Once a student has been admitted to the Pratt School of Engineering, the academic deans will assign a faculty member to act as the student’s adviser based on the engineering major he or she initially identifies. This faculty member will have primary responsibility for advising the student. Please read Pratt's Advising Procedure.
We encourage new undergraduates to use their first year as a chance to explore and investigate each of our engineering departments in order to “try on” different career possibilities and see what suits them best. Students should take every opportunity to interact with faculty from all departments within Pratt, and our faculty is committed to nurturing student development. Learn more about the courses a first year engineering students takes at Pratt's common first year curriculum Web page.
At the end of the freshman year, all engineering students must formally declare a major. The Major Declaration form can be obtained at the Dean’s Office, located at 305 Teer Engineering building.
Note, because of the large number of biomedical engineering students, the BME Department does not provide faculty advising until a student’s sophomore year. This does not put BME students at a disadvantage because there is little differentiation in first year engineering course loads between the different engineering majors.
Role of Pratt’s Academic Deans
Pratt academic deans are:
- Tod Laursen, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Education
- Linda Franzoni, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Student Programs
- Connie Simmons, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Broadly defined, the academic deans have the responsibility of overseeing your academic progress until you graduate. They will:
- monitor your course load and progress toward a Bachelor's Degree;
- review your midterm and end-of-term grades and assist you in devising strategies for improvement if necessary;
- determine whether you meet continuation requirements;
- place you on academic probation or withdrawal if warranted;
- notify you of scholastic honors;
- help you resolve problems with classes;
- approve requests for a leave of absence;
- process forms for transfer credits from other institutions;
- advise you of policies, regulations, and resources;
- notify faculty if you are unable to attend class or turn in assignments because of emergencies;
- evaluate petitions to withdraw from a course;
- approve requests for an Incomplete "I" grade at the end of the semester;
- authorize absence from a final examination.
Read Pratt’s Policies and Procedures to find out more about how to work with the academic deans.