BSPH New Student Academic Advising & Course Registration
Welcome to Public Health!
We look forward to welcoming you as a Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) student!
The virtual academic advising & course registration period is a vital part of your transition to Virginia Tech. All new first year students and all transfer BSPH students are required to attend a virtual academic advising meeting with their assigned Public Health academic advisor. At this meeting, you will discuss your class schedule, obtain critical information for your success and be provided with key take-aways about new student transition events.
The information below details how virtual academic advising and course registration will occur. In addition, we have outlined steps that need to be taken in order to prepare for and sign up for your virtual academic advising appointment.
It is extremely important that you keep checking your Virginia Tech email for important updates and announcements including information about the university virtual orientation modules and for additional information from your Public Health academic advisor.
To prepare for virtual academic advising & course registration, please review and complete the action items listed below. The Public Health advising team is looking forward to meeting you and helping you make a smooth transition to Virginia Tech!
Questions? Email phadvising@vt.edu
Virtual Academic Advising & Course Registration Timeline
May 6:
- Review the welcome email from Public Health Advising with important advising information. This email will be sent to your Virginia Tech email address.
- Complete the PHS Pre-Advising Form.
- Prepare for your advising session by completing the University virtual orientation required modules
- Complete University advising checklist action items
- Be sure that your official high school transcript and any college/university transcripts have been submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
- Be sure that official scores for AP, IB, CLEP tests have been submitted to the University Registrar. Virginia Tech's school code is 5859.
June 6:
- The second advising email will be sent by your assigned Public Health academic advisor on June 6 and will contain information on the advising process, including how to schedule your individual academic advising appointment. Advising sessions will take place over Zoom and will not require students to attend an in-person session.
- Schedule your virtual academic advising appointment. Students can meet with their advisor between June 11 to July 3.
- You will also be added to the Public Health New Student Canvas site which will provide you with additional information on how to select and register for classes along with additional important student information. Canvas is the learning management system used by your advisor and most of your professors.
- You will be required to accept the invitation to join the Canvas site (sent to your VT email address) and then review all the modules. These modules related to how to regiser or classes, what classes to register for, and other important information about your major. It is important that you complete this step before meeting with an academic advisor. Students are required to register themselves for classes.
June 11-July 3:
- The course registration system will open for all new incoming students on June 11 and students will be able to add and register for classes starting on June 11. Students should reference the instructions provided in the Canvas site on how to register for classes. We recommend students register early as classes will fill up.
- If not yet done, sign up for your virtual academic advising appointment with your assigned academic advisor. Students should seek to register for classes before attending your advising session. During your session your advisor will review any transfer or AP credit, review your schedule and answer any questions you may have.
- Complete your Health Immunization form by June 30 to avoid a $100.00 fine. For more information visit the Health Center's New Students Website.
Your Public Health Advising Experience
You will receive a series of emails from Public Health Advising and your individual academic advisor starting in early May. These emails will contain information on the steps you are required to complete prior to your appointment and how to schedule your virtual academic advising appointment. All emails will be sent to your Virginia Tech email address. Students should check their email regularly.
You will also receive an invitation to join the Public Health Academic Advising and Course Registration Canvas site. You will be required to accept the invitation to join the Canvas site, review important information about the BSPH curriculum and how to create your schedule before meeting with your advisor. Students should review and complete the canvas site modules before meeting with their advisor.
Check out the information below for what you should be doing before, during, and after your academic advising session.
- Students will receive communications from both phadvising@vt.edu and their individual assigned academic advsior. These emails will contain information on how to schedule your virtual academic advising appointment, how to join the canvas site as well as provide more information on what students should complete prior to their appointment.
- Prior to meeting with your advisor please complete the following:
- Complete the PHS Pre-Advising Form and include all sources of anticipated credits (AP, IB, dual enrollment, etc.)
- Have copies of any credit information (transcripts, AP/IB scores, etc.) with you during your advising appointment (if possible)
- Complete the University advising checklist action items, this includes having any official transcripts or AP/IB test scores submitted to the University.
- Complete the modules on the Public Health Academic Advising and Course Registration Canvas site
- Follow the directions on Canvas to register for the courses we have suggested that new students enroll in.
- Complete the University Virtual Orientations Modules
- Make sure you have all these items available when you meet with your academic advisor:
- A charged cell phone for Virginia Tech two-factor authentication.
- Your Virginia Tech username and password.
