What is a faculty advisor and what does (s)he do?
When you are admitted to the program, a faculty advisor will be assigned to you. Advisors help you to plan your curriculum and navigate through the many ETM course offerings. They are not prepared to help you with administrative questions about, such as library accounts, logins, online registration, tution payment, visa status, etc. There are plenty of other resources for this at PSU - please check the PSU website for further information: www.pdx.edu
(How often) do I need to see my faculty advisor?
You can choose and drop classes without talking to your advisor first and many students are comfortable doing so, once they have a good understanding of the program and its requirements. However, it is always a good idea to meet your advisor at least once, at the start of the program.
What happens when I meet my advisor?
- We will talk about your interests and career plans,
- identify the courses that are of particular interest to you,
- discuss your workload outside of the program (work, family), your planned graduation date, and all the graduation requirements, and
- map out a curriculum plan
Your curriculum plan is a guideline that will help you through the first quarters. You can update it (together with your adivsor or on your own) at any time, e.g. when your interests shift or a class is offered at a time that does not work for you.
Should I prepare for the first advising meeting?
You don't have to prepare for the advising meeting, but it helps if you do a bit of reading and think about your interests and goals:
Have a look at the ETM website (www.etm.pdx.edu) and familiarize yourself with the student handbook and the courses we offer. Are there classes that sound particularly interesting to you? When do you plan to graduate? How many credits do you want to take per quarter? Will transportation to off-campus classes be a problem? Can you only take classes on certain weekdays? Do you want to take classes in the summer quarter? (You are not expected to have a final answer to all these questions - your advisor will work with you).
Are there general rules for the curriculum plan?
Our program is flexible and you can take classes in pretty much any order you want. However, there are a few general guidelines. Discuss with your advisor, if they also apply to you:
Focus on the core classes first - they lay the foundation for many electives. Also, you do not want the risk of delaying graduation, because you are still missing a required core class that might not be offered in your preferred quarter.
When choosing core classes for the Master of Science in Engineering Management:
- Do 520 early, since this class is a great introduction and also the prerequiste for other classes.
- 520 - 530 - 545 have to be taken in this order.
- 522 prepares you for team projects (common in all our classes) and is a good place to make friends. Many students find it helpful to take this class early in the program.
- 555 is not an ideal class to start with, since it builds on other classes.
The capstone takes place towards the end of the program.
How do I get an appointment?
Contact your advisor by e-mail and ask for an appointment.
Important: Many students want to see their advisors in the first two weeks of a new quarter, when they have to register for classes. Even though we try our best, it is sometimes hard to get a timely appointment. If you want to avoid last-minute stress: plan ahead and talk to your advisor before the end of the term, when the new bulletin is out.
