College of Education advisors are here to assist all undergraduate students admitted to the college. We also welcome prospective students interested in our programs to visit us for further guidance towards the application process. From adding and dropping courses, to creating a plan of study, to making sure you are on track for graduation, we are here to help you navigate the ins and outs of your education experience to meet your goals.
Our Goals and Philosophy
The College of Education at the University of Iowa is committed to providing effective advising services to you as an essential component of your educational experience. Our goals as advisors are to offer individualized, course-specific and general academic assistance for all students. We strive to engage students through a holistic partnership focused on personalized educational and professional goals.
- Develop plans of study for each student admitted to the Teacher Education Program.
- Introduce requirements for programs and specializations and maintain progress towards completion.
- Communicate important dates and specific academic policies.
- Meet with students once per semester to authorize for registration.
- Make referrals to other campus resources, such as Financial Aid, University Counseling Service, etc.
- Analyze a student’s degree audit to approve them for their student teaching semester.
- Advise and monitor student’s progress towards graduation.
Meet the Advisors
Misty Brents
Senior Academic Advisor of Elementary Education and Coordinator of Admitted Student Engagement
N287 LC, 319-335-5612
Carter Burks
Senior Academic Advisor of Elementary Education and Outreach & Leadership Coordinator
N285 LC, 319-467-3260
Sarah Showalter
Senior Academic Advisor of Secondary Advising and Registrar (Art, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, World Language)
N283 LC, 319-335-5119
Sheryl Bass
Senior Academic Advisor and Internship/Practicum Specialist
Primary Advisor for:
Education Studies and Human Relations (ESHR)
Counseling and Behavioral Health Services (CBHS)
319-335-1152
sheryl-bass@uiowa.edu
Secondary Education Advisors
Select secondary education programs are advised by program coordinators. Please contact them for an advising appointment.
- Music Education: Jeremy Manternach, 4304 Voxman Music building, 319-335-1623, jeremy-manternach@uiowa.edu
- Science Education: Ted Neal, ted-neal@uiowa.edu
Resources, Policies, and Forms
Sample Plans of Study
Elementary Education
All other programs
Visit Sample Plans at MyUI for all other programs.
Teacher Education Policies
Resources, policies, and forms for the Teacher Education Program (TEP).
Program Guides
College program, major, and endorsement requirements
Adding and Dropping Courses
Please visit the registrar’s site for detailed instructions on making registration changes and for more information about course deadlines.
Adding courses
Adding courses before the deadline
You may add courses after the semester has begun, but only until the deadline for adding courses. Please see the Registrar’s Academic Calendar for the final day for undergraduates to add courses each semester; this deadline is usually the 10th day of the semester. Summer and winter sessions have other deadlines.
If a course has not yet begun, you may add the course on MyUI.
For the first five (5) days of classes for a fall or spring semester, students are able to add or change sections or semester hours for semester-length courses on MyUI.
To add a course after the 5th day of the semester, or to add on or after the start date for an off-cycle, summer, or winter session course, you must obtain permission from the course instructor and your academic advisor to add the course in MyUI. After all required authorizations are received, you will have 24 hours to finalize the add in MyUI. See MyUI course add tutorial.
For assistance with registration changes for online courses (section number 0EX_), contact Distance and Online Education Registration at doe-reg@uiowa.edu, or 319-335-2852.
Off-cycle courses that start or end at times other than the beginning and end of the semester have add deadlines different from those of semester-long courses. Deadlines for individual courses, including off-cycle courses, may be found at the Registrar's Course Deadlines look-up.
Additional information on making registration changes may be found on the Registrar's website.
Adding courses after the deadline
Students may request permission to add a course after the deadline, which for a spring semester or fall semester course typically is after the 10th day of the semester; or for off-cycle, summer, or winter session courses is on or after the start date of the course. Students may not register or add individual courses retroactively.
You may initiate adding a course in MyUI. Adding a course after the deadline requires approval from:
- your academic advisor;
- the course instructor; and
- a dean. Request the dean's authorization last, after you have approval from your academic advisor and the course instructor. The dean who should authorize the request depends on the college that offers the course.
- Certain student populations may require additional permissions, for example:
- Student-athletes also must obtain permission from Student-Athlete Academic Services. International students also must obtain permission from International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
- Undergraduate Students: Contact Office of Student Services, Lindquist Center (LC), ask-education@uiowa.edu, 319-335-5359.
- Graduate Students (Program college of your primary program of study is "GRAD"): Contact Graduate College, 205 Gilmore Hall (GILH), gradcoll@uiowa.edu, 319-335-2144.
Who do I contact for dean's authorization?
To add a course offered by the College of Education (identified by Admin: College of Education in the MyUI course description):
Undergraduate students adding a course offered by another college can find dean's office contacts at: https://registrar.uiowa.edu/collegiate-deans-office-contact-information-students
Deadlines
After all required authorizations are received you will have 24 hours to finalize the add in MyUI. See https://registrar.uiowa.edu/myui-course-add-tutorial.
Dropping courses
Dropping courses before the deadline
Please note that different deadlines exist for students wishing to drop individual courses or withdraw from an entire semester. Visit the Registrar's Course Deadlines calendar for the exact dates of these deadlines each semester.
