Around the Schools: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Harvard College has launched a new online Plan of Study tool to help undergraduates outline the courses they will take throughout their four years at Harvard. This online system replaces paper forms that served the same function, and provides a more intuitive and robust way for undergraduates to plan. The tool’s development was a joint venture between the Program in General Education (Gen Ed), the Office of the Registrar, and the Advising Programs Office.

Using the tool located on the Registrar’s Web site, students can create an eight-semester planning grid modeling the courses they will take to meet their concentration and Gen Ed or Core requirements. Students can also use the form to switch concentrations, or to switch between the Core and Gen Ed.

Students can update the planning grids each term and share their plans with their advisers to facilitate an ongoing conversation about their plan of study. Students’ response to the new system has been overwhelmingly positive, according to the Advising Programs Office.

The Plan of Study tool was first introduced to sophomores, who used this system to declare their concentration on Nov. 18, although all students can access the tool..

— Amy Lavoie