UMKC'S New Road Maps Will Help Undergraduate Students Achieve Their Academic Goals

In April 2009, the Registration & Records Office under the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management partnered with the Provost’s Office, the Academic Units and University Communications to create a new tool called Major Maps. The Major Maps website is designed to provide prospective and currently enrolled undergraduate students with the tools they need to navigate the academic planning process.

Each of the Academic Units developed a four-year degree plan for each of its undergraduate degree programs as an overview of the suggested path of study for students. These templates provide students with a time-line, degree requirements, and other important information on completing a particular degree plan within four years. These major maps can be used by prospective students to decide on a major and by current students to keep their studies on track or to explore other majors.

As the Major Maps page was created, the technical developers spent a great deal of time providing added functionality to the site. The site organizes Major Maps by the catalog year to match the catalog year a student entered a particular program at UMKC and features links to all of the Academic Units on campus. Additionally, users of the site will find degree information sheets by clicking on the individual majors. These degree sheets provide students with a comprehensive overview of admission requirements, prerequisite courses, fast facts, student organizations, faculty information as well as career opportunities related to that degree program.

Additional tools for students, staff and faculty that are available on this new site include information and links to Academic Advising, the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs, Academic Calendar, Registration Quick Guide, Transfer Credit Resources, Career Services, and the new Degree Audit system (DARS). It is hoped that the functions and tools at the Major Maps site will allow students greater flexibility in setting their academic goals, providing the resources to help achieve these goals, and open the path for more developmental advising for students in the Units.

Please take time to visit the Major Maps site. If you have questions or would like to provide feedback on the site contact Doug Swink, Registrar, by emailing swinkd@umkc.edu or by calling 816.235.1215.

-Written by Doug Swink, UMKC Registrar