1. Why should I meet with an academic advisor?
  • Class Schedule Planning: When planning your class schedule for the next semester, an advisor can help you select courses that align with your academic goals and your major’s requirements.
  • Major or Minor Requirements: If you have questions about the requirements for your major or minor, an advisor can provide clarity and help you stay on track for graduation.
  • Study Abroad Planning: If you’re considering studying abroad, an advisor can help you understand how it fits into your academic plan based on your major.
  • Resource Referrals: When you need information about tutoring, academic coaching, or other non-academic resources available at UNT, an advisor can help point you in the right direction.
  • Graduation Check: As you approach graduation, an advisor can help ensure you’ve met all requirements and are prepared for the transition.
  • Advising Holds: If you have an advising hold, you can see it in your MyUNT account. These are typically for first-year students or students on probation. If you have other holds, such as financial holds from accounting, parking, or another non-advising office, we will not be able to remove those holds.
  • Other reasons: Any of the other reasons outlined in this FAQ section, such as changing your major, questions about review eligibility, etc. See the section applicable to you for more information.
2. Who is my advisor?

Choose any advisor you’d like — seriously!

When you schedule an advising appointment through Navigate, you’re free to pick whichever academic advisor you prefer. Remember, all of our advisors offer both online and in-person appointments, so you can choose the format that works best for you.

If you’ve already built a good connection with an advisor — maybe the one you met at Orientation — you’re welcome to keep meeting with them. Or, if your roommate raves about their advisor, you can try scheduling with that person next time. You can also just pick the first available advisor — no problem!

Every CVAD advisor is fully trained on all of our majors and minors, so you’ll get the same reliable information no matter who you talk to. The only difference is the personal style each advisor brings to the conversation, so pick the one who’s the best fit for you.

One small note: if you drop in for advising without an appointment, you usually can’t choose your advisor — it’ll be whoever is available. However, if you’re working through a specific issue with a particular advisor, let the front desk know when you sign in, and we’ll do our best to connect you with them. Tip: Please remember to ask politely!

3. How do I make an appointment for advising?

Continuing Student — a student who has completed UNT Orientation: Advising is available year-round for continuing students and can schedule appointments with the CVAD advisor of their choice. You can make an appointment by accessing the Navigate app or by calling the Milnes Advising Center at 940-565-2216. 

Login Assistance: Please email navigate@unt.edu with your name and student ID number for login assistance. Please note that this app is available only to current students at UNT. If you are newly admitted or a prospective student, you cannot log in until you are fully admitted, and it gets closer to your first semester.

New Student — an incoming freshman or transfer student who has not yet attended UNT Orientation: New students are advised only during UNT Orientation sessions. Before attending their UNT Orientation appointment, new students — freshmen or transfer students — do not schedule or request advising appointments. New students have special sessions during their orientation.

Future Student — a person interested in attending UNT CVAD but has not applied or been admitted into UNT: CVAD advisors do not meet with prospective students, but if you have any questions, you can email Kevin Contreras, CVAD college recruiter, at Kevin.Contreras@unt.edu.

4. I am receiving a "prerequisites enrollment block," but I have completed or am currently taking all the prerequisites for the course. What do I do?

The registration system is set up to check for prerequisites automatically, but it's not perfect. If you have credit by exam (AP, IB, or CLEP), an approved course substitution (ex., ART 1300 in place of ART 2370), and/or transferred in one of the prerequisites, the system might not recognize you automatically as meeting the requirement.  

Please send the following information to CVAD.Advising@unt.edu.

  1. Your first and last name
  2. Your student ID number
  3. Course number (ex. ASTU 2201)
  4. Course section (ex. section 003)
  5. Semester of enrollment (ex. Fall 2024)
  6. Description of error you are receiving (what it thinks you’re missing)

An advisor will manually verify your prerequisites and enroll you, if appropriate.

5. Do I have a hold on my account? If I do have a hold on my account, what do I do next?

Steps to Remove Common Registration Holds

  1. Log into your MyUNT. On the Student Home page, click on your Tasks tile.
  2. From the left-side menus, select “To Do List” option and/or “Hold” option.

Types of Common Holds

Newly Admitted Students

  • Orientation Hold (“Holds”): Must attend mandatory orientation to have this hold removed.
  • UNT Registration Task (“To Do List”).
  • Meningitis Hold (“Holds”) - May not prevent registration but can lead to courses being dropped.
  • Financial Hold (“Holds”) – See student accounting or department for more information.

Continuing Students

  • UNT Registration Task (“To Do List”)
  • Advising Holds (“Holds”):
  • “First Time in College” students who are entering their second semester must see an advisor to have this hold lifted.
  • “Academic Alert”. Freshman who earned a GPA of less than a 2.0 in their most recent semester, must see an advisor to have this hold lifted.
  • “Probation” For any students who earned a GPA of less than a 2.0 in their most recent semester, must see an advisor to have this hold lifted.
  • “Suspension” For any students who have a GPA of less 2.0 and were unable to earn a 2.25 in their most recent semester, must sit out one long semester.

