Academic Advising and Career Development

All CLAHS students are assigned a professional Academic Advisor based on their major. You can find your advisor in HokieSPA under the “View your General Student Information tab” as well as in the Navigate platform.

Appointments can be scheduled through Navigate or an advisor’s personal scheduling link. Current students should use Navigate to view availability and book a time that works for their schedule.

Please contact us directly at liberalarts@vt.edu.

All degree requirements, policies, and course information are listed in the Undergraduate Academic Catalog. Be sure to choose the appropriate publication year based on the year you entered Virginia Tech.

The Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) within HokieSPA is a computer-generated report for undergraduate and associate level students that facilitates monitoring of a student's academic progress toward degree completion.

DARS allows students and Academic Advisors to visualize how coursework is applied to a curriculum, review degree progress, create plans for future courses, and monitor overall and in-major GPAs. Your advisor can help you interpret your DARS report and plan upcoming courses. 

Please take time to consult with your Academic Advisor if you need to adjust your academic plan over time. They can best advise on pre- or co-requisite needs, course sequencing adjustments, or course substitution options.

Hokie Registration is Virginia Tech’s system for all course registration tasks where students can complete preregistration requirements, submit course requests, and add/drop classes.

Step-by-step tutorials for searching courses, submitting requests, and managing your schedule are available on the Course Registration webpage. 

Course Request is the process for selecting the classes you’d like to take in the upcoming semester. It occurs twice per year in the fall and spring semesters. Visit Enrollment Dates to confirm deadlines.

Course Request is not first-come, first-served, and students can update their course selections before the deadline. Once the Course Request period ends, the Registrar’s Office registers students based on various factors like availability, restrictions, prerequisites, and earned credits. 

Add/Drop is a period after Course Request where students can adjust their schedules by adding or dropping courses. This period is first-come, first-served. Visit Enrollment Dates to confirm deadlines.

Virginia Tech has a process called Request to Force Add, which is a procedure that allows students to request to enroll in classes that are already full or that have restrictions that a student does not meet (e.g., pre-requisites, earned hours, etc.).

Students may review individual departmental procedures each semester for their force add processes on the Student Advising website.

Students can declare or change their primary major at Virginia Tech during three periods annually. Please review the Change of Major Schedule website for specific dates and instructions on how to apply for a new primary major.

• To do this for a major or minor housed within the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, use either our Request to Change Second Major or our Request to Change Minor e-form.

• To do this for a major or minor housed outside of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, you will need to complete this process through the college housing the major or minor. Please reference either the Undergraduate Majors or the Undergraduate Minors website to determine the appropriate college. 

Yes. Students may pursue multiple majors or minors if approved by the relevant colleges or departments. Academic Advisors can help ensure that students' course plans meet all requirements most efficiently.

Career advising is part of a college-wide ecosystem in CLAHS. Academic Advisors are prepared to discuss career readiness as it relates to course selection, co-curricular experiences, and academic pathways. For more specialized career services support, including employer engagement, resume reviews, and interview preparation, please contact Kate Renz, Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Career Services.

Virginia Tech offers a variety of resources to support career exploration and professional development, including Handshake for job and internship postings, career fairs, workshops, and online guides. Visit the Career and Professional Development website for a full list of tools, programs, and opportunities available to all students.

Students should apply for their degree through HokieSPA by the start of their junior year and ensure that all degree requirements are completed or in-progress. Academic Advisors will assist students in reviewing degree progress and planning for their final semesters.

Students can update their expected term of graduation in HokieSPA by selecting ‘Update” next to the appropriate major.

• Fall commencement: January 31st

• Spring commencement: June 30th

• Summer commencement: 30 days after the degree conferral date.

Please review the university’s Commencement Information website.

Please review the Office of the University Registrar’s frequently asked questions.