During the last thirty years, the field of academic advising has grown tremendously in numbers and in visibility on the higher education scene. What was once a small field that was entered primarily through situational happenstance and supported solely by in-service training has become a career choice for many. And what was once a field that drew on an eclectic body of theory, research and literature is now a field with its own standards, theories, research, and best practice. Advising has become a lifetime career for many and is rapidly emerging as a career goal for many graduate students.

One of the areas that has lagged far behind the meteoric growth of the field of advising is the area of preparation programs for those who seek to become advisors as well as practicing advisors who seek professional development and the opportunity for career advancement. With the exception of the outstanding certificate and MS programs at Kansas State , the development of graduate courses (and programs) that focus on academic advising is relatively non-existent. In fact, a survey of ACADV members led to the identification of only nine institutions that offer (or have offered) a course in academic advising. If the professionalization of the field of advising is to occur, we must identify a core set of learning experiences and expand the number of institutions that offer graduate courses/programs in academic advising.

The purposes of this interest group are:

1. to share best practices in teaching graduate courses/programs in academic advising;
2. to encourage individuals to introduce graduate courses/programs in academic advising;
3. to provide a clearinghouse for course materials; and
4. to promote a common core of coursework for the preparation of academic advisors.