Information for Academic Departments

Updated: 2016-02-12

Act 1014 of 2005 requires that UCA offer “most” undergraduate programs on an Eight-Semester Guaranteed program of study. Unless your program has been explicitly excluded, it must have an eight-semester completion plan. Authorization to exclude a program requires the approval of the college dean and the Office of the Provost.

The following instructions are intended as a guide to the creation of an Eight-Semester Academic Map (AMAP). If departments are developing new plans or revising existing ones in significant ways, they should consult with staff in the Academic Advising Center for assistance.

Note: in order to complete a 120-hour program in eight semesters, a student will need to complete at least 30 credit hours per academic year (fall and spring). Other kinds of AMAPs include Three-Year plans, Four-Year plans, and Five-Year plans. Two templates are available:

The form codes are as follows:

In the list of programs in the Undergraduate Academic Program Guide web site, these identifiers are used in the AMAP links: AMAP-8S, AMAP-OTHER, and AMAP-AA2Y.

AMAP Header Information

Be sure to complete all relevant header information. Note that you will need to enter in the header the total number of hours required for graduation (usually 120 for baccalaureate programs, of course, and never less).

How to List Courses and Credit Hours

Your program completion plan should be as specific in the listing of courses as you are able to guarantee. Where possible, list specific courses students should enroll in to complete your program, including major and UCA Core requirements (see below for more on the UCA Core).

Please list specific courses by subject prefix, course number, and title; or by using an appropriate and consistent notation such as “Business Core requirement,” “Major elective,” or “Minor elective.” Credit hours should be listed in the appropriate column as a single digit number or, if courses might vary in credit hours, as a range (e.g., 4-5, where the suggested courses might be for 4 or 5 credit hours).

UCA Core Courses and General Electives

Include WRTG 1310 and 1320 (or approved alternative courses) in the first two semesters of the AMAP, since these are required in these semesters by university policy. In addition, a UCA Core course with the First-Year Seminar designation is required during the first year, and this fact should be noted in a general endnote regarding the UCA Core (see the section on adding endnotes, below). Please use this text in the endnote:

Your AMAP should of course include the appropriate number of UCA Core hours, listing specific UCA Core courses if required by your program. You may also include specific UCA Core courses that you recommend (rather than require), denoting these with an appropriate endnote. If your program allows students a choice of UCA Core courses and the order of completion, you may simply include the appropriate number of UCA Core courses. Lower-division UCA Core courses may be listed as “LD UCA Core”; upper-division UCA Core courses may be listed as “UD UCA Core.”

If you wish to list an area requirement, but not a specific course, please do so as “UCA Core (area),” using the parenthetical area information to identify the appropriate description defined in the UCA Core check sheet.

Finally, every AMAP should also include enough “General electives” to reach the total number of credit hours necessary for graduation. Programs requiring a minor will need to balance general and minor elective hours (see below).

Minor Requirement

Programs that require completion of a Minor should allow sufficient hours in the AMAP to accommodate a minor. (UCA minors range from 15-27 hours. Of the more than 50 minors available to UCA students, nearly 2/3 require fewer than 24 hours; the average is 21.) Insert the following endnote, substituting the actual number for “[##]”:

BA Foreign Language Requirement and BS Science/Math Requirement

Include the required three hours of foreign language at the 2000-level or higher in all BA programs, listing this as “Foreign Language (2000-level).” An endnote should be added to this entry:

For BS degrees, please include two semesters of “BS Science/Math,” listing the credit hours as “3-4” (or other relevant range). An endnote should include this statement:

Required Courses Offered Alternate Years

If your program includes courses that are only offered every other year, provide an alternative course suggestion in that slot, using an “or” between suggested courses. Be sure that you also include these courses the following year, as well, again with an alternative course suggestion.

Adding Endnotes to Your AMAP in MS Word 2010

Select the References tab/ribbon. In the Footnotes section of the ribbon, select the option arrow (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Footnote Dialogue

Ensure that the endnote location is End of document and that the number format is 1, 2, 3, . . .. Then click “Apply.” (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2: Endnote Options

Place your cursor where you want the note number to appear, select Insert Endnote, and type your note. Once you have finished typing your note, move your cursor back to the body of your document and resume typing. Endnotes rather than footnotes are appropriate here in order not to interrupt the body of the AMAP and the signature block.

NOTE: If you need to refer to the same endnote more than once, use Word’s Cross-Reference function. This will allow all the references to any given note to be updated when the original endnote is renumbered, moved, etc. See the Help system in Word for assistance in using cross-references.

Signatures Required for Guaranteed Eight-Semester AMAPs

Every Eight-Semester AMAP must be accompanied by a signed hard copy of the plan. Once the AMAP is finalized and ready for publication, you will be sent a PDF copy of the document. You will print the AMAP for signature by the department chair and the college dean and send this hard-copy document with original signatures to the Office of the Provost. This step is necessary because UCA is required by law to provide a signed copy of this plan to all students who accept an Eight-Semester guaranteed contract.