1. Identify a Major.
[Don't worry if you are not sure because you are focusing on the process of drafting an Ed Plan. Pick an area you are interested in today. You can change your major tomorrow!]
2. Select a Transfer University.
[Again, do not worry if you are not sure because you can repeat these steps later with your updated transfer plans.]
If you are majoring in engineering, determine if the university's engineering program is accredited by the ABET (Accred. Board for Engr Tech.): www.abet.org
3. Determine Cabrillo Major Prep courses you need to take prior to transfer.
Transferring to a CSU or UC:
Go to www.assist.org and input your major and transfer school. Assist.org will display the major prep courses you need to take at Cabrillo before you transfer.
Note: If going to Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, use the Cal Poly Transfer Selection Criteria to determine needed courses. Assist.org will show you which Cabrillo courses are equivalent to these Cal Poly courses.
Transferring to a private university or an out-of-state university:
Go to the university's transfer web site and the department's first two years of courses to determine transfer requirements and process.
4. Complete the Course Checklist:
Refer to Cabrillo's Program Maps website to view recommendations for structuring your class schedule
5. Identify When Courses are Being Offered:
Use the Semester Course Offerings to determine when the courses are offered.
6. Identify the Critical Path:
The critical path shows the order in which the courses must be taken based on prerequisites and also shows which semesters the courses are offered in. Following your critical path will reduce the time it takes to complete a bachelors degree. Choose the appropriate critical path; print it out; and highlight the courses you need based on Step 4.
Last Revision 7/2021: Course Critical Path for Transfer STEM Programs Worksheet
Last Revision 11/2013: Course Critical Path for CTE/2-Year STEM Programs (CEM, Etech, Hort, & Welding? Worksheet
[Most general education courses are not in your critical path because these courses are not prerequisites for other courses.]
If you are coming from high school you should visit the following counseling web-pages for information about placement at Cabrillo:
Current High School Agreements and Placement Tests
Placement Information for students who took AP tests
7. Draft an Education Plan (Ed Plan):
Using your highlighted critical path and Semester Course Offerings, draft a semester-by-semester schedule using the Semester-by-Semester Schedule Worksheet. First, schedule your math courses; then schedule the science courses; and then schedule the discipline-specific courses (such as ENGR courses if you are an engr major)
8. Insert General Education (GE) Courses into Your Ed Plan:
Insert the GE courses using the General Education (GE) Patterns. GE requirements can vary somewhat for STEM majors, consider making your selection from the list below as these are the most common GE taken by STEM majors:
Comm 1
English 1A/1AH/1AMC/1AMCH
English 1B
US History: Hist 14, 15, 17A, 17AH, 17B, 17BH, 18A, 19B, 21A, 21AH, 21B, 21BH, 29A, 29B
Political Science 1 or 5