Current Students
Why do I need an Academic Advisor?
How do I get assigned an Academic Advisor?
How do I choose a major?
Declaring and changing Majors.
Checking your major online.
Checking your degree evaluation
Students Changing Advisors
Why Do I Need an Academic Advisor?
Advisers know a great deal about course and graduation requirements and specific HU policies. At Harding, we like to think of our advisors as individuals who assist “students to realize the maximum educational benefits available to them by helping them better understand themselves and to learn to use the resources of the institution to meet their specific educational needs” (Wes Haley).
Our goal is for our advisors to:
- Be accessible
- Develop a caring relationship with their advisees
- Be knowledgeable about academic requirements
- Help students define and develop realistic educational goals and career plans
- Assist students in planning a program consistent with their abilities, interests, values, and in selecting their course of study
- Inform students of special services available to them, including the Career Center, Academic Resources Center, Writing Lab, etc.
- Assist in making out a semester schedule
- Check on the student’s academic progress through the semester
In addition, your academic advisor can be a wonderful resource and may be able to write letters of recommendation for you when you graduate and pursue other goals, including entering graduate programs.
How Do I Get an Academic Advisor?
There are several ways you can choose or change advisors.
- Many times the chairman or dean of a department functions as the academic advisor for students who are majoring in that particular department. If you have chosen a major, check with the secretary in the department or college and ask how you get an academic advisor assigned. If the department or college gives you the name of an advisor, please be sure to contact either the Office of the Registrar, or the Academic Advising Center and the change will be updated in Pipeline.
- If you have a favorite teacher in your major that you have been working with and would like to have that person function as your advisor, check with the teacher to ask if s/he is willing to be your academic advisor. If the teacher agrees, please contact the Office of the Registrar or the Academic Advising Center and the change will be updated in Pipeline.
- You may contact the Academic Advising Center for help with having an advisor assigned. We have a current list of the different faculty who function as advisors for specific majors. We will give you the name of the advisor, his/her office location and telephone extension, and then update the new information in Pipeline.
All students must have an academic advisor. If you need help getting an advisor assigned, or do not know who your advisor is, please contact the Academic Advising Center.
Choosing a Major
Whether you’re currently considered “undeclared” or just wondering if your original major doesn’t fit as well as you’d like, remember that this is the time to explore the opportunities that will be the best fit for your skills, abilities and values.
It isn’t unusual for college students to feel unsure about the choice of a major. Many students change majors at least once during their college career. If you are considering changing your major, or even if you're pretty sure that you know what major is best for you, we suggest you review the steps below.
How to Explore New Majors
- Assess your personal characteristics
- What are your interests?
- What are your abilities?
- What are your values?
- Think about the nature of the majors you are considering
-
- Do the required courses in the majors you are considering sound interesting?
- What are the types of jobs these majors will help you qualify for upon graduation?
- How many semester hours of course work will it take to graduate with a bachelor’s degree?
- How much math and/or science is required in these majors?
- Do you have the ability to handle math and/or science-intensive majors?
- Is foreign language required in these majors?
- What cumulative GPA is required for admission to these majors?
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of Harding University’s Career Center. They can administer testing to help identify your personality type, help you pick a major, help you decide what career is best for you, and provide career counseling.
Declaring and Changing Majors
To declare or change your major you may:
- Contact us in the Academic Advising Center and we can make sure the new information is updated in Pipeline
- Contact the Office of the Registrar and complete their form to have your major changed.
- Complete the Request for Change or Declaration of Major form and either email it to the Academic Advising Center at advisingctr@harding.edu or print it out and send the completed form through campus mail to:
Box 10749
Searcy, AR 72143 .
All students must have an academic advisor. If you need help getting an advisor assigned, or do not know who your advisor is, please contact the Academic Advising Center.
Checking Your Major Online
Students may check their major through Pipeline
- Go to Harding’s Pipeline Home Page.
- Enter Harding username and password and click Login or hit enter.
- Click My HU Info tab near the top of the page.
- Click Student and Financial Aid.
- Click Registration.
- Click Check Your Registration Status.
- Select term by using the arrow on the pull down menu.
- Click the submit button.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and view your information.
Checking Your Degree Evaluation
Students may check their Degree Evaluation through Pipeline
- Go to Harding’s Pipeline Home Page.
- Enter Harding username and password on left side menu.
- Click Login or hit enter.
- Click My HU Info tab near the top of the page.
- Click Student and Financial Aid.
- Click Student Records.
- Click Degree Evaluation.
- Select term by using the arrow on the pull down menu.
- Click the "Submit" button.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click on "Generate New Evaluation"*
- Click on the Bubble to select a program, degree, major and anticipated graduation term and click "Generate Request"
- Select the desired display and click on "Submit"
- *If you are considering changing majors, choose "What-If Analysis" instead of "Generate New Evaluation," and follow the steps to see how classes you have taken will apply to the potential new major.
Students Changing Advisors
If you need to change your advisor, contact the Academic Advising Center at 501-279-4531 or you can go to the Academic Advising office in Student Center 222.