College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Skip to main content Close Top navigation hamburger menu * Apply * Give * Visit Global Navigation * About Cal Poly * About Cal Poly * Facts and Figures * President and Leadership * Rankings and Awards * Academics * Academics * Academic Calendar * Academic Advising and Services * Centers and Institutes * Colleges * Internships and Co-ops * Library * Research * Study Abroad * Student Life * Student Life * Athletics and Recreation * Clubs and Organizations * Health, Wellbeing and Safety * Housing and Dining * Tuition and Financial Aid * Tuition and Financial Aid * Financial Aid * Student Accounts * University Divisions * Cal Poly Maritime Academy * Admissions * Mustang Athletics * News * Contact Us Find Information For * Students * Parents * Alumni * Staff * Faculty Close Search Cal Poly Websites Other Ways to Search * Campus Map * Directory * Find a major Explore Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts * Academics * Academics * Undergraduate Majors * Minors * Graduate Programs * Centers and Institutes * Research & Innovation * Research & Innovation * Student Undergraduate Research Program * Student Services * Student Services * Academic Advising * Semester Conversion * Clubs & Teams * News * News * Impact Magazine * Giving * Giving * About * About * Departments * Directory * Inclusive Excellence * Dean’s Advisory Council * Alumni Academic Advising Student Services In this Section * Future Students * Transfer Students * Current Students * More Find the Right Advising Support First-year students should begin with the Mustang Success Center , while second-year students can start with a Peer Advisor. Most other students can meet with a CLA advisor or use Zoom drop-in advising for quick questions. Academic Advising Tailored to You Advising options designed to meet your needs. Zoom Drop-ins Quick questions, no appointment needed.
 Mon–Tue 10 a.m. – noon Wed–Thu 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Stay tuned for EXTENDED hours for Spring Registration beginning Mon Oct 5th Join the Queue Advisor Appointment Meet one-on-one with the next available advisor for course planning, degree progress, forms, and more. VirtuaL or In-Person Peer Advising For second-year students only. Peer Advisors are trained CLA students who can help you with quick questions and next steps. in-person meeting Choose an Advisor Meet with an advisor for major-specific questions or ongoing support. Meet our advisors Where to find us We're located in Building 47, Room 36R, along the street, between English (#22) and Fisher Science (#33) . For more information email [email protected] using your Cal Poly email or call us at (805) 756-6200. Get Directions Our Advisors Meet with an advisor to plan your classes and graduate on time. Alejandra Cebreros Multicultural Academic Advisor - LAES Expert she/her/hers ¡Hablo Español! Schedule a Meeting Catherine Castro Academic Advisor - LAES Expert she/her/hers Schedule a Meeting Eric Cuvelier Academic Advisor - LAES Expert he/him/his Schedule a Meeting Kara Hitchcock Retention Specialist she/her/hers Schedule a Meeting Sabrina Canady Lead Academic Advisor - LAES Expert she/her/hers Schedule a Meeting Special circumstances Associate Dean of Student Success Lauren Kolodziejski She is an advocate for students and typically works with returning students, those in disqualified (DQ) status and those navigating difficult, complex or sensitive situations. Schedule a Meeting Drop-in Office Hour Dean Kate Murphy Look for the email notices with the exact office hours. Building 47, Room 31. Students are also welcome to email Dean Murphy any time. Email Kate Semester conversion Cal Poly is moving from quarters to semesters. Use this guide to understand what’s changing, what stays the same, and the steps you’ll need to take based on when you started and your catalog year. Plan for Semester Conversion College policies Each College has specific rules students must meet when they want to switch majors or double major. Also different policies around probation. These are our policies. Change of major Double major Criteria Academic probation FAQs Who is my Faculty Advisor? Each student in the College of Liberal Arts is assigned a Faculty Advisor in their major*. Faculty Advisors are assigned to students just prior to the start of their first quarter. If you meet with your Faculty Advisor and find that your interests are not the same, you may be able to change your Faculty Advisor by asking a professor of your choice to be your advisor. If agreed, please make sure to inform your major's department office of this change. *Exception: first year English majors are assigned a Faculty Advisor at the start of their third year. The CLA Advising and English Department's Associate Chair are available for any advising needs until your your third year. To find out who your Faculty Advisor is, check with the Advising Center or your department office . Those who have a concentration in their major will also be assigned a concentration advisor, once they have declared their concentration. How do I declare a concentration? Many majors in CLA require or allow students to declare a concentration. A concentration is an area of emphasis within your field of study. Please note that it will take some time for your concentration to be applied to your degree progress. Anthropology-Geography Meet with a designated concentration coordinator (faculty) or request a form to declare your concentration . Art and Design Concentrations are declared at the time of admission. If you are considering changing concentrations, you need to meet with your Department Chair Child Development No concentration Communication Studies No concentration. Focus Areas do not need to be declared, simple take courses from your choosen area. English No concentration Ethnic Studies No concentration Graphic Communication GRC students must apply for concentrations during a designated time frame. History No concentration Interdisciplinary Studies Request a form to declare your concentration . Journalism Journalism students on the 2022-2026 or later catalogs must apply for concentrations during a designated time frame. Prior catalogs will require a PR or News Track and do not required declaration, simply take the appropriate courses. Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies To initially declare your concentrations, request and completed concentration form for approval. If you have questions about building an Independent Course of Study (ICS) or substitutions, you can talk with the LAES Advisor . Music No concentration Philosophy A concentration in Ethics and Society is optional. The alternative is the completion of 20 units of 300-400 level PHIL elective, with at least 12 units at the 400 level. If you wish to pursue the Ethics and Society concentration, fill out the declaration form . Political Science Meet with a designated concentration coordinator (faculty) to declare a concentration . You can call the Political Science department or CLA Advising to find out who the current concentration coordinator is for your area of interest. Psychology No concentration Sociology Meet with a designated concentration coordinator (faculty) or request a form to declare your concentration . Spanish Spanish majors are required to complete a SPAN minor as a concentration for their major. First, declare the minor with the appropriate department. Then request a form to declare that minor as your concentration . Theatre