ii. The Nuts and Bolts of Curriculum

The university provides you with a very detailed roadmap of courses you need to take to successfully earn a degree. Locating major requirements and course descriptions in the catalog and on your degree plan, and understanding these requirements and descriptions, will help you take control of your own path and lead to more productive meetings with your advisor.

College curricula are complex. A specific degree starts with the idea of curricula or courses of study. Degree programs are the result of combining courses together to form a curriculum that meets a variety of objectives. Most states mandate certain aspects be included in all degree programs, with other pieces being left to the institution to decide. In Louisiana, each degree requires a minimum of 120 semester hours of specific coursework. Some degrees, like education, music, and engineering have more hours. Some degrees are very prescriptive and allow for no elective courses, and other degree plans give you many options you can choose from based on your interests.

Will these courses count? You should be aware that if you plan to complete courses at one institution and transfer them to another, those courses may not count in your degree plan at your new institution. This can also occur when you switch from one major to another; your courses from one major may not apply to another major. Regardless of the situation, whether switching majors or transferring courses from another institution, the courses you already completed do not go away—they will count toward your GPA. If those courses do not fulfill a requirement for your new major, they will not apply toward the 120 hours required for your new plan of study. Simply accumulating 120 hours does not mean you earn a degree. All curriculum requirements for your designated plan of study must also be completed, so it is possible you might accumulate hours beyond 120 by the time you graduate.

The Catalog

The University Catalog contains information important to any student considering a degree or enrolling in a degree program. The catalog is a comprehensive document with information about courses, degrees, policies, and procedures applicable to students enrolled at the university. To access the Catalog, which houses information about majors, minors, and courses at UNO, visit catalog.uno.edu. Note: Until the 2025-2026 catalog is released, this link may take you to the 2024-2025.

A catalog year refers to the curriculum you are following for your major and minor (if applicable). Your catalog year is generally the year in which you were admitted. If you stop out and return later, you may be subject to a new catalog.

Degree Plans and Unofficial and Official Transcripts

Universities devise degree plans to guide students toward completion of a program of instruction that leads to a degree. These plans are influenced by faculty within a particular discipline. English professors help craft the bachelor’s degree in English, engineering professors help craft the bachelor’s degree in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering etc., and foreign language professors help craft the bachelor’s degree in French. Core requirements are decided by a committee of faculty from across disciplines with guidance from state agencies. These degree plans are formal agreements between a student and a university, and they are tied to specific catalog years. If the degree plan you committed to your freshman year was health science, the degree plan outlined in the catalog that year is the plan you will follow throughout your time at the institution. This remains true (mostly) throughout your time engaged in obtaining that degree, even if the requirements are updated and changed years later. This rarely happens, but one reason requirements might change is related to outside agencies. For example, if you are an education major and the state education agency over certification requires different information for certification, a course may be added, dropped, or changed mid degree. The catalog is a great place to look at degrees and what requirements are tied to each major and minor. The catalog is generally updated every year and is published on the university website.

If the degree plan is the roadmap, what roles do the unofficial and official transcripts play? Both unofficial and official transcripts are documents that outline how many hours of credit you have received and your actual GPA. You can access your unofficial transcript via Workday. You might need your unofficial transcript for a job interview, as a record you want to keep, or even something to show your parents that outlines your progress. Your unofficial transcript cannot be used to verify you have received a degree and cannot be used at another institution for acceptance or transfer. If you are looking to transfer to another institution or apply for an advanced degree, your official transcript must be used. Official transcripts are certified as “official” by the university and are issued upon request. Official transcripts are sealed in an envelope or sent electronically by Parchment.

Changing Your Mind

Say you step foot on campus with a declared major in finance. One of the first courses you take in political science really captures your imagination, and you begin to think about changing your major. Perhaps you have been pursuing a specific degree plan, but you find you are really struggling with the coursework, and you begin to think this major is not for you. Before you do anything drastic, take a look at the catalog to see what you have completed that might apply to a new degree and then meet with your advisor.

For the most specific information about your degree path, and an overview of what you have taken, what requirements are fulfilled, and what you still need to take, look at an electronic degree plan. If you are seriously considering changing your major, you need to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor. Your academic advisor must approve your change of major in Workdy and they also will be able to discuss what the new degree plan entails and if this is the right move for you based on your career goals. Additionally, your advisor will be able to explain how this change might affect time to graduation, and they can connect you with appropriate support resources as you look at making this transition. Bottom line, if you want to switch your major for any reason, setting up a meeting with your academic advisor is the first step before you make any decisions.

