We are here to assist you prepare to meet your goals, both while you're here and and after you leave UCSC. We view advising as a partnership with students and expect you to be actively engaged in your own academic planning for degree completion, and beyond. Visit the UCSC Undergraduate Advising website for the university's approach to and philosophy of academic planning.  

You can find links to sample academic plans below. Want to customize your own? Just make a copy and save it to your drive...then use the 'share' button in the top right corner and share it with eebadvising@ucsc.edu. We'll review it and create an official version to share with you and other advisors on campus. 

Four-Year Sample Plans for Frosh

• Sample Academic Plan for Biology BA

• Sample Academic Plan for Ecology and Evolution BS

• Sample Academic Plan for Marine Biology BS

• Sample Academic Plan for Plant Sciences BS

Two-Year Sample Plans for Transfers 

• Sample Academic Plan for Transfers, Biology BA

• Sample Academic Plan for Transfers, Ecology and Evolution BS

• Sample Academic Plan for Transfers, Marine Biology BS

• Sample Academic Plan for Transfers, Plant Sciences BS

Note: These sample plans are provided as general guides. Your individual coursework may vary. To create a personalized academic plan tailored to your goals, contact eebadvising@ucsc.edu to meet with an EEB advisor.

You begin your academic planning when you determine the courses to enroll in during your first quarter at UCSC.  While this may not be 'formal' academic planning, the process for knowing which coureses to take, in what order, what is required to enroll in the courses, etc., is your first foray into academic planning and success.  

• For first-year students, the Science Excellence Advising program (Sci-X) can help you understand academic planning for your first year on campus.  Their team offers support '"in developing your academic goals through academic planning, workshops, and...three discovery seminars."  While EEB advisors are more than happy to assist in academic planning for your first year, the Sci-X advising team is more accessible for first year students as they're located on the main campus, and they have a birds-eye perspective on the multiple major pathways available to science and math majors--where they overlap and how to maximize your options for choice by the end of your first year.  It is important to have an official academic plan by the end of your first year on campus, one which can be shared with EEB advisors to develop an 'official' academic plan for and with you. Sci-X advisors are happy to assist in the development of an academic plan. You must be declared in a major officially by the deadline in your sixth enrolled quarter, and an official academic plan is required as part of the declaration process for EEB majors.

• For Junior Transfer students, your EEB advisors will work with you in late July and early August prior to your first year at UCSC to ensure appropriate transfer prerequisite credits are entered into MyUCSC, and we will recommend first-quarter courses for enrollment. These recommendations will be based on all courses completed prior to transfer and not just on qualification courses. You must be declared by the deadline in your second enrolled quarter at UCSC, and an official academic plan is required as part of the declaration process for EEB majors.

In order to be declared in an EEB-sponsored major, all students must have an official, department-approved academic plan. 

• If you create your own academic plan using one of the editable Google sheets from above, use the 'share' button and share it with eebadvising@ucsc.edu.  An advisor will create an official academic plan and share it with you and with other advising offices on campus.

• If you have not created and shared a plan when you petition to declare the major, an advisor will create for and share with you an official academic plan.

• Official academic plans are shared with 'comment' access...students are not able to edit official academic plans.  Instead, students should work with an EEB advisor to update the plan anytime you enroll in requirements other than those listed on the academic plan for any given quarter.

• It is expected that students either follow their official academic plans as closely as possible; or to email an advisor each quarter when what you end up enrolling in (courses, requirements met by those courses, etc.) differs from what is on your academic plan. We'll update the academic plan for you based on your enrollment and ensure it remains aligned with your DPR...but only if you contact us/let us know it needs to be updated!

"The Degree Progress Report (DPR) is a student success tool which allows students to track their progress toward degree completion, at any time. The DPR displays curricular and graduation requirements and the academic work used to satisfy those requirements. Students are encouraged to review their DPR at least quarterly to see requirements not yet satisfied. College and major/minor advisors are able to assist in the use of the DPR." --from the UCSC DPR Website

Visit this page in the EEB Student Handbook for specific information on how the DPR is programmed and how satisfying requirements in EEB-sponsored majors is 'dynamic' in nature. EEB advisors are happy to discuss any questions you may have about the DPR.

The DPR is programmed directly from the university catalog, which is updated once per year and published around July 1.  While students do have catalog rights, it is generally recommended to follow the requirements present in the catalog under which you first enrolled at UCSC.

Because the DPR is programmed directly from the catalog, any newly created and available courses that are options to satisfy requirements will automatically update in your DPR, regardless of the catalog year under which you were admitted/when you began at UCSC.

Your official academic plan should be aligned with your DPR from quarter to quarter.  If you find that you have veered from your official academic plan (were unable to enroll in specific courses or courses that meet specific requirements) in any given quarter, reach out to an EEB advisor to update your academic plan as soon as possible. Because the academic plan is not directly connected to MyUCSC, it is the student's responsibility to alert an EEB advisor when the plan needs to be updated to reflect what is shown in the DPR.