Process Overview
Degree planning is thinking beyond your first or second quarter, it is the ability to have a holistic vision, including:
- General Education Curriculum (GEC) – requirements for the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences majors
- Majors & Minors – information on Ohio State majors & minors in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences.
- Research – Click onto the department you are interested in.
- Internships – linked to the Arts and Sciences Career Services Office
- Study Abroad – linked to The Office of International Education
- Other out-of-the-classroom experiences – connecting you to many leadership and service opportunities
Each program in the Arts and Sciences is structured differently, and this web site is designed to introduce you to each program's General Education Curriculum (GEC) progress benchmarks as well as offer sample four-year degree plans. In addition, we will connect you to the resources necessary to learn more about research, internships and other out-of-the-classroom experiences.
To begin planning your degree, you need to determine (and, from time to time, re-evaluate) whether a four-year graduation plan is right for you. Although there are probably unique individual circumstances that you will need to factor into your decision, the following concerns are common to many students.
- Why have you decided to pursue a baccalaureate degree? How strong is your commitment to completing the work for a degree in four years?
- Have you decided on a major? Have you been admitted directly to the major you have chosen, or will you need to apply? Is admission to the major competitive? When will you have the grades you will need to be admitted? Delayed entry to a major—or extended pursuit of a major to which you are unlikely to gain admission—is a frequent cause for extended time in completing a degree.
- Are you prepared and committed to succeed in the major you have chosen? Do you understand how your placement levels in English, mathematics, and foreign language may affect your time to graduation?
- Are you prepared and committed to succeed in the major you have chosen? Do you understand how your placement levels in English, mathematics, and foreign language may affect your time to graduation?
- Will you be employed a substantial number of hours during the academic year to help finance your education? Being a full-time student is a demanding full-time job, and you may find it necessary—perhaps desirable—to take lighter course loads while you are working in order to perform as well as you expect. This will, of course, extend the time it takes to complete a degree, but that may be the right choice for you.
- Are there good academic or professional reasons—opportunities for enrichment, study abroad, internships— for taking longer than four years to complete a degree? You will need to balance the timely completion of a degree, on one hand, and objectives that might extend the time you will need to complete your program, on the other.
It is quite possible that, as you discover more about your interests and aptitudes, you may change your mind about the program you now think you want to pursue. Such changes in direction do not always extend time to graduation (though they may), and the university has tools in place to assist with these very important decisions; they include your academic advisors, the University Survey 100 course, as well as your degree audit.
What is your next step? Your next step is to read this website and the Degree Planning Manual and learn what it takes to plan your degree thoughtfully. If you have not been able to answer the above questions, or if you have concerns or other questions, please consult your Arts and Sciences academic advisor.
