Welcome! Academic Advising is one of the most important partnerships you will form while in college. Advising helps you understand education and graduation requirements, explore academic and career options, set goals, and make informed decisions on a regular basis – all reasons you should stay in touch with your advisor throughout your college career.

If you are taking 6 credit hours or more, you will be assigned a faculty advisor in your program of study within the first month of your first semester at COA. If you are taking less than 6 hours, you may see an advisor in Student Success and Enrollment Management (SSEM). To find your assigned advisor, login to Campus Cruiser and view your Profile in My Web Advisor.

Your advisor is available to help you navigate through your educational experience at COA, so feel free to contact him or her anytime you need assistance. All advisors post a schedule of office hours for your convenience. Your advisor will assist you in selecting courses, planning your schedule, and registering for your classes. While your advisor is here to help, it is important to know that advising is a shared responsibility. You are in charge of your education and need to take an active role in planning your schedule with your advisor each semester. Take a few minutes to review the Advising Resources where you’ll learn how to plan out your schedule, ensuring you take the necessary classes to graduate and/or transfer to a four year college.

New students

Attend an orientation session! Orientation will introduce you to COA and equip you with the information you need about the campus you plan to attend. Orientation can be completed in person or online; contact a Student Success advisor in the Academic Advising office on your campus for more information. If you plan to take online courses, you must also complete the online Moodle Orientation and pass with a score of 90 or higher to be eligible to register for online courses. Access the Moodle Orientation and log in using your Campus Cruiser user name and password.

As a college student access to your academic records are protected through a law known as Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 or FERPA. The advisors at COA maintain strict adherence to FERPA and limit access to your academic records to you alone, unless you give written permission to do otherwise. For more information on FERPA go to Student Rights and Responsibilities in the COA Catalog. A FERPA parent resource is available at College Parents of America.

Course Load
Sixteen semester hours of college work is considered the normal student load. Permission must be obtained from the Vice President, Instruction, or designee, for scheduling more than 18 hours of work. This is not necessary when students are registering for the specific course load designated in their occupational program of study. A student enrolled in at least 12 hours of work is considered a full-time student. For students to gain sophomore status at the college, they must earn a minimum of 32 credit hours.

College Catalog
The college catalog contains information about academic policies and regulations, the curriculum for each academic program, and course descriptions for each course offered. The course descriptions will list prerequisites or co-requisites you may need to take a particular course. Access the College Catalog.

Campus Cruiser
Campus Cruiser is the online student portal that gives students access to college email, college news and events, campus life information, academic resources, and access to My Web Advisor. Students are assigned a Campus Cruiser account when they first apply to the college.

My Web Advisor
My Web Advisor provides students acces to their academic records and the college registration system Colleague/Datatel. This is an important tool for students to learn how to use. What can a students do in My Web Advisor? Contact thier advisor, see their semester course schedule, evaluate their progress on completing the courses in their program of study, see their transcript, pre-register and register for classes, drop and add classes, pay for their classes with Master Card or VISA, access E-Cashier monthly payment plan, and check their financial aid status. To become familar with the registration features of My Web Advisor go to Register Online

Necessary Advising Forms

1. Credit by Examination Form
2. Course Substitution Form
3. Graduation Application
4. Student Information Change Form (Changing your major and updating your personal information)
5. Withdraw (Drop and Ad) Form

College Transfer Resources

Transfer Student Planner at the CFNC web site to learn more about the transfering

Other transfer resources are also located on the colleges

College Transfer web page located under the New and Current Students directory.

Contact Your Advisor @ Faculty and Staff Directory