Reviewing Major Academic Plans (MAP's)
Each major has a Major Academic Plan (MAP) that lists the requirements you will need to fulfill in order to graduate from that major. MAPs also include descriptions of the major (i.e., what you will get out of the major), information on potential careers, and more. They are extremely useful in helping you gather information as you seek a major that will be a good fit for you and your goals. MAPs are stored in the University Catalog (http://catalog.byu.edu/about-byu/major-academic-plans-maps). Select the major you want to review from the dropdown menu.
Note: Please know that MAPs are updated yearly; however, you must complete the requirements on the MAP of the year you entered the major.
MAPs are usually 3+ pages. While the content of the MAP differs for each major, the format is the same across the board.
Page 1
University Core and Graduation Requirements: Check here to see if any major classes will fill GE requirements. Knowing this information will help you save time as you plan out which GE classes to take.
Suggested Sequence of Courses: This section gives you a suggested sequence of major and GE courses. It is very helpful in knowing the order of your major classes. Pay attention to any additional notes in the bottom part of this section. You may not have taken these courses in this exact order up to this point, but that’s okay - work with your advisement center to create a graduation plan.
Page 2
Major Requirements and Courses: This section lists the required courses for the major. Typically, you would complete these classes in the order presented, but be sure to compare this order with the Suggested Sequence of Courses section on the previous page. Be aware that some of these classes might have pre-requisite courses not included on this list. To learn more about these courses (e.g., course content and course format), use the Syllabus Directory to look up each course.
The Discipline and Career Opportunities: These are two very important sections that most students tend to skip over. The Discipline section provides you with a description of the major, usually explaining what the major aims to teach students. The Career Opportunities section tells you the typical careers that the major prepares students to enter. If you don’t know what a specific job entails, search the Occupational Outlook Handbook to learn more.
Page 3
Department Information and Advisement Center Information: If you need to get in touch with the major’s department or the college advisement center, you can find the contact information on this page. Contact the advisement center if you need help changing your major, choosing classes, developing a graduation plan (semester-by-semester plan for completing all of your graduation requirements), or understanding career implications.