For the first five (5) days of classes of a fall or spring semester, students (except student athletes and international students) will be able to drop semester-length courses on MyUI. However, students will not be able to drop their only (last) course on MyUI, as that is a Withdrawal of Registration.
To drop a course after the 5th day of the semester, or to drop on or after the start date for an off-cycle, summer, or winter session course, a student may indicate the desire to drop a course from the schedule page on MyUI. The student is then responsible for contacting their academic advisor to obtain authorization to drop the course. The academic advisor will not be notified automatically of the drop request.
Please note, all authorizations must be obtained by 4:30 pm on the course deadline date. After the required authorizations have been obtained, the student is notified and must log in to MyUI to complete the drop process by 11:59 pm on the deadline to drop the course.
Dropping courses after the deadline
Students may petition to drop a course after the deadline (listed as the “last day to drop without dean’s approval, undergraduate” or "last day for undergraduates to drop individual semester-length courses" on the Registrar's Course Deadlines look-up). Please note that approval to drop College of Education courses after the final drop deadline may be granted only with documentation of extenuating circumstances (such as a serious illness or a crisis beyond the student's control).
Undergraduate Students
To request a late drop of a course offered by the College of Education (identified by “Admin: College of Education” in the MyUI course description):
- Initiate a drop for the course in MyUI.
- Speak with your academic advisor to request their permission to drop.
- After you have received advisor approval, you may submit the College of Education Late Drop Request Form to request collegiate approval for the late drop. Please be sure to:
- Include any relevant supporting documentation
- Monitor your Iowa email account for additional instructions or required steps
- Certain student populations may require additional permissions, for example:
- Student-athletes also must obtain permission from Student-Athlete Academic Services.
- International students also must obtain permission from International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
- Students with questions are encouraged to reach out to Office of Student Services, Lindquist Center (LC), ask-education@uiowa.edu, 319-335-5359.
Note: This process applies to undergraduate students enrolled in courses administered by the College of Education during the current enrollment session. For retroactive registration changes after the session has concluded, students should consult with their primary college of enrollment. For registration changes to courses offered by other colleges, please consult with the collegiate home for that course. Please reference the cross-enrollment policy to learn more and visit the list of collegiate contacts for assistance with registration changes in other colleges.
Graduate Students
For students whose primary program and college is "GRAD": Contact Graduate College, 205 Gilmore Hall (GILH), gradcoll@uiowa.edu, 319-335-2144.
Deadlines
After all required authorizations are received you will have 24 hours to finalize the drop in MyUI. See https://registrar.uiowa.edu/myui-course-add-tutorial.
Additional policies relating to dropping courses
- Students who fail to attend a class are NOT, in most cases, dropped from the course automatically. All students wishing to drop a course must obtain the necessary authorizations as described above. Only under special conditions may an instructor drop a student from a course.
- Instructor's option to drop for nonattendance. In rare cases, the instructor may drop any student who has not attended the class during the first eight calendar days of the fall or spring semester (or during the first two calendar days of the winter session, or during the first four days of the four-week, six-week, eight-week, or twelve-week summer sessions) unless the student has offered acceptable reasons for beginning the course late. Students dropped for nonattendance do not receive a “W." The UI Service Center notifies each student who has been dropped from a course, and their advisor. Students should not assume that they have been dropped automatically from a course because they have not attended it.
- Dropping a course without a “W”
You may drop courses after the semester has begun; the first drop deadline is usually the 10th day of the semester for semester-length courses. This deadline is labeled as “Last day for undergraduates to add courses or drop courses without a W”, or "Last day to drop without a 'W'". Courses dropped by this deadline will not be visible on your transcript. - Dropping a course with a “W”
The second deadline to drop a course, listed as “Last day to drop without dean’s approval, undergraduate”, or "Last day for undergraduates to drop individual semester-length courses" is usually on the Monday of the tenth week of the semester for semester-length courses. This is the final drop deadline. Courses dropped during this period remain on your transcript with a mark of W, indicating that you have dropped the course. - Dropping an “off-cycle” course
Off-cycle courses (courses that start or end at times other than the beginning and end of the semester) have drop deadlines different from those of semester-length courses. Deadlines for individual courses, including off-cycle courses, may be found at the Registrar's Course Deadlines look-up.
Campus Resources
- University Counseling Service
- Self-Help, University Counseling Service
- TRIO Student Support Services, Division of Access Opportunity & Diversity
- Resources for Students - University College
- Student Disability Services
- Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology
- Find Resources, Basic Needs & Support
- Tutor Iowa
- Academic Tips Worksheets, Tutor Iowa
- Supplemental Instruction - Tutor Iowa
Community College Transfer Guides
The University of Iowa College of Education and University of Iowa has created the following community college transfer guides.
Community College Transfer Guides
- Des Moines Area Community College
- Eastern Iowa Community College
- Hawkeye Community College
- Iowa Central Community College
- Indian Hills Community College
- Iowa Lakes Community College
- Iowa Valley Community College
- Iowa Western Community College
- Kirkwood Community College
- Northeast Iowa Community College
- North Iowa Area Community College
- Northwest Iowa Community College
- Southeastern Community College
- Southwestern Community College
- Western Iowa Technical Community College