Creating Your Four-Year Plan

Available Resources

Blank 4-YEAR PLANNING SHEET: This fillable and downloadable PDF worksheet serves as a template for making and adjusting your own four-year plan.
Degree Audit in WebAdvisor: Your degree audit tracks progress towards your degree in terms of fulfilling major/minor requirements, liberal arts and graduation requirements, and the total number of course credits needed to graduate.

Take 34 course credits (at least 31 semester courses must be taken during the fall and spring semesters or summer transfer credits)

2 credits: Interim Experience (IEX) courses (also known as “J-Term”)
.5 credit: Personal Fitness course from the Health and Exercise Science department (HES 100, FIT)
.5 credits: a total of .5 credits worth of Lifetime Activities classes from the HES course offerings (ACT)

*Note: a maximum of 2 IEX courses and .5 ACT courses can count in the 34 credits to graduate

Have not declared your major, but have an idea to explore
Have declared your major, but may be changing your mind
Are curious about how close you might be to a potential major with the courses you have taken

(LAP = Liberal Arts Perspective, 3C = 3 Crowns)

Search for Classes Screen- in WebAdvisor: For LAP students, click on the link of general education approvals at the top of the page to see your choices for fulfilling area requirements for the semester of your choice.

Catalog (Academic Bulletin): By department, there are course descriptions, which include pre-requisites that are needed, which semesters they are offered, and what LAP area they fulfill. The Catalog will also give you a list of the classes that are required for a specific major. An electronic copy can be found here or a hard copy at the Academic Support Center, Anderson Hall 107.

Pre-Health Interests: If you are interested in a pre-health field, visit the Health Professions website maintained by Career Development.There are sample four-year plans available for many pre-professional programs.

Use the worksheet to lay out courses required for your possible major in sequential order paying attention to pre-requisites, which semester they are offered, etc. Note: some major departments have already created sample four-year plans. Refer to this website to look at specific departments.
If you are considering a pre-health interest, refer to this website for additional four-year plans OR the Academic Support Center website for a PDF file of the Advising and Registration Manual and lay out those courses onto your four-year plan worksheet.
Look at how many credits and how much time you have for general education requirements and electives. Think of the “Rule of Thirds”: 1/3 courses for your major, 1/3 general education courses, and 1/3 courses available for electives
Are you trying to fit in a study away (study abroad) or internship semester? Can you tell which semester might be a good time to go? Which semester might have the least demand for taking major courses here?
Do you have the option of taking summer school or an online course?
Have all of your CIS, AP, PSEO, IB or transfer courses been included in your plan? Do they appear on your degree audit?