Academic Planning

Academic planning is the process by which students plan out their semester course loads and the duration and the intensity of their academics at the University. With so many options for majors, minors, degrees and certifications offered at BSU, Academic Planning is an essential element of a succinct and successful academic experience. Students following an academic plan will find that there are many resources available on campus to empower them to develop and stay on track with their targeted academic goals and intended graduation date. With students balancing complex work schedules and social lives with the rigors of academics, the academic plan serves as a powerful tool to help students focus their energies and simplify course registration each semester.

Many Academic departments on campus even have their own academic planning sheets. Please check with your major department here to see if this resource is available.
http://www.bridgew.edu/AcadDept.cfm

Some available resources to consider when devising an academic plan are:

· The University Undergraduate/ Graduate Catalog
· Faculty Resources, such as advisors, instructors and department chairpersons
· Academic Counselors in the AAC
· Credit requirements for GER’s, Majors and Minors
· BSU criteria for good academic standing
· The Degree Audit
· The GPA Calculation
· GPA and Academic Requirements for specific departments on campus, like:

Financial Aid http://www.bridgew.edu/FinancialAid/grants.cfm

On-Campus Housing http://www.bridgew.edu/RLH/prospective.cfm

Athletics http://www.bridgew.edu/Athletics/

Having a plan often eases the difficulty of negotiating one’s way though University policy—and sticking to the plan is great way of knowing what to expect before you go.

There are a number of academic Programs and Services hosted in the Academic Achievement Center designed to support the BSU student community. These services provide a range of academic support and are valuable supplements to students wishing to maximize their understanding of University course material and policies. Click here to read more about learning support at BSU.

There two kinds of academic planning to consider, short term and long term. Short term academic planning assists students in course selection in instances where prerequisites are concerned and helps students attain short term GPA and academic goals. The long-term academic plan, on the other hand, helps divide up the 120-credit graduation requirement at BSU into seemingly more manageable pieces. Students can often feel overwhelmed by the broad-based liberal arts curriculum stressed by the GER system, and a long-term academic plan is one way to prepare for the course-work load and to anticipate the added time some classes require. A long-term academic plan helps students distribute the GER requirements evenly across their academic experience at Bridgewater—lowering the possibility of unintended course over load while insuring that progress in both major and minor course work is made. During freshman advising ask your advisor about an academic plan at Bridgewater—there are many reasons to know before you go.

Last Modified: February 14, 2011