The University Registrar, in collaboration with university advising and the academic colleges, has recently launched a new online degree planner. The new degree planner is intended to help Huskers achieve their academic goals and plan their path to graduation by ensuring they have a plan to complete all appropriate requirements for graduation.

Launched in August, the degree planner initiative was led by Steve Booton, University Registrar; Bill Watts, associate dean for undergraduate education and student success; Amy Goodburn, senior associate vice chancellor and dean of undergraduate education; and supported by the academic advising units in each college and the Explore Center.

With the new online degree planner, students will work one-on-one with their adviser to build a personalized multi-semester degree plan. Students, with the assistance of academic advisers, will use the degree planner to personalize their path to graduation, identifying and planning for various types of requirements, including their major, Achievement Center Education, pre-requisites, etc. Students will have continuous access to their plan and should review with their advisor each semester until graduation.

“We believe it is helpful for students to begin thinking early about their long-term plans,” Watts said. “Visualizing the path to graduation helps students realize what they can accomplish, and the variety of possibilities open to them for second majors, minors and experiential opportunities like study abroad and internships.”

Students can also use the degree planner to build “what if” plans to explore ways to integrate new interests, academic degrees and even studying abroad into their plan, all while staying on track for graduation.

Since students will plan courses semesters and/or years in advance, the degree planner will allow colleges and departments to more effectively plan for the future.

“Ultimately, the degree planner will help the university better understand course-demand, allowing us to see which courses our students need and when exactly they need them,” Booton said. “Through data, we can better manage course loads which will allow more students to take classes in the semester when they need them.”

The degree planner rolled out to first-year students this fall. Current students can speak with their adviser about using the degree planner to plan the remainder of their academic career.