Undergraduate Advising

University Advising  | Major Advising | Additional Notes | How to File for Graduation | Field Experience (Internships)

University Advising 

You may require different types of advising while a student at SJSU. Here are links and location of various types of advising: 

• General Education (GE) advising is provided through Academic Services located in the Student Service Center (Building 33) on 9^th and San Fernando.
• Financial advising is available at the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office, also located in the Student Service Center. 
• Career advising through the SJSU Career Center. Near the 9th Street Plaza on campus. Phone: (408) 924-6031
• Personal counseling through the SJSU Counseling Services 
• Academic Major advising is done within the department of Health Science. We have special advising days and you may visit Advisors during their offices hours (see below). Before making an appointment to see a Major Advisor, please read the information on this page! 

Major Advising

Please declare your major as "Health Science" before getting Major Advising. If you are not a declared Health Science major, please click here. This will take you to a form. Fill out the form and bring it to the Health Science office (Macquarrie Hall 407) and give it to the attendant. The attendant will get the Chairperson's signature. Pick up the form and take it to Academic Services in the Student Service Center (near the 10th Street Garage). This will make you a Health Science Major!

Major Advisors. The Health Science undergraduate program has 4 options. We do advising by options. here are the option advisors: 

• Option 1 (General Health Science): Dr. Bith-Melander: pollie@casa.sjsu.edu 
• Option 2 (Health Science Major with a separate Minor): Dr. Gerstman: On sabbatical, returning Spring 2006 -- Please see Dr. Hikoyeda or Dr. Rangavajhula in the meantime
• Option 3 (Gerontology): Dr. Hikoyeda: nhikoyeda@casa.sjsu.edu 
• Option 4 (Health Care Administration): Dr. Rangavajhula: ramani@casa.sjsu.edu 

Office hours and contact information for the advisors is posted online

Course Substitutions. Students may request substitutions for courses that differ from those listed on the Major Form using courses taken at other colleges and universities. The course must be nearly identical in its curriculum and level to the one that is being substituted. To request approval for a substitution, bring transcripts showing when and where you took the course (transcripts may be unofficial), the syllabus from the course, and other supporting material to your Major advisor. 

The following lower division courses, or course content equivalents, may be taken at a community college: HS1 and HS15 (and for Health Care Administration option students: Econ1A and Bus20N). The community college courses must be equivalent to 3 semester units in order to receive credit. When possible, students should seek consent for taking courses outside of SJSU before enrolling in a community college. Community college courses cannot be substituted for upper division courses (i.e., SJSU courses with numbers 100 or above). Students must speak with Major Advisors before enrolling in any course outside of the major if they wish to substitute the course for a course in the major.

Additional Notes

 

Ø       Track your progress: You should create a file or notebook that contains your academic information, including College transcripts, various forms, General Education status, and other relevant advising materials. 

Ø      Writing Skills Test (WST): This test is required of all students in the CSU System and is a prerequisite for all Upper division SJSU GE courses. It is also required for some upper division Major courses (e.g., GERO107, HS135, HS169). Take the WST as soon as possible, preferably before your Junior year. Test dates are available from the Testing Center (click on highlighted text for the information about the WST).

Ø      Written Communication  (HPRF 100W): This course fulfills the Junior-level writing requirement and prepares you for writing assignments upper division courses.  If you pass the WST with a very high score, you may be exempted from 100W. (About 5% of student achieve this level of performance.) Final approval is given by a Major Advisor. Students who pass the WST should take HPRF 100W the semester after passing the WST.  HPRF 100W is a prerequisite to several concentration courses.

Ø      Entry Level Math (ELM) Exam Requirement: This is required of all CSU students. You must pass this exam or complete a college level statistics class with a grade of C or better before enrolling in HS161 and HS167.

Ø      Course Specific Prerequisites: HPRF 100W and HS 104 are prerequisites for HS 159. You academic Advisor may have additional information on prerequisite courses. 

How to File for Graduation

Seniors should file for graduation after they are settled in their classes the semester before they wish to graduate. For example, a student who wants to graduate in May 2009 should file for graduation in September 2008. Here are the steps for filing for graduation:

1. Obtain and complete an  Application for Graduation. Follow the step-by-step instructions on this form!

2. Fill out your Major Form in the highlighted areas. Include the semester you took each course and your grade for completed courses. For courses note yet completed, fill in the semester you are going to take the course. 

   1. Option 1 (HS General) Major Forms are available by clicking here.

   2. Option 2 (HS w/minor) Major Forms are available by clicking here.

   3. Option 3 (HS w/Gero) Major Form are available by clicking here.

   4. Option 4 (HW w/Health Admin) Major Forms are available by clicking here.

3. Return the completed Major Form to your Advisor for signature. Your Major Advisor will forward the form to the Chair of the department for signature. 

4. In about a week, return to the HS office (MH407) to pick up your signed Major Form. 

5. Take your completed Application for Graduation and Major Form to Student Service Center to complete the process. 

 

Field Experience (Internships)

 

The field experience course is required of students in Option 3 (Gerontology) and Option 4 (Health Care Administration). It consists of two courses that must be taken simultaneously (HS166A & HS166B). Additional information is available by clicking here.