Academic Advising

Academic advising is an interactive process in which the advisor helps the student set and achieve academic goals and make responsible decisions. Academic advisors offer one-on-one support in areas such as course selection, choice of major, college transition issues, careers or graduate study, and referral to other support services. Academic advising at Taylor is offered in a two-tiered approach: students are assigned a major advisor from their department as well as a general advisor who provides assistance with Foundational Core requirements.

Common Questions

What is the Purpose of Foundational Core Courses?
All students at Taylor University share certain common educational requirements. Known as Foundational Core (or general education), this program develops out of the University’s purpose as expressed in its Christian beliefs, mission statement, and academic objectives. The faculty of Taylor University affirm that our liberal arts general education is intended to develop students who evidence the characteristics of mature and intellectual Christians.

What is the Difference Between a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science?
To earn a BA degree the student must complete general education courses, major courses, and demonstrate the equivalent of two years of college-level study in one foreign language.

In order to fulfill the language requirement for a BA, students can do one of the following:

1. Students who would like to try and test out of all or part of the language sequence can do so by passing a CLEP exam or the AP language test per the established guidelines or by taking the Spanish Placement Exam.
2. Students who do not want to take the placement exam will be placed into a Spanish course based on the following criteria:
   • 1 full year of high school Spanish—SPA 101
   • 2 full years of high school Spanish—SPA 102
   • 3 full years of high school Spanish—SPA 201
   • 4 full years of high school Spanish—SPA 202

A BS degree has no language requirement and is instead a BS for one of the following reasons:

• It is a science or technology related major
• It is supplemented with internships or additional upper-level classes
• It includes the systems curriculum in addition to regular major requirements

What is a Credit Hour?
A credit hour is the unit of measurement for a class. Generally, it is the amount of time a student spends in a class per week in one semester. For example, ENG 110 College Composition is worth 3 credit hours, meaning the student spends 3 hours in class per week. To be considered a full-time student, the minimum credit requirement is 12 hours, and the maximum is 17. Most students take 14-16 credit hours a semester (or approximately five courses).

For questions or to request more information, contact the Academic Advising Office.

Trina Hartman, Director of the Academic Advising
765-998-4746