Student Resources

Academic Advising

Empowering your academic journey.

At SCI, each student is assigned to an academic advisor with whom you will connect with during your entire time as an undergraduate in our school. The relationship you build with your academic advisor will be integral to your intellectual, personal and professional growth. Academic advisors will help you to make informed educational choices regarding course selection, course enrollment, academic integrity, and graduation, as well as co-curricular and experiential learning opportunities.

Our Advisors

You can see your advisor’s open availability in Navigate. If you do not see availability, please send your advisor an email or visit their office hours as listed below.

Rachel Parkes, Director of Academic Advising
Office Hours for Assigned Advisees: Thursdays, 10 - 11 a.m.

John C. Faulkner, Undergraduate Academic Advisor
Office Hours for Assigned Advisees: Wednesdays, 4 - 5 p.m. 

Jennifer Gentzel, Undergraduate Academic Advisor
Office Hours for Assigned Advisees: Tuesdays, 5 - 6 p.m.

Anna Hermann, Undergraduate Academic Advisor 
Office Hours for Assigned Advisees: Wednesdays, 1 – 2 p.m.

Emily Park, Undergraduate Academic Advisor
Office Hours for Assigned Advisees: Wednesdays, 3 – 4 p.m.

Kristine Pugliese, Undergraduate Academic Advisor
Office Hours for Assigned Advisees: Mondays, 3 - 4 p.m.

Peer Advisors Drop-in Hours

Peer Advisors are current SCI students that can help you with any questions you might have about enrollment tools, building a class schedule, majors, student organizations, and more! Email questions to SCIPeerAdvisors@pitt.edu.

Summer 2026 SCI Peer Advisor Drop-In Hours

Monday: Gabrielle 3 to 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Gabrielle 3 to 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Kara 10 a.m. to Noon
Friday: Kara 10 a.m. to Noon

 Zoom Link

MDS Advising

Are you a Master of Data Science student looking for advising? Visit our MDS Advising page to learn about the multiple ways to reach our MDS advising team and resources for current MDS students. 

Visit MDS Advising

Faculty Mentors

These professors provide domain-specific advice to undergraduate students. They can help students with career and graduate school mentoring, internship opportunities, research, and capstone approval. Contact your academic advisor to find out your assigned faculty mentor.

Schedule a Prospective Student Meeting via Navigate360

Pitt students enrolled in schools other than SCI can meet with us via Zoom or in person. 

After choosing "Undergraduate Advising" as the type of appointment in Navigate360, start typing and then select "SCI-Prospective Students" as the service. Once you have chosen the date/time that works for you, be sure to click the "Schedule" button to confirm your appointment and add any notes so our advisors can best prepare for your meeting. 

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies

William Garrison, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, is available to talk on select Friday afternoons between 2 – 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Please click the link below if you wish to access the sign-up page to select any available 15-minute time slot. Take note of the meeting details, which will include the location of your appointment.

Book A Time
Placement Assessments

All SCI students are required to take the ALEKS Mathematics placement assessment prior to the beginning of their first term at Pitt. This helps you and your advisor understand your preparation for college-level courses. The optional Computational Biology Python Requirement Waiver exam is intended only for students who declared (or intend to declare) a major in computational biology.

Meet Your SCI Peer Advisors
student with long brown hair sitting on a blanket on the Soldiers and Sailors lawn
Kara Partridge

Major: Data Science
Minor: Secondary Teacher Education

Hi, I’m Kara! I’m a sophomore majoring in Data Science with a minor in Secondary Teacher Education. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, baking, going to concerts, and discovering new places to hike!

girl wearing a Pitt T-shirt in front of a gray backdrop
Gabrielle Sutherland

Major: Computer Science
Minor: Film & Media Studies
Certificate: Conceptual Foundations of Medicine

I’m a sophomore Computer Science major at the University of Pittsburgh and an Honors College Scholar, pursuing a minor in Film and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. I’m a Vice-President of the Minority Association in Computing and a Provost Academy scholar. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, thrifting, and traveling.