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	Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Advisors (see advisor list and hours below)
Requests and approvals for forms requiring department chair approval Request meeting with department chair	Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Office Email: chemist@sfsu.edu Location: SEIC 211
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

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Advisors (see advisor list and hours below)

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

Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Office
Email: chemist@sfsu.edu
Location: SEIC 211

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

Undergraduate Advising

Congratulations on choosing a career path in Chemistry or Biochemistry at SF State! We would like to welcome you to a great future in the sciences and let you know of some requirements and resources for undergraduates. All new transfer students and freshmen premajors are encouraged to meet with an advisor during the first semester of attendance. At these meetings, advisors will help you plan out a semester-by-semester schedule of classes to meet graduation requirements. Transfer students should bring their unofficial transcript from their transfer institutions so that course equivalencies can be verified.

Degree Plans

B.A. Chemistry

B.S. Chemistry

B.S. Biochemistry

Years 1-2: University Advising Center: Drop-In Undergraduate Advising

All first-year freshmen will be assigned an advisor from the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC). That advisor will assist you in selecting courses during orientation and in registering for courses. Please visit Advising Services to find out how to access your assigned advisor.

Students in their first two years of college will be assigned an advisor from the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) who can answer basic questions about course planning. Students in their third year and beyond or transfer students can meet with a college advisor in the UAC. Information about scheduling an in-person or virtual appointment with a UAC advisor or drop-in advising hours please visit the Undergraduate Advising Center.

For questions about selecting your major, upper division electives, undergraduate research, and career opportunities students should meet with a faculty advisor.

We use a system called Navigator for students to schedule appointments with advisors. Instructions for this system can be found here.

Years 3 onward: Department Advising

For questions about selecting your major, upper division electives, undergraduate research, and career opportunities students should meet with a faculty advisor.

We use a system called Navigator for students to schedule appointments with advisors. Instructions for this system can be found here.

Advising for Majors and Minors

Please schedule the first available appointment using Navigator and selecting Schedule an Appointment. Instructions for this system can be found here.

Advising Guide for New Transfer Students – Planning for the Fall Semester

New transfer students will receive advising from Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) college advisors during transfer orientation. Those advisors will assist students in selecting and registering for courses. Please visit Advising Services to find out how to access UAC advisors.

Transfer Credit Central provides information about your transfer credit. If you do not see courses from your transfer institution listed on your Transfer Credit Report within your Student Center or if the courses you took are not matched with an SF State course, you may be blocked from registering for some courses.

Please reach out to an advisor or the department office for information about how to have courses on your transfer credit report evaluated. If a course has not yet been transferred to SF State, please visit this site for information on submitting transcripts.

Applying for Graduation

Congratulations on getting to your final semester and being close to finishing your degree! We have provided some information below which details the steps you need to complete to get your graduation application.

Undergraduate students who have completed 90 units are eligible to apply to graduate. Your Degree Progress Report (DPR) and the Registrar's guide will help you through the application process. Department advisors can help you resolve any errors in your DPR that might prevent you from graduating.

Please complete the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry exit survey. This will help us learn more about your path to the degree, what we are doing well, where we can improve, and what your plans are after graduation. When you have completed this survey, print out the certificate of completion, and attach it to your graduation application package.

Useful Links

ASSIST – Check transfer credits
Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC)
Financial Aid
Office of International Programs
Registration Deadlines
Tutoring – Tutoring may also be arranged privately by asking at the Chemistry Office (TH 806)
Undergraduate Advising Center
Navigator
Pre-health advising resources

Graduate Advising

There are three sources of advising for graduate students in the M.S. Chemistry and M.S. Chemistry (Concentration in Biochemistry) degree programs:

The graduate coordinator
Chemistry & Biochemistry department faculty
SF State Division of Graduate Studies

Graduate Advisor	Phone	Email	Hours
Dr. Andrew Ichimura	N/A (email for Zoom link)	ichimura@sfsu.edu	Tuesday, 2:30 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. (and by appointment)

Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Faculty

Department faculty can provide students with course, research project, and career advising. In addition, they can aid students in building their professional network and research portfolio which will help them pursue their longer-term career/intellectual goals. Department faculty play a critical role for our M.S. students as they constitute the three-person thesis and research committee which is typically composed of the research mentor plus two additional faculty.

SF State Graduate Studies

The Graduate Studies office at SF State helps advise students on university guidelines, deadlines, and procedures to ensure students meet the minimum requirements for the M.S degree. Please visit the Graduate Studies help desk (GradStop, ADM 250) for routine questions or to submit completed university forms. It is also strongly recommended that M.S. students make a habit of visiting a Graduate Advisor.

Documents and Forms

Below is a list of documents that are required as part of the M.S. degree. It is important that M.S. students use the most up-to-date SF State forms. For a complete list of forms, please visit the Steps to Graduation and Grad Forms pages of the Graduate Studies website.

Proposal for a Culminating Experience - PCE form (PDF)
The PCE form is due and must be approved the semester prior to enrollment in the Culminating Experience course (either CHEM 895 or 898).
Advancement to Candidacy (ATC form)
The ATC form, along with the PCE form, is due and must be approved the semester prior to enrollment in the Culminating Experience course (either CHEM 895 or 898).
Application for Graduation
At the beginning of the semester that a student intends to graduate and Application for Graduation must be submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies.