What we do:

The Biology department advising office provides all students with access to academic assistance programs, which strengthen academic performance, and promotes student success and retention. The faculty and staff are dedicated to the academic success of students and will assist in any way to ensure student academic career and future goals.

 Some services we provide:

• Academic advising for continuing and Transfer Students
• Assist with internships
• Directed Independent Studies (DIS), Research opportunities
• Course Substitution
• Graduation Assessment
• Guidance towards continuing education, graduate school and professional health programs

 What  is  a Departmental Audit Check Sheets ?
Academic audits in The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science are intended for students who are degree seeking within the college. These audits represent the first step in the process of evaluating a student's progress toward meeting the requirements for program completion and graduation. Biology BS and Biology BA majors must complete a degree audit within completing their first semester in the department of biological sciences. The department the semester prior to graduation also must complete a final audit. Academic audits within the department typically take about 30 minutes to an hour without course substitutions. Audits needing course substitutions may take one-two weeks to be processed.
Course substitution: 
In order for a course (s) to be evaluated from another college or university the student must provide the department with the following documents:

• A departmental Course Evaluation Form
• A copy of the student’s transcript (s)
• A syllabus for the course should be attached with the application. The syllabus should be obtained from the college or university where the course in question was taken. (A course description is not valid.)

Suspension /Dismissal:

An undergraduate student on academic probation who fails to earn a 2.0 average in all course work attempted in any term and who has a cumulative average of lower that a 2.0 at Florida Atlantic University will be suspended from the university. The undergraduate will be eligible to apply for re-admission after a minimum of 1 semester (see undergraduate catalog)

How will I know if I am graduating with honors?
FAU recognizes superior academic performance by granting baccalaureate degrees of distinction to undergraduates who have earned at least 45 credits at FAU. The breakdown for Commencement Honors for the College of Science is as follows:

• Summa Cum Laude: 3.90
• Magna Cum Laude: 3.70
• Cum Laude: 3.50

Please see the undergraduate catalog for further details.

DEPARTMENTAL PREREQUISITES   
The student is responsible for ensuring that he or she has satisfied all prerequisites before registering for a given course. A student who has registered for a course without satisfying prerequisites or obtaining permission may be required by the instructor to withdraw from the course. 
Academic Planning (TIPS) for- Teaching Individuals Progress and Success

• Sound planning is an integral part of academic success.
• Know what is required of you as you progress toward your degree.
• We urge you to take an active role in planning your academic future.
• Understanding the requirements of your degree.

Incompletes:

The mark of "I" is an exceptional mark that is an instructor option. It is given only to a student whose work in a course has been qualitatively satisfactory, when, because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control, (s) he has been unable to complete some small portion of the work of the course. In no case will the mark "I" be recorded for a student who has not completed the major portion of the work of the course.
The student will remove the "I" by completing work assigned by the instructor. It is the student's responsibility to request arrangements for completion of the work and to request that an Incomplete Contract be written. These arrangements must be documented in the Incomplete Contract and signed by both the student and the instructor. All course work required by an Incomplete Contract must be completed by the time stipulated in the contract, usually the end of the next semester; but in any event, no later than one year. If the instructor is unavailable, the department chair will, upon request of the student, make the arrangements for the student to complete the course requirements. If the remaining work for the course as defined in the contract is not completed on schedule, the "I" will be converted to the grade indicated on the contract. The "I" cannot be removed through re-registration for the course.  Students who have been privilege to receive an “I” grade should not register for the course, but make proper arrangements with the instructor in order to complete the course work.

How To Prepare for Your an Advising Appointment with my advisor…

Bring with you any documentation that would help your advisor in the process.

If you are a returning student bring with you the copy of your check sheet that was giving to you by your advisor the last time you met.

Make a list of 5 or 6 courses you need to take. If you still need to satisfy any CORE requirements, be sure to consult the Schedule of Classes for a list of the approved CORE courses

Bring the list of courses and the tentative schedules with you to your advising appointment

If this is your first semester opening a file with the department of biology, and you'd like assistance with this task, come to the Sanson Science Building 1 room 136, and an Advisor will be happy to assist you.

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