Ten Helpful Tips to Degree Planning

Using the back button will return you to the list of all your plans in Degree Planner, regardless of which tab or view you were looking at in your plan. Only use the interior buttons in the plan to navigate unless you want to go back to and see all your plans. 

Degree Planner is a planning tool that can help map out your time at Shoreline and show you what courses and when you can take them to get your degree. ctcLink is the platform you use to actually register and drop courses. Changes made to plans in Degree Planner will not automatically reflect them to ctcLink. Degree Planner should be used in conjunction ctcLink to make your experiences in registering for courses simple and easy, because Degree Planner's tools can tell you what you should register for and how they will be applied to your degree and you can modify your degree plan as you need far faster than when registering within ctcLink.

When searching for a specific course in Degree Planner, note that Degree Planner does not put spaces between letters and numbers in the course number. For course titles or degree names, spaces are fine and expected.

Example: General-Inorganic Chemistry I is CHEM 171, use CHEM171 (no space) for Degree Planner.

Example: English Composition I is ENGL& 101, use ENGL&101 (no space) for Degree Planner.

Searching with spaces for course numbers will not return results.

Degree Planner communicates important information using banners that will populate at the top of the screen. Always be on the lookout for banners.

When you update something in the Courses section of Degree Planner, it also gets updated in the Requirements section and vice versa. They are displaying the same information. just in a different format. The Courses tab is all about the timeline and easily shifting things around. The Requirements tab is holistic, looking at the past, present and future for what will ensure all the requirements are accounted for so you can graduate with a degree.

Elective placeholders found in the Courses view timeline AND the Requirements view list are specific to the quarter the placeholder is in. This means that by clicking into a placeholder you will only see courses that are predicted to be available that meet that elective requirement in the quarter that the placeholder is in. You must shift the placeholder around to other quarters to see predicted options for each of those quarters. You can also use the Browse link when building a new plan and exploring specific degrees to see full lists of all courses that can meet the requirement, independent of quarter. However, if you are looking for a specific course, it is far easier to manually add the course into your plan using the + Add Course button on the top left of your Course timeline and Degree Planner will automatically determine the best way that course can be used to satisfy requirements, if at all.

You can click the X icon on any course or placeholder in your Course timeline to remove it from your plan. Just removing it though can cause complications if you do not replace it. It will often trigger an error - that your plan no longer meets the requirements necessary to complete the degree. While you can manually add a course back into your plan and resolve this error, if you want to undo a removed course or want a new elective placeholder after changing you mind about an elective option, you can click on the View Unmet Requirements link in the error banner or go to the Requirements tab to + Add Course or + Add Placeholder on the effected course requirement line to fix your plan and remove the error.

As you build out your plan, courses too far out in the future will only have predicted availability listed. This is good for planning purposes, but you will want/need specifics when it comes time to register. Degree Planner will update over time, and you will be able to see specific course information, like modality, location and time and can choose the sections you are interested in. When it comes time to register, look at your plan again and verify that no changes have happened that could impede your ability to register for the courses you want. Degree Planner will have the latest information and can verify when sections are full, when sections/courses have been cancelled or when new sections are being offered. 

Degree Planner comes only in one font, and that can, for some, be difficult to read. In your browser, pump up the magnification to see Degree Planner details more easily.

Degree Planner is a tool. It cannot replicate or replace a relationship with an advisor. If you have trouble or need specific guidance, consult with your advisor. Advisors can help you customize your plan to make sure it is adhering to everything you need from it.