COMPASS
Academic Commons South
Office Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 912-279-5717
Email: COMPASS@ccga.edu
In keeping with the institution’s mission, COMPASS Career & Academic Advising encourages students to discover their potential, purpose, and passion. COMPASS empowers students to explore and develop comprehensive academic plans that align career goals and academic experiences, address personal needs, develop leadership skills, and promote campus involvement. COMPASS provides a holistic and comprehensive approach to career and academic advising that aligns career goals and academic experiences with educational goals, personal values, and skills. Our goal is academic progress and achievement that leads to degree completion and creates the foundation for maximum career potential.
New Student Information
Student First Steps
Upon acceptance, you should register for Orientation ASAP. Registering for Orientation sets many things in motion, including the Orientation Survey, which gives your COMPASS advisor the information required to build your first semester class schedule.
Student Career & Academic Planning
Student First Steps
Upon acceptance, you should register for Orientation ASAP. Registering for Orientation sets many things in motion, including the Orientation Survey, which gives your COMPASS advisor the information required to build your first semester class schedule.
Choosing a Major
Need help choosing a major? Not sure if you are in the right major? Exploring options? Coastal 2 Career can help you explore your personality, skills, values, and interests, and suggests majors and careers that are a good fit for you. After exploring Coastal 2 Career, make an appointment to meet with your COMPASS advisor to discuss the results.
Majors and Degrees
The College of Coastal Georgia offers bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as minors and certificates.
The MYCCGA Portal
The MYCCGA Portal is your primary resource for all things “Coastal.” Within the portal, COAST is a web service that gives you direct access to your student records here at the College. It not only provides you with information, it also allows you to perform actions such as registering for classes or making a payment on your account.
Parent Info
- Can my son/daughter find a job on campus?
- Coastal Georgia employs approximately 220 students with campus jobs. These openings, along with hundreds of off-campus jobs and internships, are offered through Coastal Careerlink, which is accessible through the MYCCGA Portal. This online career portal is designed to maximize students’ career potential. In addition, we offer a Student Employment Pre-Certification Program to increase a student’s chances of employment. Through Coastal Careerlink, students can submit resumes and cover letters for proofreading and approval by their COMPASS advisor prior to applying for jobs.
- My son/daughter doesn’t know what they want to do yet. How can you help them decide?
- COMPASS offers the Coastal 2 Career Assessment – an online comprehensive career and education planning tool. Coastal 2 Career provides valid and reliable assessments that explore work interests, personality, values, skills, leisure interests, and career planning readiness. We can discuss the assessment results with your student and match the results to majors and career options.
- Where can Coastal Georgia graduates find employment opportunities?
- Every year, COMPASS surveys graduates about their plans after graduation. See more here.
- How will my son/daughter register for classes?
- As a new incoming freshman, your student will be registered by their COMPASS advisor who will pick your son/daughter’s classes based on their major and preferences indicated on the orientation survey they have completed. This is to ensure that they have the right classes to begin their college journey.
- What is a normal class load for a freshman?
- To be considered full-time, students should take 12 to 15 credits. However, 15 is the number of credits they will need to take each semester to graduate in four years. We’ll try to make sure they are in the classes that keep them on track to graduate in four years.
- What is the average class size?
- An average class size is usually about 35 to 48 students with upper level classes averaging in the 15 to 20 student range.
- Can we make changes to their schedule?
- Students may contact us to make adjustments to their schedules. They should contact COMPASS at COMPASS@ccga.edu, using their student email address. Be sure they include their full name and student ID.
- How are freshman advisors assigned?
- Incoming students will be assigned a COMPASS advisor based on their major. Once students reach 30 credits, they will be assigned to a faculty advisor who will help them continue along their academic pathway. However, the COMPASS advisor will continue to work with them to help them explore career, research, and internship opportunities and help prepare them for graduation and the job search that is to come.
- Do seniors need to complete an internship, capstone experience, or project?
- Currently, students need to complete capstone classes in these areas: American Studies, Biological Sciences, Environmental Science, Business, Public Management and Psychology. For other degrees, students can work with their faculty advisor should they wish to complete a capstone experience or project.
- Will students have the opportunity to study abroad?
- Yes, the College of Coastal Georgia offers opportunities to explore many study abroad options. Click here for more information.
- Will I have access to my student’s grades and other college information?
- Students are protected by The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, otherwise known as FERPA. For full details on FERPA, click here.
Employer Information
Coastal Careerlink is Coastal Georgia’s one-stop shop for employers seeking to hire students and graduates. We invite local, regional, and national employers to partner with COMPASS to provide full-time jobs, part-time jobs, and internships. Employers can also request on-campus recruiting tables and register for job fairs.
COMPASS offers employers several on-campus opportunities including job fairs, employer spotlights, and recruiting for student interns. Contact us at COMPASS@ccga.edu or call 912-279-5717 for more information.
FAQs
Academic Commons South
- How do I find a job?
