What is PLAN?
PLAN is a new resource designed to help you map out the courses you’ll need throughout your time at NDSU. Your academic advisor will help create the initial plan, but you’re in charge of working with your advisor to ensure your goals are reflected.
With PLAN, you can:
- Map out your classes to take each semester
- Track your progress toward graduation
- Prepare for registration and advising meetings
- Communicate changes in your major, minor, or interests
PLAN is meant to be a living document. You should review it regularly, bring questions to your advisor, and suggest course options based on your research and availability. Before making any major changes, always consult your advisor to make sure your PLAN stays on track.
How to use PLAN
When you log into PLAN, you’ll see an outline of your current and future NSDU semesters mapped out for you. Below is an example of a business administration major’s first two years in PLAN:
In addition to classes, placeholders are also listed in yellow. These indicate either (1) actions to take in a semester or (2) that you need to choose a class to fulfill a specific category.
Your advisor will tailor your PLAN to your interests, major/minor combination, and course history. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your professional advisor for help.
Your advisor has created a Primary PLAN based on your major and conversations, as indicated by the gold star. If the two of you have discussed multiple options, you may have more than one PLAN and can access them by reviewing them with the back arrow.
If you’re interested in exploring other majors or paths, you can add additional PLANs by clicking on the back arrow and selecting “Create New Plan“.Â
It’s recommended that you do not make major changes to your Primary PLAN without working with your advisor to ensure the sequencing and availability of classes is accurate.
The comment feature allows you to communicate ideas, questions, and thoughts with your advisor.
Leave a comment to indicate items you’d like to address in an advising appointment. For example, maybe the credit-load in a semester appears too heavy, or maybe you want to suggest a class to fill an elective spot.
Keep in mind that the comment feature is not the quickest way to get ahold of your advisor. For immediate questions and concerns, we recommend emailing your advisor or scheduling an appointment with them on Bison Advise.
When scheduling opens up for a particular semester, you’ll notice a green “Schedule” button appear in a semester. By clicking this, you’ll be taken to Schedule Planner and your shopping cart will have the same list of classes that were on your PLAN.
Placeholders on your PLAN will not fill in when clicking Schedule. You’ll need to select a course to fill in for a placeholder first. You can also add additional courses to your shopping cart once in Schedule Planner.
When you open PLAN, you will notice a few different colors.
Red = Course has prerequisites
When you click on the red “alerted” class, it is making sure you double check that you have the prerequisite completed. If you do, then you can click dismiss
Green = Course completed
Please note that courses show as completed despite the grade you earned. If your major requires you earn a specific grade in a course, green doesn’t necessarily indicate you earned the required grade. Check Campus Connection for your official grade report.
Yellow = Course Placeholder
Indicates that a course should be chosen to fit a specific category/requirement.
Blue = You’re currently registered
These colors help you quickly understand your progress and what actions may be needed.
Don’t Delete without Consulting your Advisor
Before removing any courses from your Primary PLAN, talk to your advisor. They help ensure:
– Prerequisites are met and course sequencing makes sense.
– Courses are likely to be offered in the semester you’ve scheduled them.
– Your choices align with your academic and career goals.