GPA and Why It Is Important

When you log in to Workday, there is quite a bit of information displayed. Of the most importance are the courses you have completed, the courses still remaining, and your GPA. As discussed earlier, your GPA is a calculation based on your grades and the number of credit hours each course is worth (i.e., UNIV 1001 is worth 1 credit hour). Understanding where and how your GPA originates can be a little intimidating. However, there are multiple tools available to help you when it comes to determining how specific grades will impact your GPA.

First, let’s take time to understand how GPA is calculated. Your GPA is found by dividing the quality points earned by the total credit hours attempted toward the degree. Quality points are determined by multiplying the number of credit hours assigned to the course by the number assigned to the grade for that course. Table 1 shows grade points earned by credit hour. We will use this as we walk through a quick example of how to calculate quality points by course.

Quality Points Per Semester Hour

Now, you might be wondering how you tell how many credit hours a course is worth. On Workday, it will tell you how many units, or credit hours, a course is worth. Now, let’s determine the number of quality points earned for a UNIV 1001 course. BrUNO completed UNIV 1001 for the fall semester. BrUNO earned a B but is not sure how many quality points were earned toward his GPA. UNIV 1001 is worth 1 credit hour and BrUNO made a B—that earns BrUNO 3 quality points per semester hour. Three points per semester hour x 1 credit hour = 3, so BrUNO has 3 quality points toward his GPA!

Now why so much emphasis on a GPA? Why is this so important if you pass all of your courses? Your GPA is a key component of graduation and part of your degree requirements. In addition to everything discussed earlier about degree requirements, your Overall GPA and Institution GPA must be at a minimum 2.0 for graduation. GPA also impacts your eligibility for federal financial aid.

Preprofessional Programs

Some undergraduate degrees are specifically designed to prepare students to later pursue professional degrees (such as the MD or PharmD) at the graduate level. Such programs are called preprofessional programs, preprofessional majors, or preprofessional tracks. The most common preprofessional programs are premed, prelaw, and prepharmacy, but you may see other offerings. Although some preprofessional programs are structured as majors that you can declare, many preprofessional programs are a sequence of recommended courses and activities that a student can follow alongside a related major. While following a preprofessional program may not guarantee your admittance to a professional program, it does increase the likelihood of acceptance to and preparation for a graduate professional program.

Photo by University of New Orleans

Consider Loretta’s story as an example of how a student might be on a preprofessional track. Loretta has decided that she would like to become a medical doctor. She has declared biology as her major and is taking the courses required to graduate with a bachelor of science degree in biology. Her university does not have a premed major, but it does have a premed track. She informs her academic advisor of her career goals, and her advisor provides her information about the premed track. The premed track includes a list of courses that students should take to prepare for the medical school entrance exams, called MCATs. Some of these courses are biology courses that overlap with Loretta’s biology major, while others are higher-level chemistry courses that are not required for her major. She can take these chemistry courses, and any other premed-track courses, as her elective courses. The premed track at Loretta’s university includes opportunities to attend MCAT study workshops and premed student club meetings. It also provides recommendations for summer volunteering and internships that will strengthen Loretta’s resume and application to medical school following the completion of her bachelor’s degree.

UNO offers a number of pre professional programs that you can view at https://www.uno.edu/academics/pre-professional-programs. UNO advises students based on LSU Health Science requirements, so if you plan on attending another school, its important you review their requirements yourself. Each law school, medical school, or allied health program has their own set of requirements that you should review before applying.

Special Requirements of Majors

While preprofessional programs prepare students for entrance into graduate professional degree programs, some undergraduate majors involve special requirements beyond the usual courses and classroom experience to prepare students for entrance to their career. Such requirements provide students practical experience or prerequisites for licensure necessary for a particular job. When requirements are major-specific, it is often because the requirement is state-mandated for that job. Majors that often include state-mandated special requirements are education, social work, and nursing. Some colleges and universities may require all students to participate in additional experiences beyond their regular coursework. You will want to ask your college about details specific to your major or institution. In this section we will generally discuss four such special requirements and experiences: fieldwork and internships, clinicals, student teaching, and service learning.

