The SMC Advising Center is a part of Student Affairs. We exist as a resource for all undergraduate students in the School of Media and Communication, with the primary goal of providing ongoing support for our new freshmen and first semester transfer students. Our academic advisors— Kathy, Justin, Joanne, Mary Beth, Patrick, Brian, and Jane— make sure students are on the right track and are taking the appropriate courses for their majors. Erin and Lezlie give guidance in Study Away programs for those who have an adventurous nature. In the office, Sheryl and Jackie keep everything running smoothly.

We encourage all first-year students to see an academic advisor through Freshman Seminar or an appointment, not only when it is time to register for classes, but whenever you have a question concerning your program or the University. The academic advisors are more than willing to help students with all aspects of life at Temple. In fact, except for your instructors, academic advisors are probably the Temple people new students see most during their first year.

Another way that we support first-year students is through Freshman Seminar. This one-credit course covers such topics as time management, study skills, test-taking strategies and other academic success tips. It also discusses Temple’s support services such as financial aid, career development, counseling services, and student health services.

For Freshmen

Freshman To-Do List

• Register for Your Classes
  If you are in good academic standing you can register for your classes through SSB Banner. If you are on academic warning or probation, you must schedule an advising appointment for registration by calling 215-204-5273 (press 1 to make an appointment) or by stopping into Annenberg Hall Room 9.
• Pay Tuition On Time
  Once you are registered, a bill will be generated and sent to your Temple e-mail account. It is important that you make the minimum payment by the due date because if you don’t, your classes can be cancelled, and there is no guarantee that they will be open when you try to re-register for them. If you are on full financial aid, you still have to confirm that you are coming by logging on to SSB Banner and confirming online.
• Know Your Deadlines
  There are several deadlines that you need to know, such as the last day to drop a course, the last day to withdraw from classes, and the deadline for filing your application to graduate. These and other important events can be found on our Important Dates page.
• Declare Your Major
  If you have not declared a major within SMC, you can stop into the Student Affairs/Advising Center, AH 9, and fill out a Change of Program form or download the form here, fill it out and drop it off. You must be in good academic standing to change majors. If you need help in selecting a major, call 215-204-5273 and press 1 to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.

When do I need to make an appointment?

Students need to make appointments with an academic advisor for the following reasons:

1. When they reach 90 credits for a grad-check appointment.
2. For registration, especially those students who are on academic warning or probation because they are unable to register themselves.*
3. Re-Enrollment (after more than a semester of non-enrollment unless you’re on an approved Leave of Absence).
4. Progress Checks (to examine current academic progress).
5. Intra-University Transfers (IUT), which is for a change of major from another School/College at Temple to a major within SMC, such as from Psychology within the College of Liberal Arts to Advertising within SMC.
6. Change of major, which is a change of major from one within SMC to another within SMC, such as BTMM to FMA.
7. Financial Aid Petitions (please note appropriate deadlines).

*During continuing registration periods, students who have more than 30 semester hours and are in good academic standing are required to make an advising appointment with their faculty advisor in the department of their major.

Express (walk-in) advising is available throughout the semester for quick, 15-minute sessions, excluding those reasons listed above where an appointment is required. Weekly express advising hours are posted on the express (walk-in) advising schedule section on the right column.

For Continuing Students

Check your Academic Status

SSB Banner can give you your entire academic history by semester as well as your DARS (Degree Audit Report System) report which plugs your courses into your requirements. As long as your last semester and overall GPA are 2.0 or higher, you are in good academic standing. For graduation, you must also have a minimum of 2.0 in your major.

Add a non-SMC Major or Minor & Change of Major within SMC

To add a non-SMC Major or Minor, or Change your major from one within SMC to another within SMC you must complete this form:

Download Change of Program Request form (.pdf) 

• Second majors and minors are registered through the colleges where they originate. For the College of Liberal Arts, you must have completed approximately one half the second major or at least three courses in the intended minor before you can sign up. Business, on the other hand, requires you to sign up for their minors before you complete the second course in it. Contact the intended school for their specific requirements.
• It is also a good idea to meet with an academic advisor in the second major and then with a SMC academic advisor to see how long it will take you to finish so that you can make an informed decision.
• To change your major from one within SMC to another within SMC, such as from BTMM to FMA, complete the Change of Program Request form, and drop it off at the Student Affairs/Advising Center, AH 9. You can also stop into the Student Affairs/Advising Center and fill it out there. You must be in good academic standing to change majors. If you need help in selecting a major, call 215-204-5273 and press 1 to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.

