For Parents: Academic Advising & Support

Where can students get good advice?

Though we'll never fully replace your advice, we do have resources to help students fulfill their potential at Duke. For general student life questions—from housing to orientation programs or special family weekends—undergraduates can always contact the Dean of Students Office.

First-year students are assigned an advisor, either through the Pratt School of Engineering or the Academic Advising Center of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

For Engineering Advice: Engineering students are not required to choose a specific area of engineering when they enter the university, but they may request a faculty advisor in a particular department. In fact, we encourage first-year students to explore each of our engineering departments and to "try on" various career opportunities. Advisors, all of whom are fulltime faculty members, help students stay on track in meeting their course requirements, provide guidance in identifying curricular and research opportunities, and help students prepare for successful careers.

For Arts and Sciences Advice: The team of academic advisors guides Trinity College students during their first two years, not only in choosing courses that will fulfill the liberal arts curriculum requirements, but also in preparing for the range of post-graduate and professional paths available. Advisors also help direct students to research and fellowship opportunities and guide them toward choosing a major. When Trinity College students declare a major by the end of their sophomore year, they then work with advisors in the appropriate department or program. Duke also has special advisors who work to prepare students who are interested in pursuing careers in health, law, or business. Duke has an exceptional record of preparing and placing students in leading graduate and professional schools.

What if my son or daughter requires a little extra support?

We find that even the brightest students need a little extra help once in a while—after all, it's tough to write a brilliant paper if you have writer's block and ten other things to do. Duke's Academic Resource Center is here to help. Through tutoring, individual conferences, and group workshops, the Academic Resource Center helps undergraduates strengthen their skills and develop strategies for success in the classroom.

Because all students do not learn in the same manner, the center tailors its advice to meet a student's specific academic needs. At some point, most Duke undergraduates take advantage of the center's guidance in providing strategies for taking tests, ways to identify the key points in lectures and reading assignments, or time management skills.