ACADEMIC COUNSELOR

University of California - Los Angeles, CA

Full-time - Entry Level

Los Angeles, CA

Educational Services

About the position

The Academic Counselor position at UCLA's Samueli School of Engineering involves providing academic support and guidance to undergraduate engineering students. The role includes advising students on university policies, course planning, and monitoring academic standing, while also coordinating course evaluations and liaising with various departments and external offices. The counselor will lead initiatives for chemical engineering students and assist with admissions and outreach events, ensuring a collaborative environment within the academic community.

Responsibilities

• Act as the liaison between administration, students, faculty, and outside offices regarding school and university policies.
• Advise undergraduate students in chemical engineering, bioengineering, and civil engineering on academic requirements and course planning.
• Review proposed department course schedules and provide input on curriculum changes.
• Coordinate the undergraduate course credit evaluation process for courses taken outside of UCLA.
• Maintain course articulation agreements with the UCLA Undergraduate Admissions Office.
• Assist with the transfer admissions process and attend outreach events.
• Oversee the summer session and transfer course equivalency review process.
• Organize workshops in partnership with UCLA's International Education Office.
• Represent UCLA on The Engineering Liaison Council and attend meetings statewide.
• Assist in hiring, training, and supervising student clerks and graduate student peer counselors.
• Produce statistical and analytical reports as assigned by the Associate Dean or Director.
• Assist with OASA events, including occasional early evening and weekend hours.

Requirements

• Working knowledge of University and School rules, regulations, policies, and procedures related to student affairs and curricula requirements.
• Ability to interpret transcripts and manually calculate GPAs and units when necessary.
• Computer and database skills necessary to maintain and troubleshoot student databases and generate reports.
• Time management and organizational skills to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task, set priorities, and work independently with minimal direction.
• Skill in employing fundamental counseling techniques.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to interact with a diverse population.
• Ability to make oral presentations to student groups and staff.
• Skill in writing grammatically correct reports and correspondence.

Nice-to-haves

• Working knowledge of the Registrar's Office and student services such as Career Center and Financial Aid.
• Familiarity with University online systems and procedures like SIS, SRS, and MyUCLA.
• Supervisory skills to train and monitor work assignments of student clerks.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage starting on day one.
• Retirement savings plan options including 401k.
• Tuition reimbursement for further education.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Paid holidays and vacation days.