Undergraduate Advising
The Office of Undergraduate Programs is here to support all students interested in Computer Science.
While CS majors are paired with a dedicated academic advisor who can answer questions, provide guidance, and meet with you individually—all students, regardless of major, can take advantage of our Express Advising drop-in hours for quick questions or connect with the CS Advising Piazza, an online community for sharing ideas, asking questions, and accessing resources.
Siebel School Undergraduate Express Advising
In-person
Come to our office and talk to us!
Stop by room 1210 in the Siebel Center for Computer Science on the first floor and ask to speak with an advisor.
Express Advising hours for Fall 2025 are Monday through Thursday, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, and Fridays, 10:00 am to 11:30 am. Hours are subject to change based on advisor availability and need. Changes to the weekly schedule will be updated on the queue pages.
The Office of Undergraduate Programs
Phone: 217.333.4428
General email: undergrad@siebelschool.illinois.edu
Staff
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Director of Undergraduate Programs |
Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs |
Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs
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Undergraduate Office Support Associate |
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Jacob Deters |
Katrina Jones |
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Alison B. Champion |
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We are generally available to help students navigate their degree requirements and the policies of their department, school, college, and the university. We can do the following for you:
- Review your degree requirements and assess your progress
- Help you plan your course schedule
- Explain the policies and procedures of your department, school, college, and the university
- Refer you to someone who can help if you are struggling - academically or otherwise
- Advise on transferring in or out of the school
- Assess transfer coursework (computer science coursework only)
- Make curriculum adjustments (e.g. substitutions)
- For international students: Process Curricular Practical Training (CPT) paperwork (but not I-20 extensions, underloads, OPT, and other issues – these should be sent to your college office). Non-engineering CS students will still select CS Advising for OPT request reviews; Engineering CS students will select Engineering Advising for OPT reviews.
- Workshops related to academic, career, personal, and mental health concerns.
You should not expect the academic office staff to do the following:
- Help you with questions about the content of your classes
- Get you into classes (though, in certain cases, they can provide overrides or point you in the right direction)
- Get you out of classes (though they can advise you on the ramifications of and procedures for dropping classes)
We are here to answer your academic questions. Stop by, call or email. Also see: Feedback or Report a problem
Your peers (especially advanced students)
The best source of inside information on what to expect from individual classes and instructors. Ask your fellow students in your classes, in your dorm, in our student clubs, and in our CS Advising Piazza. The school's undergraduate online community: connect, share ideas, and information.
Join the CS Advising Piazza
Your peers can do the following for you:
- Help you anticipate the individual teaching styles of various instructors
- Give you survival tips for each course
- Recommend specific courses to take for electives and/or gen eds (though you should always confirm that their recommendations satisfy the requirements in question)
- Help you avoid difficult course combinations
You should not expect your peers to help you with the following:
- Answer detailed or complicated questions about degree requirements or university policies (these should be forwarded to your CS academic advisor)
- Suggest exceptions or alternatives to requirements or policies (you should view all such information with skepticism and confirm it with an academic advisor)
Note: It's always good to get multiple opinions, particularly regarding course combinations and opinions on how difficult/much work certain courses are. What seems relatively easy for one student might not be for another!