Undergraduate Advising

Welcome to academic advising at CSUB. The University currently has five academic advising centers on campus, each with their own unique approach to working with their majors. Additionally, there is a dedicated advising center on our Antelope Valley (AV) campus. Academic advising is required for all undergraduate students. Your undergraduate advisor is dependent on your major and will determine whether you meet with an academic advisor, a faculty advisor, or both. Meeting with an advisor ensures that you are fulfilling your specific degree requirements and accomplishing your academic goals in a timely manner. CSUB is committed to providing you the support and resources needed to complete your degree.

Academic Advising Centers

Antelope Valley (AV)
Arts & Humanities (AH)
Business & Public Administration (BPA)
Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering (NSME)
Social Sciences & Education (SSE)

Program Pathways Mapper

CSUB's Academic Colleges are groups of similar programs that are designed to help you select a program of study and speed your progress towards completion. You will find information on occupations and careers commonly associated with each program, including typical wages and the labor market demand for California. Each Pathway allows you to explore a set of program maps that show a semester by semester path from program entry to completion. You will also find information about various careers, salary and expected growth that will deepen your understanding of each program and Pathway, helping you build confidence in your program choice.
Program Pathways Mapper (PPM)

Common Advising Questions

Academic Advisors and Faculty Advisors are available to students through their major. Find your major and your advisor's contact information through our Find My Advisor list.

If you have an Advising hold, you are required to meet with your Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor. Once you meet with them, they will remove your Advising hold, and you will be able to register for your classes during your registration date and time.

If you do not have an Advising hold, you are not required to meet with your Academic Advisor or Faculty Advisor. However, it is recommended you meet with an advisor at least once a semester to make sure you understand your degree requirements and you stay on track for graduation.

Yes, you can meet with your Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor more than once in a semester. However, during heavy advising periods, it may not be possible to receive more than one appointment due to the size of your major and/or school.

Students need a minimum of 120 semester units to graduate, which consists of:

  • A minimum of 40 upper division units
  • A minimum of 30 units at CSUB, including at least 24 upper division and at least 12 major units
  • A maximum of 70 transferable units from community colleges
  • A maximum of 6 total units earned in Kinesiology (KINE) activity courses and/or General Studies (GST) courses

For more information on other graduation requirements, view the Graduation Checklist for Undergraduate Students on the Registrar's website.

It's important you consider the other factors of your life when selecting your unit load. Different students require different unit loads, depending on outside obligations. Be sure to choose the amount of units to take that works best for you.

Graduation Pace for First Time, First Year Students

Graduation for First Time, First Year Students

 Units per Year Units per Semester
Graduate in 4 years 30 15
Graduate in 5 years 24 12
Graduate in 6 years 20 10

 

Graduation Pace for Incoming Transfer Students

Graduation for Incoming Transfer Students

 Units per Year Units per Semester
Graduate in 2 years 30 15
Graduate in 3 years

Advising holds are placed on student's MyCSUB account after Census Day of each Fall and Spring term by the Registrar's office.

  • Freshmen (0 - 29 earned units) will have an advising hold placed on their MyCSUB account in the Fall and Spring terms.
  • Sophomores (30 - 59 earned units) will have an advising hold placed on their MyCSUB account in the Spring term for Fall enrollment.
  • Juniors (60 - 89 earned units) will have an advising hold placed on their MyCSUB account in the Fall term for Spring enrollment.
  • Seniors (90+ earned units) will not have an advising hold placed on their MyCSUB account. However, we recommend that seniors regularly schedule advising appointments with their Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor every term to prepare for registration and stay on track to graduate.
Screen shot of how to view your unofficial transcript.
  1. In the Academics section of your MyCSUB homepage, click on the blue square with three lines (top right). This section will expand and provide you with a long list of options.  
  2. Click on Transcript: View Unofficial and you will be able to look at your classes in a list view.  
  3. The next page will ask you choose your Academic Institution (choose Cal State Univ., Bakersfield) and choose your Report Type (choose Unofficial Transcript).
  4. Click View Report.

Different majors use roadmaps such as the Program Pathways Mapper and California Promise Degree Completion Plans in different ways.

For some majors, they are examples on how to graduate in two or four years. Courses on these plans may not always be taught in the semester shown and other schedules may be equally valid.

For other majors, these plans are built to help you navigate course sequencing and prerequisite courses in the time frames needed to help you progress to graduation in a timely manner. Delaying courses on some of these plans may negatively impact your long-term timeline for graduation. Courses may be displayed during the specific semester the course is offered.

Be sure to meet with your Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor frequently to ensure you are meeting all degree requirements.

Important Dates - Spring 2025

Important dates for the spring 2025 semester
Date Item
Tuesday, January 21 First Day of Classes
Thursday, January 30 Last Day to Add Classes
Monday, February 17 Last Day to Change between Credit/No-credit and Letter Grading
Monday, February 17 Census Day
Monday, February 17 Last Day to Withdraw from Classes without a "W" being recorded
Monday, March 31 Academic Advising for Continuing Students Begins (for Summer/Fall 2025)
Monday, April 28 Registration for Continuing Students Begins (for Summer/Fall 2025)
Friday, April 11 Last Day to Withdraw from Classes for a Serious and Compelling Reason
Monday, May 12 Last Day of Classes

View the Academic Calendar.