Advising

Make Every Semester Count

Seek advising regularly. Meeting with an academic advisor at San Francisco State University is essential to staying on track with your academic goals.

Whether you're an undergraduate or graduate student, advisors help you navigate course selection, degree requirements, and career planning, ensuring you make informed decisions about your academic path.

Advising Resources

Use the table below to guide you to the best advising resource based on your needs.

Advising Need	Advisor Recommendation
Undergraduate Students: Choosing courses/degree planning for general education, major, minor, and certificates Understanding transfer credits Graduation check Academic success strategies Academic notice and clearing holds Exploring options for majors, minors, and certificates Petition of study abroad courses for general education Referrals to campus resources Academic policy inquiries and assistance with appeal forms	Academic Advisors at the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) OR For EOPP Students - Academic Advisors from the Educational Opportunity and Pathway Programs (EOPP)
Undergraduate and Second Baccalaureate Students: Selection of appropriate major/minor/certificate courses based on career and professional goals Course substitutions and exceptions for major/minor/certificate Opportunities for research or teaching assistantships Mentorship, careers, internships, and graduate school preparation Approval of study abroad courses for major/minor Requests and approvals for forms requiring major advisor approval	PACE, Gerontology, and Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Advisors (see advisor list and hours below)
Requests and approvals for forms requiring department chair approval Request meeting with department chair	PACE Department Office Email: pace@sfsu.edu Location: HSS 307
Information about Study Abroad opportunities and application process/timelines	See Study Abroad as the first step
Graduate/Second Baccalaureate Students: General advising questions (petitions, policies/procedures, registration, and academic notice)	Division of Graduate Studies & Career Development Advising Email: gradstudies@sfsu.edu Phone: (415) 338-2234 Location: ADM 254 (8:00 am – 4:30 pm)
Graduate Students: Graduate student course planning, academic advising, Advancement to Candidacy, and Graduate Student Culminating Experience	See the Graduate Coordinator for your program or contact your Culminating Experience Committee Chair

Advising Need

Advisor Recommendation

Undergraduate Students:

Choosing courses/degree planning for general education, major, minor, and certificates
Understanding transfer credits
Graduation check
Academic success strategies
Academic notice and clearing holds
Exploring options for majors, minors, and certificates
Petition of study abroad courses for general education
Referrals to campus resources
Academic policy inquiries and assistance with appeal forms

Academic Advisors at the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC)

For EOPP Students - Academic Advisors from the Educational Opportunity and Pathway Programs (EOPP)

Undergraduate and Second Baccalaureate Students:

Selection of appropriate major/minor/certificate courses based on career and professional goals
Course substitutions and exceptions for major/minor/certificate
Opportunities for research or teaching assistantships
Mentorship, careers, internships, and graduate school preparation
Approval of study abroad courses for major/minor
Requests and approvals for forms requiring major advisor approval

PACE, Gerontology, and Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Advisors (see advisor list and hours below)

Requests and approvals for forms requiring department chair approval
Request meeting with department chair

PACE Department Office
Email: pace@sfsu.edu
Location: HSS 307

Information about Study Abroad opportunities and application process/timelines

See Study Abroad as the first step

Graduate/Second Baccalaureate Students:

General advising questions (petitions, policies/procedures, registration, and academic notice)

Division of Graduate Studies & Career Development Advising
Email: gradstudies@sfsu.edu
Phone: (415) 338-2234
Location: ADM 254 (8:00 am – 4:30 pm)

Graduate Students:

Graduate student course planning, academic advising, Advancement to Candidacy, and Graduate Student Culminating Experience

See the Graduate Coordinator for your program or contact your Culminating Experience Committee Chair

PACE Degree Programs Advising

We want you to succeed! PACE students should regularly seek advice in navigating the curriculum and planning their course schedules. If you are unsure of whom to contact, the following information should connect you to at least one core faculty adviser throughout your studies. Contact your respective adviser for an appointment.

