Advising
Academic advisors play a crucial role in helping you navigate your college journey. They can help with course selection and scheduling, connect you to resources, help you monitor your academic progress, and provide career guidance.
Please see the information below regarding how to contact and meet with the assigned faculty advisor for your major.
Undergraduate Advisors
The Biological Sciences undergraduate advisors meet with undergraduate students who are officially declared as a Biology, Marine Biology, or Microbiology major. These majors require that students begin as "pre-majors" and then meet precise major-specific criteria to officially declare the major.
Students with "pre-major" status meet with the CNSM Academic Advisors instead of the faculty advisors below.
Each major has an assigned faculty advisor. To make an appointment with your advisor, use the Beach Connect link in Single Sign-On (SSO), select your assigned faculty advisor (listed below), and be sure to provide as much detail as possible about your situation/question. For help using the Beach Connect appointment system via SSO, see Advising Appointment Guide (PDF).
| Degree | Undergraduate Advisor |
|---|---|
| General Biology (last name A-G) | Dr. Susan Finkbeiner Appointment via Beach Connect Office: HSCI-152 Email: Susan.Finkbeiner@csulb.edu |
| General Biology (last name H-M) | Dr. Amanda Fisher Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-202 Email: Amanda.Fisher@csulb.edu |
| General Biology (last name N-Z) | Dr. Ashley Carter Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MIC-010 Email: Ashley.Carter@csulb.edu |
| Biology Education | Dr. Amanda Fisher Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-202 Email: Amanda.Fisher@csulb.edu |
| Molecular Cell Biology and Physiology (last name A-G) | Dr. Deborah Fraser Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-224 Email: Deborah.Fraser@csulb.edu |
| Molecular Cell Biology and Physiology (last name H-Z) | Dr. Douglas Pace Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-228 Email: Douglas.Pace@csulb.edu |
| Zoology, Botany, and Ecology | Dr. Amanda Fisher Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-202 Email: Amanda.Fisher@csulb.edu |
| Marine Biology | Dr. Bruno Pernet Appointment via Beach Connect Office: HSCI-124 Email: Bruno.Pernet@csulb.edu |
| Microbiology | Dr. Deborah Fraser Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-224 Email: Deborah.Fraser@csulb.edu |
| Minor in Biology | Dr. Ashley Carter Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MIC-010 Email: Ashley.Carter@csulb.edu |
| Minor in Microbiology | Dr. Deborah Fraser Appointment via Beach Connect Office: MLSC-224 Email: Deborah.Fraser@csulb.edu |
Graduate Advisor
To make an appointment with the graduate advisor, please email the advisor listed below and be sure to provide as much detail as possible about your situation/question. Appointments with graduate advisors cannot be booked via Beach Connect.
Dr. Kevin Sinchak
Graduate Biology and Microbiology Advisor
Office: HSCI-140
Phone: 562.985.8649
Email: Kevin.Sinchak@csulb.edu
Academic Policies
Please consult the following resources for more information regarding academic policies:
Tutoring
Multiple centers on campus offer free tutoring:
- SAS Peer Mentors offers free tutoring in science and math courses for CNSM pre-majors and majors.
- Lindgren Math Tutoring Center offers free tutoring in math courses.
- The Learning Center offers free tutoring in lower-division courses as well as academic coaching.
