9.3: Educational Planning
When you have chosen your major and decided upon the type of credential you want to pursue, you will need an educational plan for the career you plan to pursue. You will use this individualized student education plan to map out your career path, at least while you’re in college. Your educational plan will list all of the classes you’re required to take to earn the credential you’re pursuing, whether you’re planning to earn a diploma, certificate or associate degree. After earning your associate degree, you may plan to transfer to earn your bachelors degree, and some of you will continue for your masters and doctoral degrees.
Your education plan will consist of pre-requisite courses, general education courses and major requirement courses. Prerequisites are courses required before taking other higher-level courses, and some examples may be developmental math, reading and writing plus 100-level introductory courses. Taking prerequisites first at the beginning of your academic plan will help you move forward evenly and strategically ensuring you have the basic knowledge upon which to build in your higher-level classes.
General education courses ensure you have a well-rounded education by learning about topics related and unrelated to your major. Examples of general education courses include first-year seminar, arts and humanities, social sciences, physical sciences and physical education. General education courses provide the “soft skills” employers look for in addition to career-specific knowledge. Soft skills such as effective written and oral communication, critical thinking and information literacy (how to do effective research) often are viewed by employers as just as important as the career-specific knowledge required in an occupation.
Major requirement courses cover the specific content required for your career field such as business, psychology, human services, nursing and welding. These courses teach you the specific skills you will use in your day-to-day work. These courses often come in the second half of your education plan although some majors may require introductory level major courses in your first or second semesters.
You do have some help creating your education plan. Every HACC student has an assigned academic advisor who is charged with explaining your academic requirements and assisting you to make decisions about what classes to take when. Your academic advisor may be a professor in your intended field or a professional advisor in a centralized office. Consult with your academic advisor each semester to ensure you’re following the most effective course sequence and to ensure your major requirements haven’t changed. See the next section for details about how academic advising is structured at HACC.
Every student at HACC is assigned to an academic advisor based upon major or academic program. Some advisors are professors, and some are professional advisors in the Office of Student Success and Enrollment Management. Meeting with your academic advisor is an important part of academic planning. Here are some details about academic advising from HACC’s Advising Services.
You and your advisor will use planning tools such as Degree Works (audit and plans), program guides and transfer checksheets. You can find all of these tools on hacc.edu and in myHACC.
Office of Student Success and Enrollment Management Advising Contacts: 717-780-2498; Email: HACC Advising
How Do I Find My Academic Advisor?
- Log in to myHACC .
- Look on the top right under “Academic Standing Information” (light blue box).
- Look under the light blue box to see your advisor’s contact information.
OR
- Log into myHACC.
- Click on Student Profile.
- Look for “Primary/Program Advisor” near the center of the page.
Here are some links related to advising at HACC:
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Navigate: Log in to myHACC and click on Navigate in the far-left navigation menu.
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Link to Navigate Introduction video: Navigate Introduction [youtu.be]
- Link to Navigate Appointment Scheduling video: Navigate Appointment Scheduling [youtu.be]
- Information about your major including links to your program guide and/or academic map: HACC Programs and Courses [www.hacc.edu]
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General Education Course Options: HACC Programs and Courses [www.hacc.edu]
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How to find your academic advisor: How to Find Your Academic Advisor [flipgrid.com]
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Degree Works Introduction video: Degree Works Introduction [youtu.be]
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Degree Works Education Plan video: Degree Works Ed Plans [youtu.be]
Educational Planning
Step 1 : Identify Your Advisor and Schedule Appointment
- Locate name and contact information for my advisor.
Advisor Name: _____________________________
Advisor Phone Number: ______________________
Advisor Office Location: ______________________
Advisor Email-address: ______________ @hacc.edu
- Schedule to meet with my advisor. Check your HAWKMail for messages from your advisor and/or a link to make an advising appointment through Navigate.
Advising Appointment (Date/Time) _____________________
Method: ￮ In-person ￮ Zoom ￮ email ￮ other ________
Step 2: Preparation (before your appointment)
- Locate and save or print your Degree Works education plan or audit.
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Check ONE of the following - my plans are to attend HACC as a
- Full time student (12+ credits) or Part-time student (less than 12 credits)
- I don’t know what is best for my situation so I will discuss the number of credits with my advisor.
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Check off and decide,
in advance
, what I want to talk about with my advisor. Consider what information is most important to discuss during my meeting. I might consider some of these questions/discussion points:
- Can my major be completed at the campus I plan to attend?
- Are any courses in my major considered more important than others? Why?
- What course(s) will likely be most challenging?
- Do my classes have to be taken in a particular sequence due to pre-requisites?
- Are there any physical or emotional requirements, background clearances, or other pre-qualifications required as part of this major?
- What things should I be doing outside the classroom to best prepare for my career?
- Pre-Health Professions Students : Have you developed your parallel path? See this link for more information. HACC Programs and Courses [www.hacc.edu]
- My personal questions/concerns _______________________________________?
- Anything additional I would like to know __________________________________?
Step 3: Meet with your Advisor
- Plan classes for at least the next full academic year . (Attach your Degree Works plan or write in the planning chart below or attach an existing educational plan if one already was created.)
- If you are unable to complete an educational plan, write an explanation with reasons.
- Talk to your advisor about any questions or concerns you have.
- Inform your advisor of any changes that would impact your academic plans (family, work, physical abilities, criminal record).
- Be honest about your progress in the courses you are currently taking. Does this course load fit your life?
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NOTES/COMMENTS: ______________________________________________________
- Date, time and method (Zoom, email, etc.) of advising meeting: __________________
- My new advising code to register (if applicable): ____________________