If your last name begins with...	Advisor	Contact for appointment
A - I	Dr. Ernita Joaquin	ejoaquin@sfsu.edu
J - Q	Dr. Jennifer Shea	jshea@sfsu.edu
R - Z	Dr. Janey Wang	jqwang@sfsu.edu

PACE Canvas Page

Check the PACE Canvas page for advising resources specific to PACE students, including scheduling advice, detailed graduate degree roadmaps, information about group course advising and other sessions offered by PACE.

*You might get redirected to canvas.sfsu.edu if you're not already logged into Canvas. You can log in by clicking on the yellow button on the right-hand side.

Division of Graduate Studies

Additional advising is available for new and continuing graduate students through the Division of Graduate Studies.

M.A. in Gerontology Program Advising

Dr. Emiko Takagi (etakagi@sfsu.edu) is the faculty advisor for all M.A. in Gerontology students. The program is currently teaching out its continuing students. It is being replace with the MPA: Concentration in Aging in Society in fall 2026. Dr. Takagi is the primary faculty advisor for students in the Concentration.

M.A. in Gerontology Degree Requirements

MPA Program Advising

The SFSU MPA Program offers two degree options: (1) the traditional MPA, where students choose an area of elective emphasis and (2) the new MPA: Concentration in Aging in Society, where students take 4 courses focused on issues related to aging in society instead of elective courses.

The primary faculty advisor for all students in the MPA: Concentration: Aging in Society is Dr. Emiko Takagi (etakagi@sfsu.edu). Students in the traditional MPA degree are distributed alphabetically by last name among three faculty advisors.

If your last name begins with...	Advisor	Contact for appointment
A - I	Dr. Ernita Joaquin	ejoaquin@sfsu.edu
J - Q	Dr. Jennifer Shea	jshea@sfsu.edu
R - Z	Dr. Janey Wang	jqwang@sfsu.edu

View the bulletin for degree-specific requirements

Traditional MPA degree requirements, including areas of elective emphasis
MPA: Concentration in Aging in Society degree requirements

Urban Studies and Planning Program Advising

If your last name begins with...	Advisor	Office	Contact for appointment
A - I	Dr. Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes	HSS 137	raquelrp@sfsu.edu
J - Q	Dr. Jasper Rubin	HSS 133	mjrubin@sfsu.edu
R - Z	Dr. Tony Sparks	HSS 210	tsparks@sfsu.edu

How do I declare a major or minor in Urban Studies and Planning (USP)?

We welcome new students to the USP major and minor! Urban Studies & Planning is currently open to all students admitted through the University admissions process. To declare, follow these steps on the Registrar Office's website.

Review the degree requirements for the Urban Studies & Planning major and minor in the Academic Bulletin. Contact pace@sfsu.edu with any questions.

What courses are being offered?

Go to the online course schedule and enter USP in the search box.

Consult with your USP advisor, PACE Director Dr. Shea, and/or the PACE Canvas site for more information about expected frequencies and semesters of course offerings, to ensure timely progression to your degree.

Program Roadmaps

B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning Roadmaps – Including roadmaps for first-time students (4-year), transfer students (2-year), and SFSU Accelerated Bachelor’s + Master’s program in Public Administration (MPA) and B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning
Minor in Urban Studies and Planning Program Requirements

SFSU Accelerated Bachelor's + Master's Programs Advising

PACE offers 6 SFSU Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's Programs in partnership with different undergraduate programs on campus.

For the traditional MPA degree (roadmaps):

The graduate (MPA) advisor for all 4 of these Accelerated Programs is Dr. Jennifer Shea (jshea@sfsu.edu). Students should also continue to see advising from their undergraduate major advisor until they officially matriculate as a graduate student at SFSU.

For the MPA: Concentration in Aging in Society degree:

The graduate (MPA) advisor for both of these Accelerated Programs is Dr. Emiko Takagi (etakagi@sfsu.edu). Students should also continue to see advising from their undergraduate major advisor until they officially matriculate as a graduate student at SFSU.