Undergraduate Advising

Academic advising for freshmen, sophomores, and new transfer students in the Kinesiology and RSM major occurs in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) Office of Advising & Student Services (BEC 332). If you have not been advised by anyone in CEHHS Advising before, please visit their website for more information about scheduling an appointment with their office. The KRSS Advising Staff is not able to review a student’s academic history if they are not currently a Kinesiology or RSM major.

A student will transition from CEHHS Advising to KRSS Department Advising after he/she completes the following:

Kinesiology

• Maintains a minimum UT GPA of 2.5 after a minimum of 60 hours of coursework
• Completes MATH 125 or MATH 141 or MATH 147, KNS 200, CHEM 132, CHEM 133, and BCMB 230. These are the uTrack milestones for the first four terms.
• All of these courses must be completed with a C or better to remain in good standing and continue in the major.

Recreation & Sport Management – Sport Management concentration

• Maintains a minimum UT GPA of 2.5 after a minimum of 45 hours of coursework
• Completion of RSM 250 with a grade of C or better
• Successful completion of ENGL 101, ENGL 102, and one Quantitative Reasoning course.

Recreation & Sport Management – Therapeutic Recreation concentration

• Maintains a minimum UT GPA of 2.5 after a minimum of 45 hours of coursework
• Completion of RSM 201 with a grade of C or better
• Completion of ENGL 101 and ENGL 102, and three (3) hours of Quantitative Reasoning

These requirements are based on the current undergraduate catalog. Requirements could vary slightly depending on a student’s catalog year.

At the end of each semester, staff of the CEHHS Office of Advising and Student Services will compile a list of students ready to change to departmental advising. Students will receive an email from their new advisor with a link to schedule a transition advising appointment. Students will then be responsible for scheduling a meeting with their new advisor to complete this transition. The appointment should be scheduled as soon as possible after receiving that email.

Appointments are the primary means of meeting with an advisor but drop-ins are also welcome. Appointments are typically anywhere from 20-30 minutes and must be scheduled in advance. Appointments should be scheduled online using the link to Vol Academic Connect (Navigate) that you will receive from your advisor each fall or spring semester. This email will include a link that will allow you to register for an appointment with your advisor. Please be respectful of your advisor’s time and schedule/reschedule/cancel your appointment as far in advance as possible, as our appointments book up quickly. Please make sure to attend your appointment as “no showing” and last-minute cancellation may result in delayed course registration, holds on your account, and/or course inaccessibility.

Students whose ID number ends with an even number (including zero) must be advised in the fall for spring registration; students whose ID number ends with an odd number must be advised in the spring for fall registration. However, all students are encouraged to meet with an advisor each term to ensure proper degree progression. Students who are not required to be advised in a given term should meet with their primary advisor during their drop-in advising hours. This will be communicated to students each semester via email and will be held in person and via zoom.

Course availabilities (i.e., number of available seats) have been calculated based on several criteria:

• The classroom capacity assigned by the Registrar’s Office
• The projected enrollment
• The faculty available to support each course
• The safety standards that are set for classroom space and lab space.

As you are registering for courses, if your preferred section is full, first consider other sections of the course that could fit into your schedule. If no other sections are available, waitlist your preferred option(s) and register for a backup course using the planning materials (academic plans; DARS report) you have discussed with your academic advisor. If this is a course you need to stay on track or to graduate, remain on the waitlist for your preferred section.

WAITLIST PROCEDURES

Waitlists in kinesiology, sport management, and therapeutic recreation are priority sorted. This means that the waitlists are prioritized based on the number of credit hours you have completed (more credit hours = higher priority to register for opened seats). If you are the first student on a waitlist and a seat becomes available, you will be notified via university email. Upon notification, you will have 24 hours to log in to MyUTK and accept the seat.

