Center for Academic Excellence
Incoming Students
The Center for Academic Excellence assigns a specific advisor to each undergraduate student and will work closely with you throughout your first year at Truman. Your advisor will help you develop an academic plan that addresses your unique abilities, aspirations, and interests so you're better prepared to make the academic choices that are right for you.
Your Academic Advisor is...
Truman has more than 60 undergraduate degree programs to choose from, so you’re sure to find a major that’s right for you! We know that picking a major can be an exciting process and a hard decision. The following resources can help you decipher what programs at Truman fits best with your academic and professional interests.
- Explore our availableMajors, Minors, and Pre-Professional programs at Truman.
- The University Catalog provides an in-depth overview of all our academic programs.
- Talk with your Admission Counselor to have a discussion about Truman’s programs and other academic opportunities. They can also help connect you with faculty and staff on campus that can help you feel confident in declaring a major at Truman.
Find a Path That Connects to Your End Goals
Current students commonly utilize Truman’s Career Center to explore career paths and potential majors to fit their goals. Below are some additional only resources to connect your interests with a potential major and/or career field.
Online Resources
Truman has a number of resources to help incoming students begin to build an academic plan even before entering Truman. The following are helpful links and guides to help.
AP/IB/CLEP Brochure
If you have Advancement Placement, International Baccalaureate, or CLEP credits, Truman has a helpful guide for determining which tests and scores transfer to Truman. This brochure is updated each year to reflect new tests.
Course Equivalency Guide
Many students enter Truman having taken college credit through dual credit opportunities, early college programs, summer courses, etc. Our Course Equivalency Guide helps you search for a course from another institution and see how it transfers to Truman. This is a collective database of all courses Truman has received from incoming students, but it is not exhaustive. So, if a course is not on the list that you are looking for, it will be evaluated by the Registrar’s Office upon entry to Truman.
Each academic program has developed a Sample Plan of how a student could complete their major. A Sample Plan is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and a suggested course sequence to ensure a clear path to graduation. These Sample Plans are not prescriptive since each student’s academic background and trajectory can be slightly different. Consult with your academic advisor to get a personalized degree plan.
For students planning to enter a professional school after graduating from Truman, such as the health professions, law, or education, we have a number of resources available to help students stay on track. Students can add a pre-professional interest area to their degree plan and their academic advisor will assist them in making sure they complete the needed prerequisite courses to be prepared for entry into a professional school.
Once a student has decided to attend Truman, they will attend an Orientation to prior to beginning courses. Academic advisors from the CAE work with students to enroll them in courses prior to the start of classes. On this page, you will find helpful information and resources for your pre-Orientation and day of Orientation needs.
In TruView’s “Accepted Student Tool,” a pre-Orientation Checklist is available. This checklist is essential for you to complete at least 2 weeks prior to your selected Orientation date. Given that the advisors at the CAE are working with a mass of incoming students, we work approximately 1-2 weeks ahead of each Orientation session. If you complete your checklist less than 2 weeks ahead of your session, our advisors do not have all the necessary information to provide you an accurate and well-developed course schedule.
Complete the following steps to prepare for Orientation
All new students must register for Orientation to start the process of being advised for their first semester. New students will be sent information about how to register for Orientation by the Office of Admissions in the months leading up to the event. Your “Accepted Student Tab” in TruView will provide a link where you can register for the event.
The Office of Admission has a helpful list of Orientation FAQs so you can learn more about the event and what to expect.
Completing this agreement allows you to register in courses. Without a completed agreement, you cannot register.
This questionnaire confirms your selected major (which may be different from when you first applied to Truman), what your incoming college credits are, and other information that is important for our academic advisors to know prior to creating a course schedule.
Your Math Placement Exam results help the academic advisors ensure that we get you into the correct level of math. All students that attend Truman must graduate with at least a pre-Calculus understanding of math (some majors require higher-level math). If you have incoming college-level math credits, the academic advisors will take that into account when developing a course schedule. If you have incoming college credit for a Calculus I course or higher, we recommend you contact the CAE at advise@truman.edu to confirm the course will transfer to Truman and potentially waive the Math Placement exam requirement.
Your Foreign Placement Exam results help the academic advisors ensure that we get you into the correct level of foreign language. All students that attend Truman must have at least an elementary proficiency in a language. Student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts must need an intermediate proficiency in a language. If you have incoming college credit foreign language, we still recommend you complete the placement exam to ensure that you are placed at the correct course level.
If you will be entering in a Fall semester, you will attend a Summer Orientation session in the months prior to starting classes. During Summer Orientation, students will meet one-on-one with an academic advisor to review their recommended course schedule. During this time, students are encouraged to let the advisor know if their academic plans have changed or if there is additional information the advisor should be aware of to help make an accurate schedule. Students will then register themselves in courses with the help of their Orientation Leader and faculty. In order to develop student confidence and promote self-authorship, parents and students will not be together for the registration portion of the day.
For students entering in a Spring semester, you will attend an Orientation the day before courses begin. Academic advisors will reach out to individual students to develop a course schedule.
For transfer students beginning in the Fall semester, you will be individually contacted by an academic advisor to review your academic history and enroll you in courses. For this reason, we encourage transfer students to attend our August Orientation session, which is the day before Truman Week. Transfer students are also welcome to attend a Summer Orientation instead, but they will be advised at a separate time.
For transfer students entering in a Spring semester, you will be individually contacted by an academic advisor to review your academic history and enroll you in courses. Your Orientation will be the day before courses begin.
Learning college lingo and terminology can be tricky as a new student! Here is a list of common advising-related terms to help you navigate the this process.