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Advising and Career Development Center

About ACDC

For Those Who Punch the Clock (We Salute You)

The College of Health and Human Services Advising and Career Development Center, or ACDC, was formally established in 2014 as part of a campus-wide effort to have professional staff advisors in each academic college. Since our modest beginnings, ACDC has grown to include six full-time staff advisors, two graduate interns, and three student staff, a new office in 2023, and now oversees general advising for all CHHS majors. 

In addition to providing general and major advising for all CHHS majors, ACDC oversees a variety of special programs, assists with college-wide programming, and ACDC counselors often collaborate with other offices and the campus-wide community through service on committees.

Read on to learn more about the programs overseen by ACDC and our policies regarding visiting our office:

CHHS Staff taking a photo in front of the Save Mart Center loading dock at graduation

Meet the ACDC Team

 

Advising Expectations and Policy

To ensure we are able to meet with as many students as possible it is important that students make an effort to be proactive in scheduling appointments and arrive on-time and with questions for their advisor. Generally we will "book out" with appointments as the semester progresses, especially during periods such as registration, so be sure to schedule an appointment early and check your student portal consistently to make sure all holds are cleared. 

Appointment Policy

ACDC is here to assist all CHHS majors with questions related to, among other things, academic planning, course selection, major and degree requirements, adding/dropping courses, registration, and referrals. Students are encouraged to visit with an academic counselor each semester to discuss courses or any issue related to academic success.

Students must schedule appointments for the following reasons:

  • Creating a four-year academic plan
  • Specialized Program Plans (e.g. ROTC, SAP, or Honors)
  • Academic Probation/Disqualification Holds
  • Change of Major/Minor for non-CHHS students

For general inquiries or "quick questions" students are encouraged to visit our walk-in advising sessions each week and during special registration times. 

All appointments must be made 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Same-day appointments are not available.

For in-person appointments students should check in at our front office and wait for an advisor to come get them. For virtual appointments students are responsible for testing their computer and microphone for issues prior to the appointment.

Due to time constraints, ACDC Advisors cannot register for you or help you pick times and dates of courses for a wishlist.


Late Policy

ACDC Advisors meet with a number of students each day, so it is critical students are on-time to their scheduled appointments. Any student who is more than 15 minutes late will be marked as a "no-show" and will need to reschedule their appointment. If you are running late or no longer need your appointment we encourage you to contact our office and let us know.


Non-CHHS Majors / Change of Major Policy

ACDC is happy to meet with students who's declared major is in another college for exploration of a CHHS major/program or addition of a minor/double major. Non-CHHS majors may schedule an appointment by contacting our front office.

During special walk-in periods (e.g. registration week) we may not be able to accomodate non-CHHS students, who will need to schedule an appointment instead.

 Any student with an "Advising or Transfer Hold” on your student portal is required to make an appointment to meet with their major academic advisor prior to registration appointment.

ACDC cannot clear holds related to financial aid, fees, violence training, and so on. 

Check our home page for a more comprehensive list of holds and who clears them.

  • Review your Important Information, Holds, and To Do List in your Advising and Career Development Center by logging into MyFresnoState.
  • Review your major degree planning sheet.
  • Review course options, schedules, and prerequisites.
  • Review your online DPR as it is a useful tool to see grades, GPA and coursework.
  • Bring your list of questions and bring any documents that you want to discuss.
  • Be on time for your appointment. If you cannot keep your appointment, call and cancel.

*All students must have their Student ID prior to their advising appointment. Students without proper ID will not be able to meet with an Academic Counselor.

 

ACDC Programs

In addition to overseeing academic advising for the College of Health and Human Services, ACDC Counselors assist and advocate for students in a number of different ways. Programs directly overseen by ACDC include:

The Advising and Career Development Center (ACDC) offers a Peer Mentor Program targeted to first time freshmen students who need additional support in English and math. The mission of the Peer Mentor Program is to assist this student population to have a smooth transition into Fresno State, promote intellectual development and academic success as well as encourage connections within the broader campus community.  Besides being able to meet with CHHS ACDC counselors, students in the Peer Mentor Program will have extra support from the designated ACDC peer mentors.  ACDC peer mentors can help you with: 

  • Connecting and referring you to on and off campus resources
  • Navigating Canvas, Bulldog Connect, and any other platform used on campus
  • With time management and organizational skills 
  • Setting academic and personal goals 
  • Understanding your syllabus
  • Helping you communicate with your instructors
  • Registration tips 
  • Informing you about on campus events

CAMPUS RESOURCE SHEET 

If you have further questions regarding our Peer Mentor Program please contact our front desk at (559)278-5027 or stop by McLane 194. 

Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.00 GPA in both your campus and your cumulative GPAs to remain in academic “Good Standing”.  If either campus or total GPA falls below a 2.00, you will be subject to either “Academic Probation” or “Academic Disqualification”. Students that fall into "Academic Probation" or "Academic Probation: Disqualification Range" will follow the protocol below.

  • Probation students will receive emails at the beginning of the semester to schedule an appointment with one of our academic counselors to review the probation policy and complete needs assessment.
  • First-Year students will receive communication from Academic Support Coaching to clear their hold. 

ACDC coordinates the application process for students applying to the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program and Associate Degree Registered Nurse to Bachelors of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) programs. ACDC oversees the NursingCAS supplemental application, evaluation of transcripts and other documents for each applicant, and maintains records of eligibility and admission for the Fall and Spring cycles. 

For more information, please visit our nursing admission page.

The ACDC Canvas Resource Page is currently being reconfigured and is unavailable. Please utilize our website or contact ACDC directly for assistance.

The ACDC Graduate Advisor Program provides hands-on experience for graduate students pursuing careers in academic advising, student affairs, and higher education. Graduate Advisors are selected from the MS in Counseling, Student Affairs and College Counseling (SACC) program and work closely with professional staff, gaining valuable skills in student support, academic planning, and career development.

Through this program, Graduate Advisors assist with one-on-one advising, workshops, and outreach initiatives, helping CHHS students navigate their academic and professional journeys. Graduate Advisors provide the same advising to students as professional staff. Currently, ACDC employs two levels of Graduate Advisor:

  • Graduate Advisor: A first-year SACC student who provides advising on all CHHS majors
  • Lead Graduate Advisor: A second-year student who provides addiitonal mentorship to the newest graduate advisor