Breadcrumb
Academic Planning
Creating an academic plan allows you to get the most out of your time here at Humboldt.
Things to consider include sequencing of your courses to make sure you’ve met prerequisites, taking advantage of double counts where possible, allowing time for academic or career related internships or study abroad opportunities, adding a minor to compliment your field of study and other factors designed to enhance your college experience.
One resource for helping you achieve your academic goals is your academic advisor. We encourage you to meet regularly with your advisor to discuss and plan your progress towards your degree.
Get an overview of your major, minor and certificates of study, including program requirements and course descriptions by reviewing Degrees and Academic Programs.
Review Major Academic Plans, or MAPs, to see what courses you might take each semester in order to meet university and major program requirements and graduate with a degree in four years.
DARS is your all-in-one degree planning resource. DARS allows students to track progress toward graduation (Audits); create interactive semester-by-semester degree plans based on audit data (Plans); and generate possible term schedules based on the degree plans (Schedules).
- The Office of the Registrar has provided helpful user guides and videos: DARS Planning Tools
- Your academic advisor is also an excellent source of support when building your DARS plan.
- Let the university know what classes you want to take! Courses in the “starred” plans are used by Humboldt to predict course demand.
- Update your DARS Plan every semester to stay on track.
Take advantage of double counts!
- Review the DCG Double Count Class Schedule options for meeting both GE and Diversity and Common ground every semester, broken down by lower and upper division GE areas.
- Visit your Major Academic Plan for major and GE double count options.
assist.org is the official course transfer and articulation system for California colleges and universities. Find out how California Community College Courses will transfer to Humboldt to meet GE or major requirements.
While all Humboldt students are expected to take a mathematics course as part of lower division GE area B, some majors require additional mathematics courses as part of their degree program. When selecting a math course, it is important to choose one which will best serve the needs of your major. Be sure to check GE Math Requirements by Major.
Incoming students can avoid taking unnecessary math courses by demonstrating prerequisite knowledge with previous coursework, or by taking the ALEKS PPL assessment.
Part of the academic planning process is being prepared to register for classes.
Classes can fill up quickly, so registering as soon as possible is important. Registering for classes each semester involves planning a schedule, selecting courses, possibly resolving holds, and meeting with your academic advisor.
Around mid-semester, when the Schedule of Classes is released for the next semester, you will notice Enrollment Dates in your Student Center. The first date listed is when you can begin enrolling in classes. Mark this date and time on your calendar for best class options! The second date is when the 17 unit limit rises to 19 units allowing all students to add additional classes if needed.
The university may place Student Account Holds in your Student Center if there’s something they need to alert you to. Holds may prevent you from accessing services including registering for classes, ordering parking permits, applying for graduation, and preventing pending financial aid from disbursing. Checking for holds in advance of your registration appointment will give you time to resolve them so you can register on time.
- To check for holds go to myHumboldt, select Student Center and search for the "Holds" box. Click the hold for more information about how to resolve.
Freshman and transfer “Meet With Your Advisor” registration holds — All new students, whether freshmen or transfers, will have a Meet With Your Advisor hold to encourage you to select your classes in consort with your academic advisor. Contact your advisor as soon as you notice the hold in your Student Center so that you will have no delay to your class registration.
The Office of the Registrar maintains an up to date, interactive Class Schedule. The Class Schedule webpage also lists Double-Count classes, Special Topics, Partial Term classes, and the Final Exam Schedule. To find classes, click Search Class Schedule.
Tips for using the interactive Search Class Schedule
- Mode of Instruction dropdown to select Face to Face ONLY, Hybrid, or Online Instruction ONLY.
- Additional Search Criteria to search courses that meet specific GEAR requirements
- Class Days and Times to find classes that fit into your busy schedule.
Once you have generated a list of possible classes, click on the Class or Section number to get more information about the class including a brief description, number of seats available and any Enrollment Requirements like prerequisites or corequisites. Use the 5-digit Class number to add classes to your Enrollment Shopping Cart.
While not required, summer is an opportunity to get on track or ahead in studies. Summer classes cover the same material as fall and spring but in a condensed 5- or 8-week format, requiring strong time management and commitment. Since tutoring is often unavailable, review key academic dates and deadlines (add/drop, change to credit/no credit) to make informed decisions, and meet with your advisor to discuss the pros and cons to taking summer classes. Summer term information is typically posted in March along with the fall Class Schedule.