Undergraduate Advising

The Computer Science Department has a three-tiered approach to advising: the Office of Undergraduate Programs, faculty mentors, and peer advisors. Below is a breakdown of what you should and should not expect from each source of advising.

Andrew Torrey

Office Manager

Professor Margaret Fleck

Director of Undergraduate Programs

Steve Herzog

Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs

Katrina Jones

Senior Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Heather Mihaly

Undergraduate Office Manager

Heather Zike

Undergraduate Program Coordinator & Academic Advisor

Fabian A. Zermeno Yerenas

Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Jenn Rose

Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Jacob Deters

Senior Undergraduate Academic Advisor

Shay Reid

Office Support Associate

Professor Eric Shaffer

Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs

In general, we are available to help students navigate their degree requirements and the policies of their department, their college, and the university as a whole.

We can do the following for you:

Review your degree requirements and assess your progress
Help you plan your course schedule
Explain the policies and procedures of your department, college, and university
Refer you to someone who can help if you are struggling--academically or otherwise
Advise on transferring in or out of the department
Assess transfer coursework (Computer Science coursework only)
Make curricular adjustments (e.g. substitutions)
Share information about CS Student Opportunity Series Presentations
For international students: Process Curricular Practical Training (CPT) paperwork (but not I-20 extensions, underload requests, OPT, and other issues--these should be sent to your college office). Non-Engineering CS students will still select CS Advising for OPT request reviews; Engineering CS students will select Engineering Advising for OPT reviews.

You should not expect the academic office staff to do the following:

Help you with questions about the content of your classes
Get you into classes (though, in certain cases, they can provide overrides or point you in the right direction)
Get you out of classes (though they can advise you on the ramifications of and procedures for dropping classes)

We are here to answer your academic questions. Drop by, call or email.

Contact Us

Faculty Mentors

All students are assigned a faculty mentor, a professor with whom they must meet at least once each academic year, typically before April. The department enforces this requirement with a registration hold. You can find your faculty mentor and schedule appointments with him or her on my.cs.illinois.edu.

In addition to meeting with your faculty mentor, you should feel free to meet with other faculty, such as those with whom you've had classes you've enjoyed, or those from a research area that is of interest to you. You can arrange a meeting, or stop by during office hours. On the CS website, you can find a list of CS faculty members – arranged alphabetically or by research specialty – with links to each faculty member's website and contact info.

Faculty Mentors can:

Be a central contact point and liaison between you and the faculty.
Help you map out the field of computer science and explain its various areas of specialization.
Based on your strengths and interests, help you sort out which area of computer science you might specialize in.
Suggest courses to take, based on your interests. Provide information about possible career paths.
Provide information on research opportunities. Provide information on graduate school.
Provide a letter of recommendation - if you get to know a faculty member well enough and demonstrate strong ability in their courses, that is.

You should not expect Faculty Mentors to help you:

Answer detailed or complicated questions about degree requirements or university policies (these should be forwarded to undergrad@cs.illinois.edu or an academic advisor).
Select social science and humanities electives.
Tell you which courses are "easier" than others (ask peer advisors or other students).
Determine how transfer and AP courses count towards graduation requirements (instructions for this are posted on the policies and procedures page of the CS website).
Add or drop a class for students (instructions for this are posted on the policies and procedures page of the CS website).
Get out of academic troubles (students who are struggling should contact undergrad@cs.illinois.edu or an academic advisor as soon as possible for options and advice).