Plan of Study

Plan of Study Preparation

During your first quarter or the beginning of your second quarter, you should meet with your advisor to complete your AHE Plan of Study in Degree Works.  Plans allow you to map out the courses you will take each quarter and double check to see that your planned courses will fulfill all of your degree requirements.  Degree Works is an academic planning and degree progress tool that reflects your academic progress towards the completion of your program of study at Western.  View the short tutorial video (links to an external site) under Make a Plan on the Graduate School website; and/or you can also refer to the Degree Works Guide for Students (links to an external site).  You can access Degree Works in Web4U, navigate to your Students Tab, select Student Records, and then select Degree Works.  AHE students are advised to register for required (core) courses FIRST before their electives, in order to build an academic and intellectual foundation for your studies.  There is a prerequisite sequence to some of the core courses:  You should take AHE 581 before AHE 501 and then AHE 571; also you should take AHE 577 before taking AHE 580.  For your elective credits, the AHE 518 Current Issues in AHE course is offered each quarter under a different topic so it is repeatable.  You are allowed to choose the topics you are interested in and can repeat this course several times until your elective credits are fulfilled.  For upcoming AHE 518 topics, refer to the annual AHE Course Offerings schedule link posted at the bottom of this webpage.  Also please note the following: 

  • Financial Aid reviews plans and will limit aid to approved coursework

  • No more than 10 credits of 400 level courses allowed on a Graduate Plan of Study

  • Limit of 12 quarter credits of coursework (taken prior to formal admission to a WWU master's degree program) whether at Western or another accredited institution, can be considered for transfer credit if all WWU Graduate School criteria are met.  Graduate Program Advisors may recommend accepting transfer credit on a case by case basis.  If transfer credit is approved, the advisor should enter a note in Degree Works with details.