College Degree Plan

6 Steps to Avoiding the Pre-requisite Trap & Extending Your Degree Program

Whether you are working towards an online degree or earning your degree on campus, you should pay close attention to your intended major's curriculum requirements. Registering for courses should be taken seriously and part of your educational plan.

While your freshman advisor and other "authorities" might suggest that the first year or two of your courses should focus on getting your general studies courses out of the way; that might be the worst thing you could do.

Developing Your Degree Plan

When developing your college degree plan you should follow the following 6 steps...

1. Study your college catalog. Most colleges and universities consider it a contract identifying graduation requirements. Be sure to get the one for the year you are starting your studies. Pay particular attention to the overall graduation requirements and the curriculum requirements of your intended major.
    
2. Calculate the number of credits you will need to graduate. Be sure to factor in your particular major's requirements - you might actually need to obtain more credits than the minimum required for graduation.
    
3. Divide the number of semesters that you plan on attending, usually 8, into the total number of hours you will need to graduate. The result is the number of credit hours you will need to earn each semester to stay on your college degree plan and graduate on schedule.
    
4. Create a pre-requisite map for your field of study. This is the most important thing you should do when developing your college degree plan to ensure you graduate on time. Consider the requirements most schools have for a computer science degree. Pre-calculus is required to take Calculus I, Calculus I is required to take Calculus II, Calculus II might be required to take Numerical Analysis which also requires having taken one or more programming courses.
    
5. Investigate how often classes are offered. Many colleges and universities only offer Calculus I in the fall semester and offer Calculus II in the spring. Advanced courses, depending upon the size of your school may only be offered in alternate years. Seasonal and alternate year classes, when not properly prepared for in your college degree plan, can lead to adding a semester or more to your education.
    
6. Once you've developed your college degree plan for your major field of study, now think about when and where you can fit in the general studies courses. Again, give special attention to any courses with pre-requisites or span more than one semester. Double check which courses are offered which terms as well.
    

Schedule of Courses - Parting Advice

Don't assume because you are earning your degree online that all courses are available every term. And, don't assume just because you are a student at a large university that there are no seasonal or alternate year courses. Students working in departments with a smaller student population are more likely to encounter at least one course that's not offered every semester.

Crafting a well-thought out college degree plan will also make it easier to switch courses around to meet your schedule or find an alternative for a full or closed course.

Don't let that well-intentioned advisor or friend talk you out of this strategy. Had I followed my freshman advisor's course advice, it would have added an entire year to my education as well as thousands of dollars of additional tuition and fees. If you can handle the load, it might be worth it to pay an overload fee a semester or two to get through in time. If that's not an option, there's always summer school or picking up courses at the community college. It's your education, your money and your future; don't let the lack of a degree plan cost you time and money you might not have.