Financial Hold (“Holds”)

See student accounting or department for more information.

While this is not an exhaustive list of holds (for example there are holds for transcripts), if you find hold you are not familiar with or do not know how to proceed, contact your academic advisor or email CVAD.Advising@unt.edu.

6. I am on academic alert, probation, or suspension. What do I do next?

If you find yourself on academic alert, probation, or suspension, meet with an academic advisor as soon as possible.

Academic advisors can help you figure out how to get back on track to avoid this situation from happening again.  If you are on academic alert an academic advisor can help you avoid probation, if you are on probation, an academic advisor can help you avoid suspension, and if you have been suspended an academic advisor can help you make an academic plan while you are suspended from taking courses at UNT.

Here is the link that discusses academic standing at UNT.  Be sure to read this web page thoroughly:  Academic Standing | Office of the Provost.

7. I'm on a waitlist; what do I do?

So. . . you got on a waitlist.

Since the waitlist is not guaranteed, we encourage you to consider enrolling in an open section whenever possible. But, if you want to have any hope of getting into a class that is already full, then the waitlist is the exact place you need to be. The waitlist is the best and only way that you can add a class that is already full.

Once more for the people in the back: if you want to get into a class that is already full, you need to be on the waitlist. The waitlist is the only way you’re getting into that class.

Here’s how the waitlist works: once you’ve added yourself to the waitlist, you’re given a position number. Your position determines how many students need to drop the class before you are possibly moved into it.

If you’re position #1, then that means if one student who is enrolled in that class drops it, you will then be enrolled. If you are position #2, then that means two students need to drop the course before you can be enrolled. And so on.

The toughest part about the waitlist is… the waiting. Again, the waitlist is not a guarantee, so the best you can do is keep your fingers crossed, and (most importantly) keep an eye on your myUNT, so that if you are moved into the class, you’ll know right away.

Keep in mind that after the last day to add, the waitlist will no longer run. That means that once the last day to add has passed, there is no possible way that you will be moved into a waitlisted class. The last day to add for any given term is typically, but not always, the first Friday after classes have begun.

8. What happens if I don't pass my entry review?
Students who don’t pass entry review can submit again in another semester. Guidelines vary by major. All students reapplying for entry into a full major should discuss additional details and course planning with a CVAD academic advisor.
 
Design majors
Design students are allowed one reapplication, which they can submit only in the following review cycle. This will delay their graduation by one full year. Reapplying design students are advised to develop a secondary degree plan as a backup.
 
Further instructions and information can be found at the following links.
 
Studio Art majors

After review, pre-studio students who are not accepted to their selected area of concentration will receive feedback on their portfolios and may reapply in any subsequent long semester. Reapplying students should make changes to their submissions based on faculty suggestions.

For further instructions and information, visit the Studio Art entry review webpage. 
9. I am considering one of the Design majors and want to know how long I’d take to graduate.

There are three design programs at the College of Visual Arts & Design. All design programs at CVAD are projected to be completed in four years. However, all design programs have specific requirements you must meet to be admitted into the program and stay on the four-year track for graduation. See the following for all the details on being admitted into one of our design programs.

Communication Design with a concentration in Graphic Design or User-Experience Design

To be admitted to the Communication Design major and eligible to enroll in advanced art courses, a pre-major student must meet all the following requirements. Pre-majors must have completed a minimum of 30 hours of college courses with a grade of C or better and the following courses.

  • ART 1600: Foundations: Perception and Translation
  • ART 1700: Foundations: Space (Physical, Temporal and Virtual)
  • ART 1800: Foundations: Narrative and Representation
  • ART 1900: Foundations: Systems and Transformations
  • ADES 1500: Introduction to Communication Design

Specific additional requirements follow for each concentration.

  • Graphic Design: ADES 1540, Foundations for Communication Design
  • User-Experience Design: ADES 1543, Foundations of User-Centered Design

Have at least a 2.75 GPA on required art courses and a minimum of 2.25 UNT grade point average.

  • Stage 1: After completing ADES 1500, students submit a portfolio to the Communication Design Candidacy Review in first fall semester — usually late November
  • Stage 2: Entry-Portfolio Review in the Spring semester after passing Candidacy Review, students submit a portfolio and pass the specific concentration Entry-Portfolio review. - usually early May
  • Full details here: Candidacy Portfolio & Entry Review Information

Fashion Design

Entry Review Requirements: The following courses must be completed or in progress to be eligible to apply.

