Your Academic Advisor is:
The easiest way to identify your advisor is to log into MyOHIO Student Center and view your program advisor, listed in the right-hand toolbar.
You can also find your advisor on your DARS (Degree Audit Report System). To access your DARS , first go to your MyOHIO Student Center. Once logged in with your OHIO ID and password, click on the bottom right-hand corner “Advising Center (myDARS) tab. This will bring up your degree audit, which can also be downloaded as a PDF and used as an unofficial transcript.
You will be required to meet with your advisor at least once per semester to review your intended schedule and so your advisor can release your advising hold. While these are the minimum required times to meet with your advisor, we hope that you will come see us much more often! We are here to assist you with schedule conflicts, course/instructor issues, questions about academic policies and procedures, and any other issue related to your success here at Ohio University. The more often you meet or communicate with your advisor, the more helpful your advisor can be to you!
It’s easy to schedule an appointment with your advisor. In fact, you are encouraged to meet with your advisor often since they are the most reliable resource of information, planning, and support for you. You can schedule an appointment by visiting our Advising Appointment page, and clicking "Book an Appointment." Select your meeting modality (in-person or online) and your advisor to see available appointment times and book your appointment.
The advising office holds drop-in hours from 5:00-7:00pm Monday-Wednesday, weeks 2-15, that do not require an appointment. There is also pop-in advising held every Thursday in the Patton lobby from 1:00-3:00pm, which serves as drop-in appointments to answer quick questions!
Changing your advisor is simple and easy! We want you to have the best experience possible as part of The Patton College family. Please complete the Advisor Change Request Form, and deliver it to Debra Fanning in Patton Hall, Suite 103 or email it to Debra Fanning.
Meeting with an advisor is a good place to start this process. Some majors have specific requirements that must be met before students can request a change to that program. Your advisor will be able to help you determine if you meet the requirements for a new major, or guide you to an advisor in a major if it is outside of Patton College. Note that students cannot change majors if they are on academic probation.
If you meet the requirements to change your major, you can do so using the Update of Program form on the Registrar's forms website. You can also use that form to declare a minor or certificate.
Any changes that you make to your schedule during the registration period should be discussed with your advisor to ensure that the changes won’t have negative implications for your degree progress. After talking with your advisor, you can add or drop a course by logging into MyOHIO Student Center and accessing the enroll page, under the academic tab.
Please be aware that many classes have prerequisites, or they may be restricted to certain majors or classifications. For questions regarding a specific course, please contact your advisor.
If dropping a course will put you below 15 credit hours then you should email financial.aid@ohio.edu to see if there are financial implications before dropping the course.
A completion plan refers to a document that shows the planned courses for a student to graduate. You can co-create a completion plan (sometimes known as a graduation plan) with your academic advisor. This can be part of the Ohio Guarantee + program, or something you and your advisor track outside of that program. In general, students who started classes in Fall of 2022 or later have access to the Ohio Guarantee + program. Students who started before that time will have their own completion plans.
You must have a current background check, and meet the specific requirements for credit hours, coursework, test scores, and GPA. They are all listed under the “Admission To” Section of your DARS.
Apply for Teacher Candidacy. Make sure you log in and push the apply button next to “Teacher Candidacy.”
Apply for Advanced Standing. Make sure you log in and push the apply button next to “Advanced Standing.”
If you cannot apply, please contact your advisor for further information.
You can get a background check done at Bobcat Depot (open 8:00AM- 4:00PM, located at 112 Baker Center) or at an Ohio Sheriff’s Office. You must get both BCI (Ohio) and FBI (National).
You must bring:
You must send your background checks directly to:
The Patton College of Education
Office of Student Affairs
ATTN: Debra Fanning
103 Patton Hall
1 Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
At the point of Teacher Candidacy, you must have a standardized test score on file (ACT, SAT or Praxis Core). Scores should be sent to undergraduate admissions.
To declare an education major, come to the front desk in 103 Patton Hall. You can apply to become an education major at any time. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 to declare a teacher education major.
Transportation is NOT provided for field experience. However, many students find carpooling with classmates very convenient.