Academic & Career Planning
Plan your path. Access academic advising and career planning support to choose courses, identify majors, align interests with career paths, and build a clear, personalized plan for academic and post-graduation success.
Three ways ACE Coaching helps you
Academic Advising
Get help choosing courses, exploring majors, understanding requirements, and making a plan for your academic path.
Career Development
Explore career paths, connect your interests to majors, prepare for internships and jobs, and plan for life after graduation.
Academic & Career Exploration
Support for exploratory, transition, readmitted, and reinstated students through personalized academic and career exploration. We’ll help you clarify goals, explore majors, plan coursework, and build a pathway toward academic progress and degree completion.
Meet your ACE Coach
Academic & Career Exploration (ACE) Coaches are cross-trained in academic advising and career exploration. They serve as advisors for students in the University Exploratory and University Transition programs, plus students who are declaring an exploratory or transition major, parallel planning, or rebuilding a path after a major change. In an appointment, your ACE Coach helps you think through goals, plan courses for the next semester, work through assessments (Strong Interest Inventory, PathwayU, CliftonStrengths, values, skills), and identify next steps. Most appointments run 30 minutes to one hour.
Find your starting point
Adjacent Majors
If your first-choice major is competitive, Business, Engineering, Nursing, Architecture, see similar majors organized by college. A starting point for parallel plans.
Declaring Majors
Every college has its own process. See your college’s GPA requirements, prerequisites, and how-to-declare steps, plus your college advisor’s email.
Orientation Advising Information
New first-year admit? See what happens at summer orientation advising, plus the six-step prep checklist to get ready for your appointment.
University Exploratory Advising
For students who are undecided on a major or deciding among majors across multiple colleges. Includes the COUN ED 205 class and major-exploration programs.
Transition Advising
For continuing undergraduates who become ineligible for their declared major. Two tracks: Early Transition (under 60 hours) and Advanced Transition (60+ hours).
How to schedule an appointment
How to schedule depends on where you are in the process.
- Current University Exploratory or Transition students, you’ll get an email to schedule through Vol Connect before course registration begins, or contact your ACE Coach directly.
- Declaring exploratory or transition, complete the Academic & Career Exploration Intake Form and you’ll receive an email to schedule.
- Readmitted or in dismissal reinstatement, also complete the intake form. Otherwise, schedule through Vol Connect via MyUTK or call 865-974-5435.
Preparing for an appointment
Academic advising is more than course planning, it’s a chance to think through your major and career goals. Prepare for your appointment by working through these four steps.
- Review majors you’re considering in the Undergraduate Catalog, identify courses of interest, and note requirements.
- Run a DARS report for majors of interest to see your progress toward degree completion. (DARS training and tutorials)
- Familiarize yourself with adjacent majors to consider parallel plans. (See Adjacent Majors)
- Use the Explore Majors and Careers page to identify exploration tools, What Can I Do With This Major?, Strong Interest Inventory, PathwayU, Career Courses, and more.
Ready to plan your path?
Schedule an appointment with an ACE Coach for major exploration, parallel planning, transition support, or just thinking through what’s next.
Academic & Career Exploration (ACE)
Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
865-974-5435