Chapter 28: Educational Planning
Graciela Martinez; Elizabeth Shaker; Dave Dillon; and Linnea Spitzer
Educational Planning
Once you determine the goal(s) you wish to pursue, you are ready to declare your major/program of study and develop your educational plan. Many colleges offer educational planning online, connected through student portals and accessible anytime.
Your educational plan will allow you to track your progress toward your declared program and map out classes necessary to meet your goal. You are encouraged to discuss this plan with a counselor to ensure you have accounted for all necessary requirements! Because of the complexities and frequent changes with degree and transfer requirements, it is essential to review your educational plan with a counselor to ensure you are on the right track.
If you are not yet certain about your major, that is ok! Consider what program(s) may best suit you: a certificate, associate degree or transfer. If you have a general idea of what program you wish to pursue you can start focusing on your general education courses and consider taking some exploratory classes next semester to allow you to explore areas of interest.
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Activity 28.1 – My Major And My Educational Plan(s) |
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After reading through Chapters 26-27 Career Research and Exploration and Major and Career Selection, it is time to make a decision. Take into account the research you have gathered about different majors using the online resources addressed earlier in this section and answer the following questions:
The more you know about the requirements necessary to pursue the career field(s) you are considering, the better you can prepare and make yourself a competitive candidate! |
Develop a Skills Based Educational Plan to Align with Your Academic Plan
In this section, we have discussed choosing your major and developing your educational plan to satisfy the necessary requirements for a certificate, AA/AS, AA-T/AS-T and/or transfer goal. At this time, you should have a general idea of what requirements are necessary to achieve your academic goal. Now, we want to further develop your plan through incorporating a skills based educational plan. To get a better understanding of what a “Skills Based Educational Plan” is, view the YouTube Video titled “The Insufficient Degree” and start developing your Skills Based Academic Plan.
It is now time to develop your Skills Based Academic Plan. After viewing the YouTube Video above, think of the skill necessary for your desired career goal. Consider the knowledge you will need to know for this particular career and how you can start working on acquiring that knowledge now.
Table 28.1 My Career Goals
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Take a moment and review the “Counseling Roadmap” illustration on the following page.
Figure 28.1 – Counseling roadmap. (Image by Ian Joslin is licensed under CC BY 4.0)
Where are you on this roadmap? Are you at the start? Are you midway through your journey? Are you at the end of your journey? Your educational plan will help you determine how far along you are on your journey and how much further you have to go. Consider connecting with resources and services on campus as recommended below based on where you are in your journey.
Counseling Roadmap
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If you are at the START you will want to: Submit official transcripts from previous colleges/universities Declare your major Apply for financial aid Complete your math and English assessments if you have not yet done so |
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If you have Up to 15 units you will want to: Meet with an academic advisor to develop a one-semester plan Familiarize yourself with student resources such as the Library, the Student Center/Student Services, Bookstore, Student Health & Wellness Center Consider joining a student club or organization |
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If you have 15 Units or more you will want to: Meet with a counselor to discuss academic major and goals leading to the development of a comprehensive educational plan Continue to network on campus and build relationships with faculty, staff and peers |
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If you have 45 units or more you will want to: Review transcripts with a counselor or advisor Connect with the Career Center Participate in an internship Petition for graduation |
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If you are at the FINISH LINE you will want to: Receive and associate degree and/or certificate Enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year institution |
Focusing on your educational plan can help you set priorities in how you balance your college, work, and family life.
Students can follow educational plans like a road map so they can see how to complete required classes in the most efficient and logical order based on their educational goals.
Educational planning may appear to be easy: identifying the program of study and then figuring out which courses are required to complete it, as in the sequence below.
However, educational planning can often be extremely complex. Many students have multiple goals, with fluctuating priorities, and some goals might be better defined than others. A student might be interested in more than one of these goals: earn multiple degrees, transfer to a four-year college or university, prepare for graduate school, pursue a minor, or complete requirements for several transfer schools.
Students also have different strengths different interests, and different values. Some might be strong in English. Some students excel in math. Others might be strong in science, arts and humanities, or social sciences. Educational planning takes these strengths (and challenges) into consideration. Students are encouraged to take English and math early, as statistics show that those students will be more successful. But the order of courses taken for students with different strengths could vary even if the students have the same goal. Transcript evaluations (if students have attended previous colleges or universities), assessment of appropriate English or math levels and prerequisite clearance procedures may also contribute to the challenge of efficient educational planning.
Educational planning may be further complicated by availability of courses a college or university offers, the process in which a student may be able to register for those courses, and which sections (and modalities) fit into students’ schedules. When you choose classes, consider choosing them in “blocks” so you may have longer chunks of time to work and study. For example, scheduling all your classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so you can have full days free to go to your job, to write a paper, or to study for an exam may be helpful and efficient. You may also try to mix classes that require a lot of work with less intensive classes for balance. Ask your advisor or classmates about which classes or professors they recommend. Balancing easier and harder courses can be helpful in keeping a strong grade point average, which can help you requirements for your degree, transfer or specific programs are also considered in educational planning.
Finally, students have different priorities. Some students want to complete their goals in a certain amount of time. Other students may have to work full-time and take fewer credits each semester. Educational planning might also consider student interests, skills, values, personality, or student support referrals.
It is OK to not know what major you want to pursue when you start college, but early, thoughtful research to look into options and narrow them down to a short list of two or three will provide a solid foundation. Talking with a counselor or advisor, visiting your college’s Career Center, or taking a college success class may help with your decisions.
Due to the complicated nature of educational planning and “life” happening to. many students, the student road map often ends up looking like this:
In summary, as you begin to consider your educational plan, think about these considerations:
- What are your short-term and long-term college goals?
- What classes do you need to take in order to reach these goals?
- How can you be strategic about your college schedule?
- What days and times are your classes?
- Are your classes on the same campus or different ones?
- Do you have a good mix of easier and harder classes?
- Are you mixing required and fun or exploratory classes?
- Have you built in time for other life requirements besides school?
There is a lot of support on campus to help you each step of the way. Take advantage of the resources available to you and ask for help when necessary.
Remember, you are not alone on this journey!
Licenses and Attributions:
Original content: CC BY Attribution:
Career and Life Planning – An Open Educational Resource Publication by College of the Canyons 4.5 Choosing Your Major and Educational Planning. Access for free at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kTVzQ6mKcTPEVnK_YUl6UkZLd1mn7wa4
Martinez, G., & Shaker, E. (2019). Choosing Your Major and Educational Planning. In Career and Life Planning. College of the Canyons.
Modifications: Videos embedded, minor formatting edits, figures/tables/activities renumbered, CoC references removed and minor edits for broader audience.
Dillon, D. & Spitzer, L. Time Management Theory. In Blueprint for Success in College and Career, Oregon Edition. Access for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/oregonblueprint/chapter/9-time-management-theory/
Dillon, D., Cárdenas, N., & Spitzer, L. (2021). Blueprint for Success in College and Career, Oregon Edition. Open Oregon Educational Resources.
Roadmap graphics used with permission, courtesy of Greg Stoup, Rob Johnstone, and Priyadarshini Chaplot of The RP Group.
Footnotes:
J. Weissman, C. Bulakowski, and M.K. Jumisko, “Using Research to Evaluate Developmental Education Programs and Policies,” in Implementing Effective Policies for Remedial and Developmental Education: New Directions for Community Colleges, ed. J. M. Ignash (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997), 100, 73-80. ↵
Beth Smith et al., “The Role of Counseling Faculty and Delivery of Counseling Services in the California Community Colleges,” (California: The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges). ↵
