Academic Advising for Sands College of Performing Arts

1. Go to the OnTrack website.
2. Once logged on, you will be on your Success Network page and see your Dyson Advisor listed.
3. To schedule an appointment with your advisor, click the image next to their name.
4. Click Schedule from the options listed.
5. Select the type of appointment you would like to have.
6. After you select the appointment, you have the option to review and confirm. Once confirmed, an email notification will be sent to your advisor.
7. If you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment, please do so via OnTrack.

• Review Degree Works and previous curriculum worksheets
• Create a list of questions or concerns to bring to your advisor’s attention

Your academic advisor wants you to succeed! They can help you with everything from understanding major requirements to preparing for graduation. They can also connect you with resources and support on campus.

It is a good idea to meet with your academic advisor at least once a semester. However, you can meet with them more often if you have any questions or concerns.

Please bring a list of any questions or concerns you have to your appointment with your academic advisor. You should also be prepared to give your UID so your advisor can view all information on your academic profile. Your academic advisor may give you tasks complete after your appointment based on what you discuss.

You can find your academic advisor by logging into OnTrack and reviewing your ‘Success Network’ – that is where your academic advisor will be listed. You can email Sands’ primary Academic Advisor, Haley Gendell, for assistance.

Students in the Sands College of Performing Arts follow a cohort mode, which requires that they follow the scope of their program. Each semester builds upon the next, so courses are offered once a year to allow for appropriate sequencing. Because of this, students are unable to accelerate in their program unless in rare circumstance where they receive approval from their Program Heads.

Core curriculum is a part of degree requirements for all students. While it may vary a little depending on majors, it’s a required curriculum to obtain an undergraduate degree at Pace. Largely, it contains foundation requirements (English, Math, Lab Science, Computing, Second Language, and Public Speaking), Areas of Knowledge (2-5), and Learning Experiences (Learning Community, Civic Engagement, and Writing Enhanced).

Yes. Unless you are eligible for an exemption, you must take language courses at Pace. However, if you have previously taken a foreign language class, you must take a language placement exam so that you can be placed into the appropriate level course. To take the exam, please visit the Language Placement Exam page for details.

Degree Works is a web-based academic reporting and advising tool that outlines the requirements of a particular program and the paths to complete them. Degree Works is only accessible through the Pace Portal for all users. It is strongly recommended that students meet regularly with their advisor to review the information displayed on their Degree Works report.

• Degree Works Student User Guide (PDF)

Degree Works is able to:

• Track all requirements necessary to receive your degree, based on the term you entered the University.
• Show which courses you have taken at Pace or transferred into the University, and how they are applied towards your degree.
• Allow you to view courses that you are currently registered for (listed as in-progress or 'IP') and see how they will be applied towards your degree.
• Estimate your overall GPA at the end of the semester, or determine which grades are necessary to achieve a desired GPA with the GPA calculator.

Congratulations! You are almost there!

Make sure to file an Application for Graduation and Diploma. Detailed information about graduation and conferral of degree can be found online.

All graduating students are encouraged to participate in the Commencement ceremony to celebrate their graduation. View more information about Commencement.

As you can only submit your application once for a particular semester, you will receive an error message if you try to submit again. To verify the submission, visit your Pace Portal, click on the Student Tab>Dashboard>Student Profile.

The most up-to-date semester registration dates can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s Semester Registration Dates page.

Although the registration period may have begun, all students have a designated registration start day and time within that period. Generally, the more credits you’ve earned, the earlier your start time will be – e.g. seniors will have an earlier registration time than freshmen.

To find out when exactly you will be able to register, please log into Pace Portal and check the “Registration Status” section. This will also inform you if you have any holds on your account

You can add or drop courses through the end of each semester’s add/drop period* (the first two weeks of the semester for regular 14 to 16-week courses).

*The add/drop and withdrawal periods are different for late-start courses, and vary depending on the length of the course. To avoid any penalties, please visit the Office of the Registrar’s Registration page for more details.

Visit the Office of the Registrar's websites for the academic calendar and important deadlines.

You are advised not to exceed a maximum of two courses or eight credits each Summer Session. You should register the same way you do for fall and spring semesters. Please reach out to an academic advisor if you do not know which courses you should register.

If you have any questions about summer tuition, financial aid availability, housing and more, please visit the Pace Summer Sessions webpage.

If you have an overall GPA of 2.0 or above, and are in good financial standing at Pace, you can take up to 12 credits at another accredited college and university and transfer those credits back to Pace. However, there are very specific conditions to this policy, so be sure to read Pace’s Permission to Enroll in a Course at Another Institution page very carefully, for details and steps on how to proceed.

If you have additional questions, or are not sure how to proceed, please contact your Academic Advisor, and they’ll be able to help you with the next steps.

No, you will not receive course credit for classes taken at outside institutions during semesters in which you are also taking courses at Pace.