New students are matched with an academic advisor in October or March during their first Fall or Spring semester in Biological Sciences.

Get clarification.

Answers includes responses to over forty-five questions that the Biological Sciences Program is frequently asked. If you do not see an answer to your question there, then email your academic advisor for clarification. Their email can be found on the Biological Sciences Directory.

If a new student has yet to be matched with an academic advisor for Biological Sciences, then they may email specific questions to bscique@umd.edu until they are matched to an academic advisor in October (Fall admit) or March (Spring admit).

When sending a message, include your UID and your current declared major or specialization in Biological Sciences. Prospective students may also send specific questions to the same address.

Academic Advisors at Biological Sciences

• DISCUSS upcoming courses with students

• ENCOURAGE students to attain their goals

• REFER students to campus resources, policies, and opportunities

How are students and academic advisors matched?

Students are first matched with a staff advisor while working on the major’s basic program, and are later rematched to a faculty advisor based on their declared major specialization and as they begin to register for upper-level courses in the major’s advanced program.

Academic advisors are not mental health counselors.

For additional support, students are encouraged to connect with a professional mental health counselor at the University Counseling Center. Get started on counseling.umd.edu/get-started.

TerpEngage is where students can:

• FIND their matched academic advisor for Biological Sciences (check under Success Team)

• READ notes posted by their academic advisor(s) after scheduled meetings

• SUBMIT a request to change their specialization in Biological Sciences

How academic advisors schedule appointments varies. If TerpEngage shows your academic advisor as Not Available, this means:

Your academic advisor has yet to set up appointment scheduling on TerpEngage.

OR

Your academic advisor schedules appointments using a platform that is not TerpEngage.

Refer to messages delivered by your academic advisor via TerpEngage Advising Note or TerpMail to learn what to expect for Biological Sciences advising.

If you have yet to be contacted by your academic advisor for the current semester and your registration appointment is incoming, then you may email them directly for next steps to satisfy mandatory advising.

Go to Biological Sciences Directory for contact information.

ALL STUDENTS WHO

• are still completing the degree’s basic program

• have a GPA below 2.5

• are UMD athletes

• or are in their first semester matched to a faculty advisor

Must report to mandatory advising

The mandatory advising requirement can be waived for students who do not meet this criteria, but students are encouraged to connect with their academic advisor whenever they cannot find answers to specific questions on BSCIweb. Students must read notes sent by their academic advisor in either TerpMail or TerpEngage to confirm whether academic advising for the semester is mandatory.

After mandatory advising for Biological Sciences has been satisfied, a registration block is removed from the student’s account on Testudo, allowing them to register for courses during their University-assigned registration appointment.

ON SELECT DATES

Students enrolled in Biological Sciences can meet with an academic advisor for 15-minute drop-in advising during the Fall and Spring schedule adjustment period at

1210 BIOLOGY LOUNGE in the BIOLOGY-PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING (BPS)

Additionally, the College of CMNS offers Drop-In Advising for all students on select dates. These sessions are not a substitute for mandatory advising with an academic advisor for Biological Sciences.

If you are a current student who has yet to be matched with an academic advisor and cannot attend a drop-in session, then email bscique@umd.edu for assistance.

Dates & Deadlines

All students are responsible for knowing the University’s dates and deadlines for course registration.

This information is updated annually by the Office of the Registrar, which determines the start of classes, the schedule adjustment period (course add/drop), and the window for final exams.