Orientation and Program Logistics

Orientation

Newly admitted students are expected to participate in new student orientation that covers University, School and Departmental Policies.

New student orientation is conducted for all newly admitted students prior to the start of the semester. Orientation is an important event for new students and attendance is mandatory. The new student orientation event is designed to:

Introduce new students to the University of San Francisco School of Education community; provide students with information to successfully navigate the logistics of their program; establish academic expectations and encourage bonding and community building. Overall, the primary goal is to ensure students learn critical details related to the programs so that all new students can fully participate in, and benefit from the University of San Francisco School of Education experience. This includes learning about University, School, and Departmental Policies. During orientation, incoming students will meet each other as well as representatives from the faculty, staff and current students.

School Communications

For communication purposes, the University needs to track students' permanent, local and business addresses. All official University documents are usually mailed to the student's permanent address or USF email account. Students are responsible for all time-sensitive information sent to their USF email account. USF offices and staff will only respond to current student inquiries sent from USF email addresses.

It is the student's responsibility to regularly check their USF Email address and to provide the University with current personal information. This information can be easily updated online via myUSF "Student Self Service.”

Email Addresses

Your USF email address is the official email address for university correspondence. It is the School’s primary vehicle for broadcasting important announcements and information on upcoming events. Students are strongly encouraged to activate their email account immediately upon receiving access information. It is expected that all students will regularly check their USF email or forward USF email to their personal account while enrolled in the program. USF email is provided by Gmail, and may be accessed with your USF username and password, on the web within myUSF, using a desktop/laptop mail client or a mobile device. ITS supports Apple Mail, Entourage, Outlook, and Thunderbird.

Advising Expectations

New Students

Every newly admitted matriculating student is assigned an advisor.

Upon admission, students are assigned an academic advisor from among the full-time or part-time faculty members of their program. The advisor will help plan a program of study that complements the student’s background and career interests. Students may petition to change advisors when there is a change of goals. A form is available in the Dean’s Office or from Program Assistants for this purpose. New student advising immediately follows the orientation session, and students are directed to their program’s meeting location. Faculty advisors discuss and plan the students’ first term academic workload.

Continuing Students

The University of San Francisco School of Education seeks to support students through advising around academics, issues affecting their student experiences, and unexpected life crises. Every semester an advising week is scheduled in which advisors reach out to all students to schedule advising sessions. Every student is required to meet with their advisor a minimum of once a semester. Regular office hours for drop-in advising with SOE faculty can be obtained through departmental Program Assistants.

Doctoral Student Advising

The assigned academic advisor need not be the dissertation committee chairperson. When forming the dissertation committee, students may request any chairperson from among the full-time faculty in their department. Once a dissertation chairperson is assigned, s/he, although not always, becomes the advisor.

Schedule of Classes

The USF Schedule of Classes is a dynamic online schedule accessed by link from several web pages including the SOE home page in Resources, and myUSF. Students may find Registration Instructions online.

All course schedules must be completed with the approval of the student’s faculty advisor. It is the student's responsibility that all forms (to register and to add and drop courses) be completed entirely and accurately. If a student registers for courses on the web without the approval of their faculty advisor, the student must accept full responsibility for any errors or courses taken that do not meet requirements in his/her program. It is against University policy for a student to attend any class for which they are not officially registered.

Teaching Weekend Schedule

The majority of class meetings are scheduled on weekday evenings and on Saturdays. Generally, master’s and credential level courses meet once a week on a designated day and time.

Teaching weekend doctoral classes meet once every other week on a designated day/time according to the Teaching Weekend Schedule. 

List of programs that follow the Teaching Weekend Schedule:

• IME, EdD
• L&I, EdD
• O&L, EdD
• IME, MA
• HRE, MA
• O&L, MA
• HESA, MA
• SCP, MA

Parking at the Hilltop Campus

For more information about obtaining a parking pass, please visit the Parking Passes area on the Department of Public Safety website.

Additional Campuses and Locations

The School of Education offers programs at the USF's additional campuses and locations.