As a legal studies student, you are assigned an advisor to assist you in scheduling your courses and in choosing electives that best match your educational and professional goals. 

The advising process is a collaboration between you and your advisor.  Your advisor will assist you in planning your course of study, helping you choose what courses to take and when to take them in order to meet your academic and professional goals.  It is up to you to take the initiative in the advising partnership.  When first admitted you should have an orientation advising appointment with your advisor, where you explain your academic and professional history and goals and hear more intricate details about your degree program and what it can do to assist you in your aspirations.  After your initial orientation advising appointment, you should have an advising appointment with your advisor every semester, prior to registering, ideally when the course schedule for the following semester has just been released.  Please also make sure to discuss any conditions of admission with your advisor, as noted on your admission notification.

Your advising appointments can be conducted in a manner that works for you and your advisor, and although they can be conducted face-to-face, they by no means have to be conducted face-to-face.  Your advising appointments can be over the phone, through email, or online (for example using Zoom). In addition to advising, advisors also must approve a variety of forms for their advisees, including student petitions.

Find Your Advisor

You may view your advisor in the UIS Find Your Advisor Application.  If you do not see an advisor listed in the Find Your Advisor Application, please email the legal studies department.

Scheduling Your Advising Appointment

Undergraduates may schedule their advising meetings through Advise U.  Advise U is the quickest and easiest way to schedule an appointment with your advisor and prepare a tentative drag-and-drop course schedule for an upcoming semester. 

Graduate students should email their faculty advisor to schedule an advising appointment.

Prior to Your Advising Appointment

Prior to your advising appointment, please review the curriculum requirements in the UIS Catalog.  You should regularly check your Degree Audit to view an unofficial audit of your degree requirements and your progress towards meeting those requirements.  You may access your Degree Audit through the Degree Audit for Students.  Upcoming courses can be viewed in the UIS Dynamic Course Schedule. 

Master’s Degree Students:  Prior to your advising appointment, please send your advisor and your proposed Legal Studies Course Plan outlining when you plan on completing each required course and potential electives.  (Please use the course plan associated with your catalog.)

Advising FAQ

Don’t know what course to register for?

 All Legal Studies students should contact their advisor prior to registering for their courses. 

For advising, undergraduate students should contact Jillian Briggs at (217) 206-6561.

If you do not know your faculty advisor and you are a graduate student, please contact Sarah Gibson at (217) 206-7934. When contacting the Legal Studies Department include your full name and UIN.

Having problems registering for a Legal Studies course?

If you have difficulty registering for a Legal Studies course, please email the Legal Studies Department Secretary, at les@uis.edu. Please include the following:  your first and last name; your UIS UIN; the name, section and CRN number of the course in which you want to enroll; and the type of registration error (copy and paste the error number / description) you received.

Need to know what books you need for your courses?

See the required books for a course.

Purchase your books through the UIS Bookstore online.

Not a Legal Studies student, but want to take a Legal Studies course?

If you are not a Legal Studies student, but you wish to enroll in a Legal Studies course, please email the Legal Studies Department at les@uis.edu.  (Please include “Request for Department Override” in your subject title and include the following information in your email:  your first and last name; your UIS UIN; the name, section and CRN number of the course in which you want to enroll; and the reason why you want to enroll in the course.)