- A device other than your phone to access Hokiespa/Hokie Scheduler
- You will use ADD/DROP to create your schedule and register for your classes. For registration instructions, please refer back to the Canvas site and the registration/ADD-DROP videos to review how to register for classes.
- When you attend your virtual advising session, your advisor will discuss course recommendations with you and answer any questions you may have about registration and degree requirements.
- All advising appointments will take place over Zoom and will not require students to attend an in-person session. Students can expect advising session to take between 45-60 minutes.
- Prior to meeting with your advisor, students should have explored how to use ADD/DROP and registered for the courses recommended for Public Health majors.
- When you attend your virtual advising meeting, your advisor will:
- review your schedule
- assist you in making necessary changes
- discuss any additional course recommendations
- answer any questions you may have about registration and degree requirements.
- Once you have met with an advisor, you will be able to make any additional changes to your schedule through ADD/DROP.
- Make sure you have all these items available when you meet with your academic advisor:
- A charged cell phone for Virginia Tech two-factor authentication.
- Your Virginia Tech username and password.
- A device other than your cell phone to access Hokiespa/Hokie Scheduler.
After your virtual advising session, you will be able to make changes to your schedule. However, it is highly recommended that you do NOT make changes to first-year classes such as ENGL 1105, BIOL 1105, MATH 1014 or MATH 1025. These classes are in high demand and if you drop one of them, even accidentally, you may not get back in and will then risk falling behind in your program of study. If you have questions and feel a change to your schedule is needed, please contact your advisor.
Your advisor will also send you a follow up email with important information about orientation program taking place before classes start. Please be sure to continue to check your vt.edu email address and the Canvas site as we will continue to share information with you using these methods.
Before you come to campus for move-in, make sure you review all information about where to go and where to check in, as well as how to access campus maps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students can begin to schedule appointments with their advisor as early as June 6. Scheduled appointments will start on June 11 and will conclude on July 3. Your advisor will email you with a link to register for an appointment, please use the link sent to you by your advisor to ensure you register for an hour long appointment. Students will be able to pick a day and time that works best with their schedule and advisors will be available in the time period shared to meet with new and transfer students for course scheduling.
At the beginning of June your Public Health academic advisor will email you (at your VT email) with information on how to schedule an academic advising appointment. If you are unable to find that email, we will also share advising appointment instructions on the Public Health Advising and Course Registration Canvas page. If you do not get an email by June 7, please email phadvising@vt.edu
Students can and should begin to register for classes sooner rather than later. Registration opens on June 11 and students do not have to wait until their scheduled appointment to register for classes! We ask that you register for the courses we have recommended prior to your academic advising meeting. Students are able to register for classes using ADD/DROP. While we have identified courses that students should take, we understand that changes may need to be made based on transfer credit.
Detailed instructions on how to register for classes using ADD/DROP, along with the classes students should enroll in, is available on the Public Health Advising and Course Registration Canvas page.
Students should pay careful attention to the detail instructions provided in the Public Health Advising and Course Registration Canvas page along with the emails they have received. Students will have an opportunity to have their questions addressed during their individual academic advsising appointment. During your advising appointment your advisor will review the courses you have registered for, assist you with any needed schedule adjustments and answer any questions you may have.
If you have urgent questions about course registration that you feel can't wait until your advising appointment, please email your advisor. Your advisor’s information is listed in canvas and students can also respond to emails sent by their Public Health advisor. Student unable to locate their advisors contact information can also contact phadvising@vt.edu and their assigned advisor will respond.
Canvas is the student learning management system that most of your faculty will use. View the Student Tech Tools page provided by VT Advising and you can watch this handy Canvas Tutorial video to learn more and see how Canvas is used in your classes.
You will receive an invitation to join the New Student Canvas site. This invitation will be sent to your VT email address. You will be required to accept the invitation to join the Canvas site. Look for the course in your Canvas Dashboard at http:/canvas.vt.edu.
The Public Health New Student canvas site which will provide you with additional information on how to select and register for classes along with additional important student information. Students should complete all the modules on the Public Health New Student canvas site prior to their advising appointment and should register for the courses suggested prior to meeting with their academic advisor.
Should you have missed the email from your advisor on how to schedule a virtual appointment, this information will also be shared on the Canvas site.
The Canvas site will open a week before course registration starts, please be sure you have completed the all the Public Health New Student modules prior to attending your advising appointment.
Undergraduate Public Health Programs Contact Information:
Email: phadvising@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-3945
Mailing Address:
Public Health Program
262 Wallace Hall (0395)
295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061