Course Planning & Advising

 

As you begin planning for course registration:

1. Work with your academic advisor. Registration is a collaborative process, and you shouldn’t navigate it alone. Please work with your advisor to discuss your degree requirements and course plan.
2. Make sure you have no compliance holds. Most compliance holds will block you from registering until they’re resolved.
3. Confirm when you can begin registering for classes (otherwise known as your enrollment appointment). Each semester, enrollment appointments are randomized by the last number of your BU ID and academic level. 
4. Review your Degree Requirements. This includes major, Hub, language, and minor (if applicable) requirements. 
   • BU is still building the Degree Progress (formerly known as Degree Advice) function in MyBU Student. In the meantime, we’ve provided different functions & resources that can assist you. 
5. Use the Class Search and Schedule Builder tools to review the next semester’s courses. 
   • Use the Class Search to browse potential courses you’re interested in taking. If you find a course you like, add it to your Schedule Builder. You can then use the Builder to combine classes, build potential schedules, compare said schedules, and confirm your eligibility for specific courses.
   • These tools typically open 1-2 months before registration for the upcoming semester (early October in the fall semester and early March in the spring). 
6. Add your final, preferred schedule to the Shopping Cart. The Shopping Cart does not register you for courses or reserve your seat in these classes, but it will allow you to more easily and quickly enroll during your enrollment appointment.
7. At your enrollment appointment (formerly registration time), enroll in the courses saved in the Shopping Cart. 
   • We encourage you to check your classes the day before registration so you can plan accordingly in case any are full/closed. 
   • It’s helpful to have alternative courses ready, as some classes do fill up quickly.

 

Well in advance of your registration date, you should work with your academic advisor to discuss your academic goals and plan your next semester’s courses. Registration advising occurs in a variety of ways, depending on your department. Use the guidelines below to ensure you have connected with your advisor and are prepared for registration:

• Approximately 1-2 months before your registration period (meaning early October in the fall semester and early March in the spring semester), start looking for an email from your advisor with instructions to schedule a registration meeting. If you cannot find any instructions, follow-up with your advisor via email.
  • If you don’t know who your advisor is, locate their name and contact information on the MyBU Student Dashboard, under ‘Advisors.’ If no ‘Academic Advisor’ or ‘Faculty Advisor’ is listed, please contact your major department. You can find all CAS departments here. 
• Prior to meeting with your advisor, look over the major requirements of your current major or any majors/minors you are interested in. Especially if you are Undeclared, looking through major/minor requirements to see prerequisites or introductory courses can be very helpful.
• Review your degree requirements and progress thus far, and pay particular attention to your general education requirements (e.g., the Hub) and the CAS Language Requirement. (Please note: Later this semester, you will be able to review all your progress using the Degree Progress tool on MyBU Student. However, Degree Progress is under construction and therefore unavailable to students at this time.)
• Make a list of any courses – for major, minor, Hub, language, or electives – that interest you, and be prepared to discuss these with your advisor.
  • Students are generally expected to take 16-18 units per semester. You should plan to register for four academic courses, plus any 0, 1, or 2 unit courses (such as CAS FY 101 or a Hub co-curricular) for personal enjoyment.
  • You need a minimum of 128 units to graduate. This amounts to 16 academic units per semester, every fall/spring semester, for four years. If you have veered from this plan, that’s ok! Just make sure to work with your advisor to build a plan to catch up.

 

You may have compliance holds that block you from registration. Some common holds include medical immunization compliance, Student Accounting holds, and trainings like AlcoholEdu and Sexual Misconduct Prevention. You can check your compliance status by following the steps below:

1. Log into MyBU Student.
2. Click “View Holds in MyBU Student” on the left hand side.
3. If you have any holds, there will be further information and/or links to help you resolve them.

 

MyBU Student lists your registration date and time as an enrollment appointment. Each semester, enrollment appointments are based on the last digit of a student’s BU ID number and their academic level. You can confirm your enrollment appointment by following the steps below:

1. Log into MyBU Student.
2. Select MyBU Student Dashboard.
3. Under the menu on the left hand side, click Enrollment.
4. Select Enrollment Dates.
5. Review your enrollment appointment, and make sure to look under the upcoming semester, not the current one! Appointments are typically set a few weeks before registration begins.

