student is assigned to a major advisor.

• Change of Major: Students have the option of changing their major at any time. However, students who change majors should be made aware that they must complete all of the requirements of the new major, including core requirements. In addition, they should understand that it may take longer than four years to complete their degree. Administrators in the Academic Advising and Support Center can prepare a proposed degree audit to show students how a change will affect their graduation requirements.
• Double Majors: Students may earn majors in more than one department, but they must complete all of the requirements for each major.
• Interdisciplinary Majors: Interdisciplinary majors may be arranged between some of Loyola’s majors. See the major section of the Undergraduate Catalogue for interdisciplinary requirements.
• Minors: Loyola offers many minors. The number of courses needed varies across departments. See the listings in the Undergraduate Catalogue for each department to determine the requirements. The faculty advisor is encouraged to use the minor worksheets available on the AASC website. A student may declare their minor on the Declaration of Major Form, or separately after they are already declared by submitting a Change of Minor Form with
  • Courses taken for a minor may simultaneously count as non-departmental or free electives within the forty (three- or four) credit courses required for graduation.  However, adding a minor may extend the number of classes the student must take.
  • A student may declare multiple minors
  • If the minor requirements will not be completed by the student’s graduation date, the Change of Minor Form must be submitted to drop the minor.

Graduation

• Requirements: A degree audit is mailed to the home address of all rising seniors during the summer prior to senior year. This degree audit shows all courses that the student has completed and courses pre-registered for the fall semester. In addition, all courses that still need to be completed during the senior year are highlighted. If senior students want to drop/add a course, or if there are any questions about advising senior students, please contact the Academic Advising and Support Center
• Commencement: The Undergraduate Catalogue clearly states that “only students who have completed all degree requirements are invited to participate” in the formal commencement ceremony. Faculty advisors are encouraged to remind their advisees that it is the student’s responsibility to identify degree requirements and to complete the needed courses.

Academic Support

The Study

The Study, located on the third floor of Jenkins Hall, offers tutoring services for students experiencing academic difficult. Tutorial services are provided free to students as The Study absorbs all costs involved in paying the tutors. Students needing a tutor should contact the Program Director of The Study who coordinates the tutoring programs at X2104. Students can also access a tutor request form on line. For more information, refer to The Study.

Academic Dismissal/Probation

• Students will be dismissed at the end of the first semester of their freshman year if their cumulative QPA is below 1.400.   
• Students whose QPA is below 1.800 at the end of the freshman year may be dismissed from the University.
• Students with a cumulative QPA of less than 2.000 after the fourth semester or any semester thereafter will be dismissed from the University. 

Advisors receive written notification of any advisee who has been academically dismissed, placed or continued on probation, or returned to good academic standing. Students dismissed from Loyola University Maryland due to academic deficiency may appeal their dismissal and request a hearing from the Academic Standards Committee.

Students on academic probation must adhere to the conditions set for them by the Academic Standards Committee. It is the personal responsibility of the student on probation to make certain that the minimum QPA requirements are achieved. In addition, students on probation are required to meet regularly with an assigned administrator in the Academic Advising and Support Center, who will monitor their academic progress until they return to good academic standing.

The faculty advisor should help students understand the gravity of their academic situation and assist students in setting realistic goals. In helping the student select classes, the advisor should suggest courses and a schedule that provides a balanced workload and promotes an appropriate use of the student’s time outside the classroom.

Leave of Absence

Students may request to take a leave of absence for no more than two consecutive semesters. However, if at the end of the leave of absence additional time is needed, a written request for an exception can be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

• Students often find the decision to take a leave of absence stressful because the circumstances that make the leave a good option are stressful in and of themselves. The faculty advisor should provide basic information and refer the student to appropriate campus resources to help the student address his or her difficulties.
• If the student needs information about taking a leave of absence, please refer them to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies 410-617-5547.

Withdrawing from Loyola

A student who withdraws voluntarily is entitled to honorable departure under the following conditions:

• The student must not be liable to dismissal due to academic deficiency or breach of community standards.
• All financial indebtedness to Loyola must be settled.
• The student must complete the student withdrawal form.
• Depending on the time and the reasons for withdrawal, the student will receive either a grade of “W" or "F" for any incomplete courses.

Students who withdraw from Loyola cannot return without going through the readmissions process. If students are readmitted, they must abide by the requirements in place for their major at the time of readmission.