- Jobs are available both on and off campus. You’ll find Coastal Careerlink is accessible through your MYCCGA Portal. This online application is designed to maximize students’ career potential. In addition, you can check out our pre-certification program to increase your chances of employment. You can also have your resume and cover letter reviewed and approved by your COMPASS advisor, and complete a mock interview to hone your skills.
- How are freshman advisors assigned?
- Your freshman COMPASS advisor will be based on your major. Once you reach 30 credit hours, you will be assigned to a faculty advisor who will help you on your academic pathway. Your COMPASS advisor will continue to work with you to explore career opportunities and prepare you for graduation.
- How will I register for my first semester?
- As a new incoming freshman, you’ll be assigned a professional advisor who will pick your classes based on your major and orientation survey. If you’re a transfer student, you’ll need to contact the COMPASS Center at COMPASS@ccga.edu.
- How many classes will I be registered for?
- To be considered full-time, students should take 12 to 15 credits. However, 15 is the number of credits you will need to take each semester to graduate in four years. We’ll try to make sure you are in the classes that keep you on track to graduate in four years.
- Can I make changes to my schedule?
- Adjustments can be made to your schedule. Just contact COMPASS at COMPASS@ccga.edu using your student email address, and include your full name and your student ID.
- How do I pick a major?
- We invite you to use Coastal 2 Career, our online comprehensive career and education planning tool. Coastal 2 Career provides valid and reliable assessments including work interests, personality, values, skills, leisure interests, and career planning readiness, and matches your results with careers and majors. You can meet with a COMPASS advisor to discuss your results and pick or change your major.
- How do I change my major?
- Once you have visited with your COMPASS advisor, you’ll be able to change your major on your portal. Go to the MYCCGA Portal and choose Student Forms > Registrar > Change of major. Don’t forget to pick your concentration.
- What is a concentration?
- The concentration will be your focus area of study. For example, you might pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Coastal Ecology, or a Bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Sports Management.
- What about Nursing or Education?
- Nursing and Education are professionally certified programs, and you must meet entrance requirements, which includes an entrance exam. For Nursing, you would declare a Bachelor of Health Sciences with an interest in Nursing or Career Associate in Nursing. For Education, your choice would be Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in Early Childhood Education/Special Education, or Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades.
- What is a Minor?
- Baccalaureate degree students may select a minor in a different field of study to complement their major. A minor is between 15 and 18 credit hours with at least 9 of those hours in courses numbered 3000 or higher. None of the classes used in the minor may be counting toward meeting your Area A-E requirements of your degree program. (No course may be counted twice).
- What is eCore?
- eCore is a program of the University System of Georgia (USG), where affiliate institutions collaborate to offer web-based, online classes in core curriculum courses. eCore follows a separate calendar that may not coincide with the College of Coastal Georgia’s calendar.
- Important eCore facts before registering: Students MUST complete the eCore Orientation Quiz prior to class registration. eCore courses are taught entirely online, except for the proctored exams (usually midterm and final). Testing Center or ProctorU fees apply.
- Students can mix their scheduled to include face-to-face and online coursework.
- Students required to take a co-requisite for English or Math cannot take those subjects via eCore.
- Contact COMPASS at COMPASS@ccga.edu for more information.
- eCore is a program of the University System of Georgia (USG), where affiliate institutions collaborate to offer web-based, online classes in core curriculum courses. eCore follows a separate calendar that may not coincide with the College of Coastal Georgia’s calendar.
- What is a co-requisite (support class)?
- The “default placement” for all students is in an entry-level collegiate course with co-requisite support UNLESS students meet exemption criteria (for support). Classes with no co-requisites are ENGL 1101 and entry level math (College Algebra – MATH 1111, Quantitative Skills and Reasoning – MATH 1001, and Math Modeling – MATH 1101.
- Can I test out of the support class?
- If you are a freshman, your ACT/SAT scores will be used for your placement. Transfer and non-traditional students will be able to take the Accuplacer test via the College’s Testing Center.
- How do I CLEP out of a class?CLEP offers exams to help students satisfy prerequisites for degree programs with just one exam per subject. Students are allowed to take up to 20 hours of credits by examination. Please note that these 20 hours are inclusive of any AP credits awarded. In addition, if you registered or took a class, you are not allowed to take the CLEP exam for that class. You can visit the CollegeBoard website to search for the College of Coastal Georgia Institution Policies concerning approved courses. Contact the Testing Center for more information at testingcenter@ccga.edu.
- Will the College accept my dual enrollment or AP classes?
- The College of Coastal Georgia will accept AP classes if you have taken the AP exam and passed the test for that class. You must earn a sufficient score on the exam to receive college credit, and exam scores MUST be sent officially from the College Board website. Scores listed on your high school transcript will not be accepted. A table that outlines each AP exam for which we award college credit can be found in the current Academic Catalog under Academic Regulations.
- Dual enrollment classes from an accredited school will be accepted. You will need to request an official transcript to be sent to the College of Coastal Georgia from the college you attended while in high school. Notation on your high school transcript is not considered official. The transcript must come directly from a college.