• What is advising?

• The goal of academic advising is to help you shape a meaningful educational experience. The elements of that education include your classes, your co-curricular activities, your work, and your personal experiences. Through ongoing reflection and discussion, with your interests and goals in mind, you will integrate all the elements of your college experience so you can make the most of your education. You need to be actively engaged in the process of defining your academic goals, and sharing those goals with your advisor in a series of conversations that extend over your entire undergraduate years.

  In order to receive a degree from UC Davis, you will need to meet University requirements, College requirements, and major requirements. You may have additional requirements with a double major or if you have a minor. Be sure to contact the appropriate advising resource for your questions.

• How can I schedule an advising appointment?

• To schedule an advising appointment, please visit appointments.ucdavis.edu and select "Kerr Hall Advising Center" and then “IRE, POL, PPS”. We have both in-person and virtual appointment availability. Once you schedule an appointment, you will receive an email confirmation with location information for in-person meetings and with Zoom meeting information for virtual appointments. 

  Our advising calendar opens two weeks in advance, with new appointments opening each day. Please note that while new appointment availability posts each morning, the calendar fills quickly due to very high demand; please check our calendar early in the day for the best availability.

  Note: There are peak periods when advising is highly sought after, for example during course registration. During this time, it may be difficult to book an appointment. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please cancel or reschedule as early as possible so the slot can be made available to other students.

• How do I prepare for an appointment?

• Know when you need an appointment! Keep important dates (e.g., course registration) and deadlines (e.g., Study Abroad forms) in mind and schedule appointments in advance!

  Next, think about what areas you need guidance in, what specific information you are looking for, and what your goal is for the appointment. Prior to meeting with us, write down questions you have, review your major requirements, and have a look at your OASIS Academic Record. You may even wish to create a Degree Worksheet in OASIS to track your progress in the major. Appointments are scheduled for thirty minutes. By preparing ahead of time, you can get the most out of your appointments.

• What do I do if appointments are full?

• Our advisors work with over 1,500 students across three majors and minors in the Department of Political Science. At times, our calendars will be fully booked due to demand for advising appointments. If you need a form signed, please email us a copy, or if you need a physical signature, drop it off in our main office (Kerr Hall 469). Questions may also be submitted via e-mail at poladvising@ucdavis.edu. Due to the volume of student requests that we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response. 

  Drop-in hours are available with our peer advisors for brief questions. Please note that peer advisors can advise on topics like major requirements, declaring a major/minor, navigating OASIS, course planning, and finding campus resources. See the top of this page for the latest drop-in advising hours. If you require a document to be signed or an advising hold removed, please make an appointment with your staff advisor.

• What steps do I need to take to change my major to Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, or International Relations?
• Before changing your major, it is highly recommended that you take and pass at least one major class; recommended major classes include POL 1, 2, 3, or 4 for Political Science and Political Science - Public Service, and the Preparatory Subject Matter courses for International Relations. After this is accomplished, you can submit a change of major petition on OASIS. The petition can be found under the “Forms and Petitions” tab. Select “Submit a New Form” and scroll down to “Change of Major”. More detailed instructions can be found here. You will be notified when your department has approved your petition or if further information is needed.
• How can I declare a double major?

• Before changing your major, it is highly recommended that you take and pass at least one major class; recommended major classes include POL 1, 2, 3, or 4 for Political Science and Political Science - Public Service, and the Preparatory Subject Matter courses for International Relations. After this is accomplished, you can submit a change of major petition on OASIS. The petition can be found under the “Forms and Petitions” tab. Select “Submit a New Form” and scroll down to “Change of Major”. Make sure to change your number of majors from 1 to 2. More detailed instructions can be found here. You will be notified when your department has approved your petition or if further information is needed.

  If you are a current Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, or International Relations major and you would like to declare a second major in another department, please check the requirements for declaring any other majors with that specific department, as some majors may have specific requirements to meet before declaring. 

• What steps do I need to take to declare a minor?
• You can submit a minor petition on OASIS. The petition can be found under the “Forms and Petitions” tab. Select “Submit a New Form” and scroll down to “Minor Declaration”. Include all classes you have taken or plan on taking to fulfill the minor requirements. Please note that minors are subject to final approval upon graduation.
• How will taking a class Pass/No Pass affect my major requirements?
• The Political Science Department does not hold any restrictions for Pass/No Pass grading on major requirements—you can opt for P/NP grading for major requirement courses for Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, and International Relations. However, please note that you must comply with the overall P/NP limits from the College of Letters and Science. Please see additional guidelines for P/NP grading here.
  
  If you have questions about how opting for P/NP grading may affect graduate or law school, we encourage you to discuss that with the Pre-Grad/Pre-Law Advising offered by the Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services. 
• Why is there a mandatory advising hold on my account?

• All students are periodically required to meet with their major advisor to ensure they are on track to complete their degree. When you are flagged for mandatory major advising, you will receive a future hold on your registration informing you to meet with an advisor to clear your hold, and a future date when the hold will officially take effect. You will be notified of an upcoming hold well in advance. 