  • ART 1600: Perception and Translation
  • ART 1700: Space - physical, temporal, and virtual
  • ART 1800: Narrative and Representation
  • ART 1900: Systems and Transformations
  • ADES 1550: Introduction to Fashion Design
  • ADES 1560: Introduction to Industrial Sewing Techniques.
  • A minimum 2.50 GPA in the above coursework and a minimum 2.25 UNT GPA with a minimum of 30 credits at the end of the spring semester when grades are posted after participating in the Entry-Portfolio Review in Fashion Design.
  • Full details here: Entry Review Information

Interior Design

Completion of at least 30 hours of college courses, including the following, with a grade of C or better.

  • ART 1600 - Foundations: Perception and Translation
  • ART 1700 - Foundations: Space (Physical, Temporal and Virtual)
  • ART 1800 - Foundations: Narrative and Representation
  • ART 1900 - Foundations: Systems and Transformations
  • ADES 1625 - Introduction to Interior Design
  • ADES 2630 - Drawing for Interior Design

And one of the following.

  • ART 2350 : Art History Survey I
  • ART 2360 : Art History Survey II
  • ART 2370: Art History Survey III
Portfolio review
  • Submit a portfolio for the Entry-Portfolio Review based on work completed in ADES 2630 and pass the review.
  • Have a minimum 2.50 GPA from ART 1700, ART 1800, ADES 1625 and ADES 2630. Have a minimum of 2.25 UNT grade point average.
Full details here: Entry Portfolio Information.
10. I want to change my major. How can I do that?

All UNT students can change their major by meeting with an advisor for their new or intended major.  

If you are already a CVAD major, but you want to change to a different major in CVAD, then you can meet with any CVAD advisor to do that. For example: maybe you started as “pre-Communication Design,” and now you want to change to “pre-Studio Art,” so just make an advising appointment like you regularly would!

If you are NOT a CVAD major but want to change to a major in CVAD, then you make an appointment in Navigate using the “Academic Advising: Interested in Major Change” service option. For example, maybe you started as “pre-Business,” and now you want to change to “Art History,” so if you choose the option “Academic Advising: Interested in Major Change” it will give you a chance to make an appointment with a CVAD advisor.

If you are a CVAD major and now you want to do a major NOT in CVAD, then you make an appointment using the “Academic Advising: Interested in Major Change” service option.  For example, maybe you started as “pre-Fashion Design,” and now you want to change to “Merchandising,” so if you choose the option “Academic Advising: Interested in Major Change,” it will give you a chance to make an appointment with a CMHT advisor.

11. How do I know if I want or need to do an internship and how does my internship apply to my degree?

Everyone* can do an internship!  They are a great way to gain skills and experience or test out a career field.  Internships can be paid or unpaid.  You can learn more about internships from this Internships FAQs from Student Affairs.. 

Everyone who does an internship does NOT need to take an internship class. To find out if taking an internship for academic credit — meaning you enroll and pay tuition/fees associated with that class — is right for you, there are a couple options: 

12. How do I find an internship?

Your best resource is to consult with the CVAD Career Coaches.  They can help you use Handshake to find internship listings and more! You can schedule an appointment with them through Navigate. 

  • All students who complete an internship, regardless of whether you enroll in an internship class for credit, should report their internship.  Psst! You can even get special cords for graduation! 
  • If you are an interior design major, your required internship must meet certain criteria. Your internship must be done under the supervision of a certified Interior Designer or Architect. The Interior Design program often supplies students with a list of options as you approach your internship semester.  The CVAD Career Coaches can assist you with preparing to reach out for an internship.
13. How do I register for an internship class?

We recommend you start this process EARLY and complete it before the start of the semester in which you plan to enroll. 

Once you have found an internship, you need to complete the Professional Internship Confirmation Form.  You will need to include signatures from your Internship (On-Site) Supervisor and a Faculty/Instructor of Record. 

The faculty/instructor of record is the point of contact for your internship class, either ADES 4700 for Design majors (fall only) or ART 4450 for all other CVAD majors. 

We recommend the following contacts, based on your major/program. 

  • Art History: Lisa Owen, professor, chair, Art History Department
  • Communication Design
  • Fashion Design: Cynthia Gentzel, lecturer
  • Interdisciplinary Art & Design Studies: Heidi Strobel, professor, associate dean, Academic & Student Affairs
  • Interior Design: Hepi Wachter, professor, chair, Design Department
  • Studio Art: Nicole Foran, professor, chair, Studio Art

Once you complete the appropriate form, submit it via email as instructed on the form. 

Once your information is reviewed and confirmed, you will be enrolled in the appropriate class.  Please note that processing can take five to 10 business days.  Be aware that taking an internship for credit will incur tuition and fees. 

All students who have an internship, regardless of whether you enroll in an internship class, should report their internship.  Psst! You can even get special cords for graduation!