Undergraduate Advising

Welcome to the Department of Anthropology

Nicolas Gisholt (gisholt@msu.edu), Undergraduate Advisor

Your degree and your undergraduate experience will be most fulfilling and successful when you take initiative, seek out information, explore and refine your interests, and prepare for…well….everything.  Advising meetings included!

Potential and Future Anthropology Majors & Minors:

We – as a department – are very excited that you are considering declaring the Anthropology Major (B.S. or B.A.), Anthropology Minor, Additional Major in Anthropology, or 2nd Degree in Anthropology!  

An advising appointment is required prior to declaring any of these programs.  I am happy to meet with you to discuss our programs, even if you are not 100% sure about declaring yet.

Here are your next steps:

1. Schedule a meeting using student.msu.edu (instructions at the bottom of this page).
2. Before your meeting, complete the following Advising Homework:
3. Check out these informational slides to find out more about Anthropology and our programs.
4. Visit the Academic Programs page for the program you are interested in:

4. Prepare a tentative plan for your next two semesters of coursework, incorporating the requirements you have read about, and listing courses you are interested in.  If you are considering a B.S. or B.A. in Anthropology, please also list two or three Interdisciplinary Minors that you are most interested in.  We will review your plan when we meet, and I will be glad to help you refine the plan.

Current Anthropology Majors

For degree planning and enrollments, please plan to meet with me once or twice per year.  An early spring meeting – prior to your March Enrollment Appointment Date – is the best time to verify your course plan for the following academic year. Another meeting in summer or early-to-mid fall is encouraged if you want to make changes to your spring semester plans.  

Additional meetings at other times are always welcome.

It is especially important that we have an advising meeting during the semester before you expect to graduate. (e.g. if you plan to graduate in a Spring Semester, meet in the Fall Semester prior)

Although you are ultimately responsible for completing your degree requirements, I am here to help you understand them.  I am also here to assist you with planning, organizing, and progressing efficiently to graduation.

As an undergraduate advisor, I am your first point of contact for questions regarding:

• University, College of Social Science, and Department rules and regulations
• Tailoring your course choices to fit your interests and/or career goals
• Developing a degree plan that is both efficient and personally fulfilling
• Whether a course will satisfy a particular requirement
• Which courses you still need to graduate
• How to understand your progress in student.msu.edu
• Ways to use elective credit
• Time management, organization, and whole-person development
• Exploring additional majors or minors
• Locating a tutor or other remedial assistance
• How to find a field school or initiate an internship
• How to proceed with an academic grievance
• Referrals to other resources that can assist with personal challenges
• Preliminary information about the discipline of anthropology, graduate schooling, and employment paths during and after your time at MSU. 

How To Schedule an Advising Appointment

1. Log in at student.msu.edu
2. Click on Academic Progress
3. Click on Advising/Tutoring Appointments
4. Click on Create New Appointment
5. Select the following appointment details:
   1. Category: Select Advising
   2. Advising/Tutoring Unit: Select College of Social Science Advising
   3. Appointment Reason: Click the look-up/magnifying glass icon and select Anthropology (0012) or Anthropology Minor (0496)
   4. Appointment Duration: This will default to 30 minutes. 
   5. Additional Information (required): Please enter the reason for your appointment wiht as much detail as possible, in order to help the advisor prepare for the meeting
   6. Appointment Type: Appointments can be in-person, by Zoom, or by phone 
   7. A list of dates and times will be generated. Select the date and time that works best for you.  If you don’t see a time that works for your schedule, try a different Appointment Type.  Zoom appointments are held on certain days, and in-person appointments are held on others.
   8. Review all appointment information, including any advisor notes, and click Book it! at the bottom of the page.