Advising

Students who are interested in pursuing a major or minor in physics should meet with an advisor as early as possible to discuss the program and work out a plan that meets their educational goals.

Physics offers faculty and peer advising to undergraduate students. Please see the information below to determine which type of advising is the best fit for you.

Faculty Advisors

Faculty advisors can provide in-person or Zoom appointments. They can help you with: 

• Exploring the major or minor
• Declaring a major or minor
• Major or minor progress
• Course selection
• Preparing for graduate school
• Finding research
• Major or minor releases
• Exceptions to major requirements
• Approval of Interdisciplinary Physics cognate plans
• Transfer credit review

COMING SOON: Drop-In Peer Advising - Available in Fall 2026!

Peer Advisors are current Physics or Interdisciplinary Physics majors with a variety of experiences and perspectives who can help guide you. They can help with: 

• Exploring the majors or minor
• Declaring a major or minor
• Major or minor progress
• Course selection, including experiences in specific physics classes (workload, instruction, structure, prerequisites, etc.)
• Advice on how to balance workload of classes
• How to contact faculty about research and/or how to narrow down research interests
• Experiences with majoring in Physics, in addition to other areas of study (double majors, minors, etc.) including difficulty, strategies for success and additional resources
• Experiences in extracurricular activities (physics or otherwise!)

Peer advisors cannot:

• Process major or minor releases
• Review transfer credit
• Approve exceptions to major requirements or Interdisciplinary Physics cognate plans

APPLY TO BE A PEER ADVISOR FOR THE 2026-2027 ACADEMIC YEAR!  

The Physics Department is currently hiring two undergraduate peer advisors for the 2026-2027 academic year. Applicants must be declared as a Physics or Interdisciplinary Physics major. Preferred applicants will be current sophomores or juniors at UM at the time of application. Peer Advisors will be paid $20/hr and are expected to work 3-5 hours per week conducting in-person and online drop-in advising. Peer Advisors will also be asked to assist with departmental events, such as Campus Visit Days for prospective undergraduates, and the Major/Minor Expo.

The application process entails:

• Submitting the application form and attaching your resume by the deadline: Sunday, March 8, 2026
• Completing a quiz linked at the end of the application by the deadline:  Sunday, March 8, 2026
• By invitation: interview with the Physics SSO Staff in mid to late March

If hired, new Peer Advisors must complete the following paid training before they begin advising in Fall 2026. Advising begins the first week of classes. 

• Complete independent, online training modules in August 2026
• Attend in-person training on 8/28/26 - the Friday before Fall 2026 semester begins. Expect it will be all day, appx. 9am-4pm. Applicants must be able to come to campus in person for this training.