Photo by University of New Orleans

Fieldwork and Internships

Fieldwork and internships may also be referred to as practicums and field experience. These requirements provide hands-on work experience in a career, or field. When fieldwork or internships are required for your major, such as with a social work major, it is often listed as a course requirement among your major requirements. In other words, you usually receive credits for your fieldwork as you would for a lab or lecture course. Your fieldwork instructor will likely ask you to reflect on and report on your experiences. They will likely confer with a supervisor at your fieldwork site, the place where you are working, to help assess your hands-on learning. Fieldwork and internships provide students with opportunities to practice the skills they’ve learned in the classroom while also introducing them to the values and culture of the organizations and communities in which they hope to be employed. It is important to note that fieldwork and internship experiences are often available to students even if they are not required for their major. You may want to inquire with your academic advisors, faculty, or career services office to determine what opportunities might be available for you to gain this type of experience in your field of interest.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is a specific type of fieldwork undertaken by students who plan to teach at the preschool, elementary, or middle and high school levels. Education students are often required to complete a student teaching experience in order to obtain a teaching license in their state. Students must often complete core education coursework prior to student teaching and must complete a background check prior to placement in a school setting. During their student teaching experience, students are usually paired one-on-one with an experienced teacher and have the opportunity to observe that teacher, get to know the students, understand the classroom culture, and participate in lessons as a teaching assistant as needed or appropriate. Much like nursing clinicals, this highly supervised fieldwork experience usually progresses to more independent work when the student teacher is asked to deliver and reflect on a lesson plan of their own design. Keep in mind as you plan for student teaching that unlike other fieldwork experiences, student teaching is limited to fall or spring semesters and cannot be completed in the summer because most schools are closed during the summer terms. Also, it may not be feasible to work at another job while completing your student teaching experience, so if you must work while you’re in college, it’s important to discuss this with your program staff or academic advisors and to plan ahead.

Service Learning

While service learning may not be required of a specific major, you may see this special requirement for a course or as a general graduation requirement for your college or university. It’s also an excellent opportunity to try out something that interests you, something that could lead to or be part of your eventual career.

Service learning is very much like volunteering or community service. The purpose of service learning is to interact with and meet the needs of your local community. Service learning does differ from volunteering in that it is more structured to meet specific learning goals. For example, if you were engaging in service learning for an environmental science course, your activities would likely be focused on local environmental issues. Or, if you were engaging in service learning for a sociology course, you would likely be working with local community groups or organizations not only to assist these organizations, but also to observe how groups interact. Like fieldwork, service learning provides you an opportunity to observe and apply concepts learned in the classroom in a real-world setting. Students are often asked to reflect on their service learning activities in the context of what they’ve been learning in class, so if you’re engaged in service learning, be thinking about how the activities you do relate to what you’ve learned and know.

Photo by University of New Orleans

You can learn more about service learning at UNO, including finding a current list of courses by visiting https://www.uno.edu/service-learning.

Study Abroad & National Student Exchange

Studying abroad or at a different school in another city in the country can be one of the most rewarding and transformative parts of a college experience. It offers students the chance to explore new cultures, gain global perspectives, build independence, and sometimes even learn a new language—all while earning academic credit. For many students, a semester or summer abroad or at another institution is a highlight of their time in college.

However, studying abroad or at another school across the country in the national exchange program isn’t something to decide on at the last minute. It requires thoughtful planning, especially when it comes to staying on track for graduation. Some degree programs, such as those with flexible electives or general education requirements, may be easier to coordinate with study abroad and National Student Exchange opportunities. Others—like highly sequenced majors in the sciences, nursing, or engineering—may have tighter course schedules that leave less room for substitution or time away from campus. That’s why it’s so important to speak with your academic advisor early—ideally in your first or second year—if studying abroad or doing a national exchange is something you’re considering.

Advisors can help you explore which programs align best with your academic goals and map out a timeline that allows for the experience without delaying graduation. They can also connect you with the campus study abroad and National Student Exchange office to learn about program types, application deadlines, and scholarship opportunities. With enough lead time, most students—regardless of major—can make studying abroad or in a different city work for them. But the key is planning ahead and being informed. By working study abroad or National Student Exchange into your degree plan early, you’ll be better positioned to take full advantage of this enriching opportunity without missing a beat in your academic journey.

UNO students can study at other schools through a semester- or year-long exchange or on a summer program (ours or one offered by another university). There are many perks of participating in one of UNO’s summer programs include earning UNO credit, working with UNO faculty, and access to our study abroad scholarships. You can learn more about studying abroad or jetting off on a National Student Exchange at UNO by visiting https://www.uno.edu/academics/study-abroad.

Need a little more convincing? Watch the video below to hear some first-hand accounts of students who took advantage of the National Student Exchange program and how transformative it can be.