Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Where do advisors record notes in myPurduePlan?
    The "Notes" tab in the myPurduePlan is a place where the advisor may add notes. Notes can be added but not deleted and may be viewed by students and advisors.
  2. Can we use the Degree Map/SEP for current students?
    Yes, but standard plans have only been built for plans of study beginning in the fall of 2013 or later.
  3. How can students be expected to make course choices before they know which courses are going to be offered and at what times?
    Students can select a course in which they are most likely to enroll. Otherwise, students can register and then go back to their plan to make updates. Every "Choice" and "Placeholder" requirement needs action by the student to determine the specific course they intend to take.
  4. How often should the Plan be updated?
    At a minimum, the plan should be updated by the student every semester before meeting with the academic advisor. Additionally, the plan should be updated when dropping/adding courses, after grades are posted each semester, or any other change that affects degree progress.
  5. What happens when a student wants to pursue a new major or different degree?
    The Office of the Registrar will populate a new plan when a student processes an official Change of Degree Objective (CODO). For situations where the student is changing majors within the same college, the advisor and student will inactivate the current plan and select a new active plan based upon the new major.
  6. How do we extend a plan?
    Extending a plan may be accomplished by:

    1. Adding terms to an existing plan, or
    2. Inactivating the current plan and selecting a new plan.

  7. What if a student has made a personal decision during their academic path that makes it unlikely for them to graduate on time?
    In this situation it is permissible for an institution to create a customized ‘extended-time’ map. Circumstances that allow an extended-time map to be used include:

    1. Students who change their majors within the same Interest Area after earning 60 credits.
    2. Student who change their majors into a different Interest Area after earning 30 credits.
    3. Students who fail to obtain entry into a competitive-admission major or school.
    4. Students who are enrolled in Commission approved programs that exceed 60 or 120 credits.
    5. Students who have declared double-majors or minors that extend their program requirements beyond 60 or 120 credits.
    6. Students who transfer to another institution after earning 60 credit hours.
    7. Students who shift academic focus or pathway as they transfer from a two-year institution to a four-year institution.
    8. Students who are identified as needing more than six credits of developmental or remedial coursework. This coursework includes credit-bearing courses that a student is directed to take to prepare for a particular major that are not part of that major’s degree requirements (not applicable at PWL).
    9. Students who are not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) or are not in good academic standing with the institution overall.
    10. Students who fail to adhere to the degree map by not completing 30 credit hours toward graduation within two or four years’ worth of terms, even if the student does not enroll in consecutive terms.

  8. What if a student has a dual major or a dual degree?
    If a student is pursuing multiple majors, the primary major is the standard degree map that will be loaded by the Office of the Registrar. It is then up to the student and advisors of both majors to work to develop the customized map that will ensure degree requirements for both majors will be met. It is possible at this point that an extended map will be necessary.
  9. To which students does the free course guarantee apply?
    The guarantee applies to students that have complied with their degree maps. If a course is not available for a student (whether it is full, offered only at the same time as another mapped class, or is simply not offered), the institution faces a choice: either it can provide a new map to the student, make every effort to find a course which will substitute for the required course so that the student is eligible to graduate, or provide the course free of charge to the student in the next available semester (See Free Course Guarantee document for more specific requirements).
  10. When do students pursue the free course guarantee?

    Any student who believes he or she qualifies for the free course guarantee should meet with his or her advisor during the student’s classification specific time-ticket to proactively reach a solution that would allow for on- time completion. Students must be in contact immediately with their advisor when a required course is not available.

    Purdue will make every effort for students to have courses on a student’s plan available and will provide a revised plan should courses be full or not offered. In most cases the student’s advisor will work with the student to create a revised degree map. When a revised plan is not possible and a substitution cannot be made in consultation with the academic department a student may pursue the free course guarantee. This form will be available on-line and must have validation from the advisor that the student is eligible for the free course based on the criteria stated in the guidelines and that no alternative solution was possible. Requests submitted after their classification time-ticket has ended will not be considered.

  11. What are the student’s responsibilities?

    • Work with their advisor to develop a customized semester-by-semester plan for achieving their educational goals.
    • Each semester, each student should review his/her plan for accuracy and to measure his/her progress toward graduation.
    • Students are to address all holds that could delay registration and ensure prerequisite course information has been fulfilled.
    • It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the University has been notified in a timely manner of incoming external credits (e.g., AP, dual credit, transfer).
    • Students are to review information about the student’s degree program and career opportunities.
    • Successfully complete no fewer than 15 credit hours per semester and/or 30 credit hours per academic year in order to graduate on-time.
    • Be advised that the State law provides a course-scheduling guarantee to students if a course is on a student’s degree map.
    • Students must register during their classification specific time ticket to be eligible for the course guarantee.
    • Students must let the advisor know during their classification time ticket if they are unable to get into a required course.
    • Students must earn grades sufficient enough to allow them to enroll in the next level of required courses, in order to not repeat courses, including critical courses.
    • The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.
  12. What are the advisor’s responsibilities?

    • Help students navigate the policies and procedures defined for their major and college.
    • Provide academic advising during the initial enrollment period, during the Student Transition, Advising and Registration program (STAR), and before registration each subsequent semester to review course selections from the recommended four-year map provided by the academic unit.
    • Refer students to on-campus resources when barriers to success (e.g., academic progress) have arisen for a student.
    • Work with students to build their customized maps based on each student’s chosen major and standard map for that major.
    • Assist students in finding appropriate substitutions when necessary.
    • Assist students with modifications to their required coursework when the university makes changes out of the students’ control in courses, degree requirements and course schedules.
    • Maintain an up-to-date degree map, making exceptions in consultation with faculty as necessary in myPurduePlan Student Educational Planner (SEP).
    • Assist students with finding appropriate choices for general electives when necessary for their major.
    • Determine how dual credit and AP credits will apply to their major, if applicable.
  13. What are the University’s responsibilities?

    • Provide semester-by-semester plans for completing a degree in four years that will be available on the academic units’ website, or found through the admissions website - www.admissions.purdue.edu/majors/majors_az.php
    • Provide appropriate courses for the major to ensure that the degree can be completed during the four-year period.
    • Providing access to academic advising throughout a student's time at the University.
    • Provide advising to follow a four-year degree path for all students, regardless of whether they meet all requirements for the 15 to finish program.
    • Provide tools, including but not limited to degree audit reporting (myPurduePlan), to enable the student to monitor his/her progress toward degree.
    • Provide an opportunity for students to meet with an academic advisor each semester to evaluate their plan and ensure that they are on track to graduate within four years.
    • Provide students with the opportunity to work with their advisor to address the issues that have stood in the way of their academic success in order to achieve degree completion.
    • Provide the electronic degree map, myPurduePlan, which is the complete knowledge source for specific degree requirements.

Degree Map Document Committee

Kelly Pistilli - Co-Chair, Brenda Schroeder - Co-Chair, Sandy Monroe, Sandy Schaffer, Jamie Schoenbeck Walsh

Best Practice: Jennifer Abbott, Dennis Bowling, Kristen Deckard Dawson, Jane Ann Dimitt, Stacey Dunderman, Nathan Engelberth, Nancy Kester, Bobbe Molter, Erin Schultz, Lori Stout, LeeAnn Williams

Definitions: Beth Burnett, Lee Gordon, Lindsay Haugland, Yvonne Hardebeck, DaFran Ware, Cara Wetzel, Mary York

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