Academic Plan

University of Maryland Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy
University of Maryland policy stipulates that full-time degree seeking students are expected to complete their undergraduate degree program in four years. To meet this expectation, students must plan carefully in consultation with an academic advisor; complete 30 credits each year (which is usually accomplished through a course load of 14 to 16 credits per semester); satisfy general education, prerequisite and other course requirements with acceptable grades in a timely manner; and meet the benchmarks. Students are required to map out individualized four-year plans consistent with these guidelines and benchmarks, and are responsible for updating them as circumstances change. Students who do not meet benchmarks are required to select a more suitable major. Students who change majors must submit a realistic graduation plan to the academic unit of the new major for approval.

For additional information about this policy visit: http://www.ugst.umd.edu/academicsuccess.html and http://www.ugst.umd.edu/gaqs-successpolicy.html.

Why Academic Planning is Required:
Because the academic plan is individualized and tailored to each student’s interests and goals, it:

1. Serves as a flexible roadmap to earning the degree
2. Serves as a guide to understanding degree requirements
3. Helps ensure students are academically successful
4. Helps students complete the degree in a timely manner

What This Means for Students:
Prior to declaring or changing a major within the School of Public Health (SPH), every student must work with the Student Service Center to develop an academic plan for completing the degree within 4 years.

Tools and Resources Available to Assist Students:
The SPH Student Service Center will provide the following:

1. Explicit instructions for completing an academic plan and the declaration process.

2. A 4-year graduation plan (a template for how students could sequence through the major).

3. An academic major sheet detailing all of the courses required for the degree

4. Program-specific benchmarks -Benchmarks are key, foundational courses in each major that must be completed by two, three, and four semesters into the major. Successful completion of the benchmarks suggests that the student will be successful in completing the major. Failure to successfully complete the benchmarks allows students the opportunity to find a more suitable major in a timely manner.

5. Group advising with an academic advisor who knows the curriculum, graduation requirements, and University, School and Department policies and procedures

Timeline / Deadlines:

• Freshmen: First-semester freshman students entering a major offered in the School of Public Health must complete an academic plan and have it approved by an advisor in Student Services by the middle of their first semester. This will be completed in the UNIV 100 and KNES 289z courses students are required to take during their first semester.



• Transfer Students: Transfer students entering the University and the major must complete an academic plan and have it approved by an advisor in Student Services during their orientation program.



• Internal Transfer Students: University of Maryland students changing their major must first register and attend a Change of Major Workshop (COM) with the major they plan to declare and then register and attend an Academic Plan Workshop (APW) prior to having their academic plan and have it approved by an advisor in Student Services. Note it will take up to 10 business days for a plan to be reviewed and their major be declared after a student attends the APW.

Consequences for Not Having an Approved Academic Plan:
Students without an approved academic plan on file with the SPH will be blocked from registering for courses for the next semester. This block prevents registration, and can result in a student not getting into the classes needed for a specific major/program of study. The only way this block can be removed is by having an academic plan approved by an advisor in Student Services.