Degree Planner
Plan courses by semester; tracks credit totals and flags prerequisite violations.
Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer
How to use this degree planner
- Add each semester in the order you will take it (e.g. "Fall 2026", "Spring 2027") using the Add semester field; use the arrow buttons to reorder if needed.
- For each course, enter a Course code (e.g. CS101), an optional Title, and Credits (1–12).
- Use the Prerequisites checkboxes to tick every course that must be completed before the new one.
- Choose a semester from the "Assign to semester" dropdown, or leave it as Unscheduled to park the course without placing it yet.
- Press "Add course" (or "Save course" when editing), then press "Check plan" to validate the schedule and see per-semester credit totals.
About this degree planner
The degree planner helps students map out a full course sequence, catch prerequisite ordering errors before registration, and track credit totals across semesters.
When you press "Check plan", the tool compares the list position of each semester to determine order — the semester listed first is treated as earliest. For every scheduled course, it checks each listed prerequisite: if the prerequisite falls in the same semester or any later semester than the course itself, a violation is reported. Unscheduled courses are skipped from violation checks but their credits are counted separately. The results panel shows a table with each semester's credit count, a running cumulative total, and a list of any prerequisite violations found.
Worked example: you add three semesters — Fall 2026 (position 1), Spring 2027 (position 2), Fall 2027 (position 3). You add CS101 (3 cr, no prereqs) assigned to Fall 2026, CS201 (3 cr, requires CS101) assigned to Spring 2027, and CS301 (3 cr, requires CS201) mistakenly assigned to Fall 2026. "Check plan" reports one violation: CS201 is in Spring 2027 (position 2) but CS301 is in Fall 2026 (position 1). Per-semester totals are Fall 2026 = 6 credits, Spring 2027 = 3 credits, Fall 2027 = 0 credits, total scheduled = 9 credits.
The planner is built for undergraduate and graduate students who want a quick sanity-check on a multi-semester schedule before meeting with an academic adviser.
FAQ
- What is the degree planner and how does it detect prerequisite violations?
- The degree planner is a browser tool that lets you list semesters and courses, then checks whether every prerequisite is scheduled before the course that depends on it. It flags a violation whenever a prerequisite appears in the same semester or a later position in your semester list than the course requiring it.
- How is semester order determined?
- Semester order is determined entirely by the order they appear in your list — the top item is treated as the earliest semester. Use the up and down arrow buttons next to each semester to adjust the sequence before pressing "Check plan".
- Can I leave courses Unscheduled?
- Yes. Choosing "Unscheduled" from the "Assign to semester" dropdown parks the course without placing it in a semester. Unscheduled courses are excluded from prerequisite violation checks, but their credits are counted separately in the results summary so you can see how many credits are still unpinned.
- Does the planner handle co-requisites?
- No. The tool only checks strict prerequisites — courses that must be completed before enrolment. It does not model co-requisites (courses that can be taken at the same time). Verify co-requisite rules with your institution's catalogue.
- Is my plan saved if I close the browser tab?
- Yes. The planner saves your semesters and courses to your browser's localStorage automatically. The data stays on your device and is restored when you reopen the page. Clearing site data or using private/incognito mode will erase it.
- Is the degree planner free to use?
- Yes, it is completely free with no account or sign-up required. All processing happens in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.