  When you see the hold appear in OASIS or on Schedule Builder, make an appointment with a major advisor at appointments.ucdavis.edu. Consider taking advantage of the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your major.

• How can I fulfill my internship/research requirement?
• Political Science—Public Service students are required to complete 6 units of internship credit and 2-4 units of research course credit as part of the major requirements. There are a number of ways that students can address these requirements, including the UC Davis Washington Program, the UC Center Sacramento program, or through an internship they secure on their own. Independent internships will need to be approved for credit by the Department of Political Science, and students will be enrolled in courses for internship credit and research credit that will be supervised remotely by a faculty advisor, with assignments submitted on Canvas. To receive credit for internship or research, you must apply by the first week of the quarter you wish to receive credit for. Please note that an internship must be secured independently before applying for credit - the Department of Political Science does not place students in internships. 
  
  For information on the internship & research requirement, and information on receiving internship credit through our Department, visit https://ps.ucdavis.edu/internships-political-science.
• How can I get credit for courses taken at other institutions?
• Major credit may be awarded for courses taken at community colleges or other universities, including for study abroad programs through UCEAP. For an overview of course equivalencies within the UC, CSU, and California Community College systems, visit assist.org. For courses taken out of state, abroad, or at other institutions (or otherwise do not have an established equivalency with any UC Davis courses), please obtain a syllabus from the course and email it to poladvising@ucdavis.edu. The Department of Political Science will determine if the course can be applied to your major requirements using this information. 
• Are there prerequisites for upper-division POL classes?
• Most upper-division POL classes do not have prerequisites; however, many courses recommend taking the lower-division course corresponding to its area of concentration (POL 1, 2, 3, or 54) prior to enrolling in the upper-division course. This is to ensure that you have the foundational knowledge to set you up for success in the course.
• Why am I not able to enroll in some classes during Pass 1 registration?
• Some departments on campus, including the Department of Political Science, allow only students majoring in their programs to enroll in their upper-division courses during Pass 1. For example, only Sociology majors may enroll in upper-division SOC classes during Pass 1. These restrictions are lifted during Pass 2 registration, at which time you will be able to enroll or request addition to a waiting list. No exceptions can be made to this restriction policy. For POL classes, many upper-division POL classes are restricted to Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, and International Relations majors during Pass 1. This does not include Political Science minor students. To find out if a course you want has such an enrollment restriction, check the course detail information in Schedule Builder, the Registrar's Office web-based class planning and registration tool that allows you to plan your class schedule and register for classes.

MEET YOUR ADVISORS

Staff Advisor: Saira Delgado

Pronouns: she/her/hers

I am a proud UC Davis alum with degrees in International Relations and Communication. As a student, I was often involved in local political campaigns and public interest causes. After graduating, I worked for several years as a staffer for the California State Legislature. In my various positions, I worked with countless dedicated community volunteers and over 250 student interns! My enthusiasm for helping students achieve their career goals led me to my position as an academic advisor in Political Science. I strongly believe in the value of professional development and mentorship, so please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can help you in your journey at UC Davis! I hope to continue empowering other students and youth to make change in their communities. I look forward to helping you achieve all of your goals on campus and beyond - go Ags! 

 

 

Staff Advisor: Katy Pattison

I graduated from UC Davis with a BA in International Relations and have worked for the university in various roles since. My greatest memory of my time as an undergrad was my study abroad program to Mendoza, Argentina where I scaled Aconcagua (kind of), traveled through Chile and Uruguay, and met people that are still some of the best friends I will ever have. Upon my return I worked as a peer advisor for the Study Abroad office and it was there that I discovered my passion for working in higher education student support. I have an MA in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies from CSU Sacramento where my research focused on study abroad opportunities for marginalized student populations. I love camping, reading, San Francisco Giants baseball and spending time with my family. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about your UC Davis experience! I believe that academic advising is a collaboration and that you and I are going to be a team, working towards the accomplishment of your academic, professional and personal goals together. So let me know if have any questions. I can't wait for us to get to work!

 

Peer Advisor: Maddison Cunningham

I am a current UC Davis undergraduate International Relations and Psychology double major, minoring in Communication. I hope to pursue a career in diplomacy or with the federal government. In my free time, I am an avid reader and I love hiking, camping, and traveling (when I have the time). I am also a huge proponent of study abroad and have studied in France with the UCEAP French in Paris program and will be studying abroad again in Barcelona, so I am always up for discussing study abroad! I am so excited to be your International Relations Academic Peer Advisor. Please feel free to visit me during drop-in hours for any major advising questions or just to chat!

 

Peer Advisor: Ryleigh "R.J." Praker

Pronouns: she/her/hers

I am a current UC Davis undergraduate Political Science major, minoring in Russian and professional writing. I hope to pursue a career in law, and in my free time I enjoy creative writing and hiking with my dogs. In my time at UC Davis, I have worked all over campus, and now I’m excited to be your Undergraduate Academic Peer Advisor for Political Science and Political Science – Public Service. Visit me during drop-in hours to discuss any major advising questions you may have, or to just chat!