Arts No concentration How do I declare a minor? The minor declaration process depends on the minor you are declaring. Some minors may have an application and/or GPA requirements. University Advising maintains list of minors that includes links to course requirements and declaration information (when available online). Please note that after you declare a minor, it may take some time for your minor to be applied to your Degree Progress Report and Poly Profile. How do I change my major? In general, the change of major process is consistent across colleges. However, Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA) requirements vary according to major. If you have reviewed the resources below and still have questions, please speak with the appropriate Advising Center for the major you are interested in. * Changing your major within (or into) the College of Liberal Arts * Changing your major outside of CLA * Note: You do not need to meet with a CLA advisor if you are considering leaving the college, but you are welcome to if you have questions. What is the minimum passing grade for a course? A "D-" is the minimum passing grade, for all courses. However, if you started college Fall 2016 or later, you must earn a C- or better in A1, A2, A3 and at least one B1 GE (B4 for catalogs 20-21 and later) to receive credit for your degree. Note that some prerequisite courses will require a particular grade in order to move on to the following course. Check the course description in catalog.calpoly.edu for details. Important: While a D- may be considered passing, your MAJOR GPA, CPSLO GPA and Higher Ed GPA must be at least 2.0 (a C Average) in order to graduate. What classes can I take as Credit/No Credit (CR/NC)? The University policy for Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grading is that each student may choose to take up to 16 units of coursework with this grading option. This does not include courses that are only taught with the CR/NC option or transferred in as CR/NC. Of the 16 units: * 4 units can be from GE courses (if not also applying to your major) * 4 units can be from Major or Support courses if your department allows it * The remaining units can be used for free electives Credit/No Credit grading must be selected by the end of the eight week of instruction (see link for specific date and time). Students must have a 2.0 CPGPA and can select no more then 8 units (two classes) as CR/NC in one term. Instructions on how to change a course to CR/NC . Students who are enrolled in more than 18 units must first email [email protected] to let them know they would like to change a grade to CR/NC. Records Office will make the necessary adjustments to the students term to allow the student to make the change. Be aware that this may take up to a day and the deadline will still need to be considered. Additional information on CR/NC . Credit/No Credit Allowances by Major Credit/No credit allowances vary by major and catalog year. Each major lists its policy as a note on the appropriate curriculum sheet. This table has been updated for the 17-19 catalog. For older catalogs, refer to your curriculum sheet. Major Policy Anthropology-Geography No major, support, or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Art and Design Up to 4 units in major or concentration may be taken as CR/NC. Child Development No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. Communication Studies No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. English No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. Ethnic Studies No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. Graphic Communication No major, support, or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. History No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. Interdisciplinary Studies No major, support, or emphasis/concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Journalism Up to 4 units in major or concentration may be taken as CR/NC. Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies No major, support, or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Modern Languages and Literatures No major, support, or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Music No major courses may be taken as CR/NC. Philosophy No major or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Political Science No major, support, or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Psychology No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. Sociology No major, support, or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Spanish No major, support or concentration courses may be taken as CR/NC. Theatre Arts No major or support courses may be taken as CR/NC. What is the cancelation policy for CLA Advising appointments? As a courtesy to our office and your peers, if you need to cancel or reschedule your advising appointment, please cancel via Calendly, or email [email protected]. We prefer at least 24 hours advance notice, but we know last minute things come up. Thank you for letting us know. How do I register for classes? Information how to plan and find classes to register for can be found on the Tools for Registration page . It will review: * Degree Flowcharts * Degree Progress Report (DPR) * Schedule Builder * Degree Planner Specifics on the registration process can be found on the Office of the Registrar Student Center page . It will explain: * Adding a class * Dropping a class * Editing a class (Credit/no credit or variable credit) * Permission numbers * Swapping a Class * Waitlist If you have any questions about what to register for we are happy to plan for one quarter during our drop-in advising hours . If you would like to plan for more than one quarter, please schedule an appointment . Where can I find answers if my question isn't listed here? Great question! University Advising maintains a comprehensive website of general tips and resources for all Cal Poly students. If you've looked there and you still have questions, please come see us ! Why do I have to use my Cal Poly email? Cal Poly's official means of communication is Cal Poly email. This means it is so important to access and check your email regularly to avoid missing any important information. It also means that your Cal Poly email is the best account to use when emailing any faculty or staff on campus. It helps us identify and confirm who you are. This allows us to research your inquiry with more specifics and reply quicker. It also means your email does not accidentally end up in an instructor's junk mail! The CLA Advising Center emails all replies to your Cal Poly email only. You can access your Cal Poly email via a link in your Portal under "My Apps" called Email & Calendar. Having trouble finding or accessing your Cal Poly email? Here are some tips to try: Log into your Cal Poly email via your Cal Poly Portal and stop forwarding emails to your personal email account. * Log into your My Cal Poly Portal > Personal Info tab * In the Personal Info portlet, under "My Info" to the right of the email address field, click on the Edit link. * Select "Use Cal Poly Account" and follow any additional prompts * Send a test email to your Cal Poly email and confirm it is delivered. It may take up to 30 minutes for your email address to update in all Cal Poly systems. If you would like to access your Cal Poly email via your cellphone, you can find instructions here . Still having trouble with Cal Poly email? Reach out to ITS . 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