Day: June 16, 2021

How do I figure out what classes to take next semester?

Plan your future semesters based on your interests.  Things to consider:  co-ops, undergraduate research, Enterprise program, minors, study abroad, graduate school.  The more credit you came in with the more flexibility you’ll have and the sooner you can start doing some of these things.  Remember that your plan is a draft and subject to change as you explore your interests. 

The general process for planning out future semesters is as follows: 

  1. Find your degree requirements on the department’s advising webpage or Registrar’s Office webpage.  This is based on your catalog year, which is usually the year that you started at Michigan Tech.  Print out either the flowchart, 4- or 5-year sample schedule, or degree audit to use as a checklist.  
  2. Cross off completed or in-progress requirements.  Write elective courses next to the corresponding requirement to keep track of them.
  3. Run your online degree audit on Banweb to make sure classes are counting where they are expected to.  If they are not then contact your academic advisor to find out why.  Online degree audits for new students will be available 30 days before the semester starts.
  4. Print out a blank academic plan sheet from the department’s advising webpage or set up a spreadsheet and start writing down the classes you plan to take for each future semester.  It usually makes the most sense to start with the major required classes, then minor classes if you are doing a minor, and finally remaining elective classes.

Be aware that the last step takes work. We’ve put a lot of information on the department’s FAQs to help you find your way through the process.  Once you have a rough plan, review it with your academic advisor to make sure you’ve got all the details right.