Change your major from one School/College at Temple to a major within SMC or from SMC to another School/College at Temple

• If you wish to change your major from one School/College at Temple to a major within SMC or from SMC to another School/College at Temple, you must go through Intra-University Transfer (IUT).
• In order to complete this process, you need to attend a Intra-University Transfer Session. The session schedule and more details information will be posted here soon.
• Each school or college in Temple has its own procedure for transferring in. You should contact the advising center of your intended new School/College to learn what you need to do, and what the criteria for transfer into their school are.

Continued Registration Information:

If you are in good academic standing, you are able to register on your own through SSB Banner. Students in the following categories should make an advising appointment in SMC Student Affairs/Advising:

• Freshmen with fewer than 30 credits
• Transfer Students in their first semester
• Non-Declared SMC Students
• Communications or Communication Studies students
• Students on Academic Probation or Warning

Permission to take courses at another school or university

If you are returning home for the summer and would like to catch up or get ahead of your credit total, you must get pre-evaluation and approval of any courses you wish to take. We suggest that you get 1–2 more courses than you actually want to take approved in case your first choice gets canceled or is closed. Any school you attend must be at least 50 miles from any Temple campus, and you must be residing more than 50 miles away from a Temple campus as well. Click here to download this form and for more requirements.

For Students Interested in Transferring to Temple’s SMC

Transfer Students from outside of Temple University

For students who want to transfer to Temple University’s School of Media and Communication, please visit Temple’s Undergraduate Admissions web site at: www.temple.edu/undergrad. Everything you need to know about applying to Temple is there. You can also book a tour to the campus, check out majors, read student blogs and more.

Transfer Students within Temple University

If you are planning to transfer to the School of Media and Communication from another College within Temple, like Business or the College of Liberal Arts, you must complete an Undergraduate Change of Program form and take it to the Student Affairs/Advising Center. Each school or college in Temple has its own procedure for transferring in. You should contact the advising center of your intended new major to learn what you need to do, and what the criteria for transfer are.

Transfer Credits

When you are accepted to Temple from another institution, you will receive a Transfer Credit Statement outlining the equivalencies of the courses you took at your former school(s). Sometimes, the initial evaluators will bring in a course as an elective in a given department rather than as a specific course. This happens for a variety of reasons, such as that we may not have a direct equivalent or it might be an upper-level course in your major which we are not permitted to evaluate in some cases. If you feel that a course that you took in your previous school is equivalent to one at Temple, you can take a syllabus from that course and have the department where it originates re-evaluate it.

Bring the written evaluation to the Student Affairs/Advising Center in AH 9 to submit your proposed change.

For Students Seeking Re-Enrollment to SMC

Students who have not been enrolled at Temple for more than one semester need to apply for re-enrollment.

How do I Return to SMC?

Fill out Re-Enrollment Form
The first step in returning to the School of Media and Communication (SMC) is to complete a re-enrollment form and send it in to the SMC Student Affairs/Advising Center. Click here to download the re-enrollment form.

The Process:

1. Apply to the School/College in which you are interested.
2. Receive a letter indicating acceptance or denial.
3. All holds must be cleared, as a decision cannot be made if holds exist on the account.
4. If accepted, student must make an hour-long appointment with a SMC Academic Advisor, as outlined in the acceptance letter.
5. If the student attended any other university during their time away from Temple, he or she needs to provide an official transcript to the contact listed on the re-enrollment application.
6. If the student was out more than one semester due to a medical leave, medical clearance must be submitted to the SCT Student Affairs/Advising Center from your health provider.

If you have been out for more than one semester and you are not on an approved Leave of Absence, you must follow the requirements that are currently in place in the university and your program. If any of your major credits are ten or more years old, you will be required to formally petition to the department of your major that they be allowable toward your degree. There is no guarantee that credits ten or more years old will be accepted.