• Check your email every day while on a waitlist – if you miss the notification to register you will be removed from the waitlist and the seat will be offered to the next student in line.
  • If you fail to register and are removed, you must put yourself back on the waitlist.
  • Do not reach out to the instructor of record for your preferred section. The advisors will then problem-solve and look for or potentially add additional options depending on the course.

GRADUATING SENIORS

If you need a particular course to graduate next semester, add yourself to the waitlist, be patient, and let the process work. If you still do not have a seat two weeks prior to classes beginning, contact your advisor with a list of sections that will work with your class schedule. We will do our best to accommodate your request, but keep in mind that we cannot guarantee a seat in any course due to the aforementioned criteria.

REPEATING A COURSE

If you need to repeat a course, add yourself to the waitlist and follow the waitlist procedures outlined above. As previously indicated, seats cannot be guaranteed. We do understand that this may impact your graduation timeline. While not ideal, students who do not pass a required course one or more times should prepare for a delay in graduation.

uTRACK IMPLICATIONS

To remain on track for timely graduation, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students.

• Students who go off-track may not be able to complete all degree requirements in four years, which can cause delays in graduation.

• If you receive an email that you are “Off-track 2” or “Off-track final” and have not enrolled in a milestone course due to lack of available seats:
  • You may remain in the major if you are in good academic standing.
  • If you are not in good academic standing, you should consider meeting with a transition advisor to discuss another major as a pathway to graduation.

• If you receive an email that you are “Off-track 2” or “Off-track final” because you did not pass a milestone class with a C or better, plan to meet with a transition advisor, as you are likely to be released from the major.

• Read any e-mails or letters that are sent to you by your advisor, advising center, university leadership, and instructors and respond to actionable items
• Schedule your advising appointment as soon as possible after being contacted by your advisor
• Be mindful of your advisor’s time and schedule/reschedule/cancel your appointment as far in advance as possible
• Review your curriculum in the Undergraduate Catalog for the catalog year you are following
• Ensure you are on track to meet milestone or progression standards (if required for your major) by reviewing your DARS report and uTracK report
• Write down your current schedule and a tentative plan for next semester
• Write down any questions you have for your advisor
• Consult with your advisor before making drastic changes to an agreed-upon schedule
• Consult with your advisor on issues related to academic progress, a change in program, registration for study abroad, courses to be taken at another institution, withdrawal from courses, or withdrawal from the university
• Make final decisions and take responsibility for your academic career
• Pay attention to semester deadlines
• Pay tuition and fees by the deadlines provided, otherwise, your schedule may be dropped
• Demonstrate respect for others and self at all times
• Strive to follow our core values

• Be accessible to you during reasonable hours
• Respond to your emails within 48-72 hours during the workweek
• Provide a means through which you can schedule appointments
• Understand the curriculum, graduation requirements, and university policies
• Help you define and develop realistic goals and discuss the linkage between academic preparation and career opportunities
• Assist you in planning programs of study, both short-term and long-term, that are consistent with your abilities and interests, such as course load, academic background, program demands, and employment or personal commitments
• Refer you to other services, departments, and specific individuals as special needs are identified
• Monitor your progress toward educational goals and keep accurate, up-to-date records of academic progress
• Provide a safe environment in which to discuss your questions, concerns, thoughts, and academic plans
• Respect your right to privacy of educational records, adhering to the guidelines set forth by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Maintain a courteous, respectful, and supportive advising environment, abiding by our core values
• Help you assume responsibility for your decisions and actions
• Strive to follow our core values

Carrie Trexler

Director Of Student Support
HPER 321B
865-974-6660
ctrexler@utk.edu

Ashley Hamilton
Assistant Director of Student Support
HPER 326
865-974-7252
ashleyhamilton@utk.edu

Amy Jacobs
Advisor II
HPER 360A1
865-974-3340
amyjacobs@utk.edu

Gracie Linsley-Huff
Advisor II
HPER 351
865-974-2409
glinsleyhuff@utk.edu