New ‘one-stop-shop’ to help Science students MAP their academic futures
The McMaster Academic Planner (MAP) will help McMaster students 'plan their undergraduate experience, setting them up for future success,' says Robert L. Baker, Dean, Faculty of Science.
Each year, thousands of prospective and current students pore over course calendars and visit Faculty and department websites, weighing the options and making decisions about how their academic futures will unfold.
Now the Faculty of Science has developed an online tool aimed at transforming the way students plan their undergraduate education from application to graduation.
The McMaster Academic Planner (MAP)* is an online tool intended to help both prospective and Level 1 Science students explore the many paths open to them in the Faculty of Science. The MAP officially launches this weekend at Fall Preview.
Developed by the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic), Science Media Lab, Deuce Design, and through consultation with students and departments in the Faculty of Science, the MAP uses interactive content such as video and image galleries, combined with in-depth information about course and program offerings, to help students make informed decisions about their options in the Faculty of Science.
“With this unique, interactive tool, Science students will be able to explore and plan options for their Level I and Level II years at McMaster in ways they couldn’t before,” says Mic Farquharson, Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Science, “By using the MAP, they can be better prepared to ask questions and understand the program possibilities available.”
The MAP provides students with information about admission requirements for all Level 1 Science programs, includes detailed course and program descriptions, and simplifies the planning process by providing mock course selection to help students map out their options.
The tool also provides information to help students navigate all upper level programs and courses, and links students to a host of resources such as research, co-op and experiential education opportunities, enabling them to better connect their studies to their professional goals.
“Thanks to the team’s incredibly hard work, the Faculty of Science can now offer prospective and current students a fantastic, interactive way to create a roadmap for their futures,” says Robert L. Baker, Dean, Faculty of Science. “The MAP will help our students plan their undergraduate experience, setting them up for future success.”
McMaster is the first University to offer an interactive planning tool of this breadth and will be expanding its content to include more features such as upper level student profiles, experiential education samples for each department, program and school within the Faculty of Science, and a series of videos featuring Science Career and Cooperative Education.
“It’s about getting people from point A to point B, but allowing students to see all the different routes they can take to get there,” says Nic Armstrong, Manager of Undergraduate Recruitment and Education in the Faculty of Science who helped develop the tool. “All of this information is out there, but this tool has allowed us to create a one-stop shop to help students connect with the different areas of Science and learn about the options available to them.”
EXPLORE THE MCMASTER ACADEMIC PLANNER
*The MAP was developed in part through the generous support of the Office of the Provost.
