Your Graduation Plan

Planning and preparing for graduation can be stressful for students, especially with the underlying question, “Will I be able to graduate on time?” Academic advising can help you reach your goals, reduce your stress, and get you graduated.

Graduating from APU requires the fulfillment of several components. You must:

Complete 126 units (excluding remedial units). 58-66 units will be General Studies requirements.
Complete all the academic requirements for your major and minor.
Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. (Note: Some majors/minors have higher GPA requirements. Check with the department office or the undergraduate catalog).
Meet the residency requirement. (See the undergraduate catalog for the exact policy.)
Complete the allotted amount of ministry hours for each semester in which you are enrolled.
Fulfill all financial obligations to the university.

To get a sense of your progress in your required courses or credits and prepare for your student career at APU, consider this plan of action:

1. Gather your information:

Go to Degree Works and check your units and your GPA. Notice that Degree Works will give you a cumulative GPA, as well as a GPA for your General Studies work and your work in all of your majors/minors. The unit total given on Degree Works includes completed classes as well as classes for which you are currently enrolled, and those for which you are pre-registered for the upcoming semester.
While reviewing Degree Works, note what academic requirements are still needed. Classes that fulfill these requirements are listed under each section. Make a list of these requirements (or you can print out your Degree Works audit).
Check the prequisites for the courses that you still need to take using the undergraduate catalog. Make a list of these requirements. Read more about General Studies requirements.

2. Plot your future semesters:

Using the Making an Academic Plan form*, Make a list of the remaining semesters that you plan to be in school. Do not forget to list summer sessions.
Start combining your remaining classes into semesters. You'll want to decide what mix of classes (General Studies, major, minor, Honors, etc.) you'd like to have each semester. You'll also want to plan for your unit load for each semester, keeping in mind your extracurricular commitments.
Check with the departments that offer the classes you need. While they cannot guarantee when classes will be offered, they can give you a sense of whether the classes are offered each semester, seasonally, or infrequently.
Adjust your plan to include experiences such as Study Abroad semesters and mission trips.

3. Review your plan frequently with your advisor, and remember to be adaptable.

*The downloadable version of this document is provided in Portable Document Format (PDF). To learn more about PDFs or to install Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow this link.