STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of and to meet the catalog requirements for graduation and to adhere to all other deadlines, rules, and regulations published in the Catalog, and the Student Policy Guide. Students are generally governed by the current Student Policy Guide and the catalog in effect for a program when they begin that program at Linfield University, subject to the catalog expiration policy. Students who are continuously enrolled in a program may meet the graduation requirements of any subsequent catalog published during their enrollment in that program. A student may not meet requirements from a catalog published prior to their matriculation in a program. While academic advisors or university officials assist students in interpreting policies and requirements and making plans, the final responsibility for meeting requirements and adhering to policies belongs to each student.

Linfield students are assigned a faculty and/or professional academic advisor who serves as a guide and mentor in their educational journey. The academic advising office supports all Linfield University students.

Academic advising is based on a system of shared responsibility. Students are expected to prepare for and attend advising meetings with their advisors throughout their studies at Linfield. Students enrolled on the McMinnville campus are required to meet with and be cleared to register by their faculty advisor prior to every registration cycle. Nursing students are recommended to meet with their advisor before registration. For Online and Continuing Education (OCE) and R.N. to B.S.N. students, advisor clearance is not required prior to registration.

ASSIGNING ADVISORS

New First-Year Students (McMinnville Campus)

New first-year students (fall semester start) are required to enroll in an advising designated academic course during their first semester as well as the one-credit paracurricular course IDST 007 FIRST SEMESTER SEMINAR. The Advising-designated course is one of several academic courses commonly taken by first-year students. The faculty member teaching the Advising-designated course is assigned as the student’s faculty advisor. Students for whom the academic course is designated as their Advising course meet as a group with their faculty advisor outside of the overall course meeting times. Group advising meetings facilitate the advisor-advisee relationship and cover important topics related to academic success at Linfield. Additionally, students will also meet with their Registration and Orientation Leader as part of the First Semester Seminar Lab experience IDST 007L during the semester.

New first-year students starting during the spring semester are required to enroll in the one-credit paracurricular course IDST 007  and are assigned an advisor through their paracurricular course.

Students pursuing pre-nursing on the McMinnville campus are assigned a pre-nursing faculty advisor whenever possible once they declare pre-nursing as their intended field of study. Students intending on majoring in Nursing are encouraged to declare pre-nursing as soon as possible. This is typically around November of their first year (after they register for their second term at Linfield).

Transfer Students (McMinnville Campus)

New transfer students on the McMinnville campus are assigned a faculty advisor in the discipline the student plans to pursue. Students who are undeclared are assigned a faculty advisor through FIRST SEMESTER TRANSFER STUDENT SEMINAR (IDST 009), a one-credit paracurricular course required for all students who transfer to Linfield with fewer than 45 credits. New transfer students who transfer to Linfield with at least 45 credits may elect to enroll in FIRST SEMESTER TRANSFER STUDENT SEMINAR (IDST 009).

Transfer students pursuing pre-nursing on the McMinnville campus are assigned either a pre-nursing faculty advisor or a professional staff advisor once they declare pre-nursing as their intended field of study. 

School of Nursing (Portland Campus)

Students are assigned a nursing faculty advisor upon starting their first semester in the School of Nursing. Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their faculty advisor. Nursing students are also supported by a professional staff advisor who assists them with understanding graduation requirements.

R.N. to B.S.N.

Students enrolled in the R.N. to B.S.N. program are assigned a professional advisor and a faculty advisor. Students are connected with their professional advisor prior to starting their first semester.

Online and Continuing Education

Students enrolled through Online and Continuing Education (OCE) are assigned a professional advisor. Degree-seeking students in OCE with fewer than 45 credits at the start of their first term of enrollment are required to take ONLINE FIRST YEAR SEMINAR (IDST 008) within their first year at Linfield.

Students with general advising questions are also encouraged to connect with the academic advising office.

MAJOR DECLARATION

Determining a major field of study is an important choice in a student’s academic career. Some students need time to explore a variety of interests prior to deciding on a major, whereas others come to college with a strong inclination toward a particular field of study. Linfield’s policy on declaring a major is flexible enough to honor the student’s desire to explore various options. At the same time, it recognizes that timely determination of an academic major facilitates planning and expedites progress toward a degree.

First-year students who have registered for their second term at Linfield are eligible to declare a major and have a faculty member from the new major department assigned as their faculty advisor. Students are encouraged to reach out to the academic advising office in addition to working with their faculty advisor for understanding the declaration process.

Upon completion of 45 semester credits (typically by spring semester of the sophomore year), students must declare a major. This declaration must be completed before a student is permitted to register for the following semester. Once a student declares a major, they will be assigned an advisor in the major program.

Once declared, students can change their major at any time. It is recommended that students consult with their current faculty advisor and a faculty advisor from the new department before declaring a new major.

Nursing major preparation

Students intending to major in Nursing are strongly encouraged to signal their interest by declaring Pre-nursing at the end of the first semester seminar (IDST 007) so that they will receive appropriate advising for preparing for the Nursing program. Transfer students (to McMinnville) are strongly encouraged to declare Pre-nursing upon matriculation. 

Teaching Licensure preparation

Students intending to enter one of Linfield’s teacher licensure programs are strongly encouraged to signal their interest by declaring an Education major at the end of the first semester seminar (IDST 007) so that they will receive appropriate advising from the Education Department.

DECLARING OR CHANGING A MAJOR/CHANGING ADVISORS

Students declare their major using an online form. The same form can be used to change a major, to add a second major, add a minor, and to change their advisor. Students declaring multiple majors may be required to have an advisor in each of their majors depending on the programs. It is recommended that students also have an advisor in each minor that they are pursuing.