Please note: your enrollment appointment simply means you can now register for classes. You will have until the add deadline to continue adding and/or replacing courses in your schedule.

 

As a CAS student, you have several degree requirements, including your major(s), the Hub, and the CAS Language Requirement, along with any minor(s), if applicable.

• Major Requirements: The BU Bulletin includes all degree programs, their requirements, and courses. You can view all CAS programs (majors, minors, etc.) here. 
  • Your major department may also provide information and opportunities within your major. 
• The Hub: All undergraduate students must complete the BU Hub. Review the course description of any course you’ve taken to see what Hub requirements you’ve fulfilled.
  • If you entered BU as a first-year student, review your Hub requirements here. 
  • If you entered BU as a transfer student, review your Transfer Hub requirements here.
• The CAS Language Requirement: CAS requires all students to demonstrate proficiency at or above the fourth-semester (intermediate) level in a language other than English. Please review our Language Advising page to determine your progress toward the requirement and/or ways to fulfill the requirement.

You may also find the following general tools helpful in planning and reviewing requirements:

• Degree Progress (a tool to track your degree requirements and progress) is currently under construction but coming soon! In the meantime, please use the other tools below.
• Course List: This function includes all courses you’ve taken at BU as well as any advanced credit or external courses. Click on a course to see the full description, including (if taken at BU) the Hub requirements it fulfills.You can find the Course List in the MyBU Student Dashboard, under Academics. You can also use the Course List in combination with the links above to confirm which major/minor/language courses you’ve already fulfilled. 
• Roadmaps: The Hub can be confusing Your advisor is happy to help, but you can also track your progress on your own. Use the roadmaps below to plan out your Hub requirements and long-term plan.
  • First-Year Student Roadmap
  • Transfer Student Roadmap

 

The Class Search allows you to search by department, Hub requirement, time of day, and more! We recommend looking over the Class Search carefully to identify all the different available filters.

• The Class Search is a great way to browse for electives based on Hub requirements you need. Check out our Registration Tips & Tricks page for more information.
  • Review this video for a helpful five-minute tutorial on using the Class Search. 
  • We typically recommend the Class Search to enroll in individual courses after your enrollment period has past and registration is open. In particular, you can search for ‘open classes’ only, which is helpful once registration has already begun and classes are filling up.
• In contrast, the Schedule Builder is your best tool when planning for registration in advance of your enrollment period. However, you can still use the Class Search to add courses one at a time to your Schedule Builder and/or Shopping Cart, if you prefer. (Please see the next section below for more information on the Builder.)

 

The Schedule Builder allows you to draft possible schedules in MyBU Student. The Schedule Builder does not enroll you in classes or reserve your seat. It does allow you to experiment with how different courses and sections fit together as you build your most ideal schedule.

You can navigate the Schedule Builder following the steps below:

1. Log into MyBU Student using your BU username and Kerberos password. Then complete the Duo two-step verification.
2. Click My Academics
3. Click Fall 2025 Registration Planning
4. Click Enrollment on the left-hand side
5. Click Schedule Builder
6. Underneath the Course Selection header, select the Subject (e.g. CASAN – Anthropology) and Catalog Number (e.g. 101 – Sociocultural Anthropology) of your first desired course. 
7. Read the course description to make sure this is your desired course. If it is, click Add Course. The course is now in your Schedule Builder and will be listed below your search.
8. Now it’s time to pick your exact section(s) of this course. In addition to your lecture, you may also need to select a lab, discussion, and/or pre-lab, depending on the course.
   • Next to the course you just added, choose Select Sections. 
   • Click the first check box on the right in the header row. This will de-select all sections.
   • Manually select the section(s) you wish to add. Again, remember to select a lecture section as well as any lab, discussion, or pre-lab sections, if required.
   • Click Ok, then Save. 
9. To add more courses, select Expand Filters. Then, Reset Filters.
   • Follow steps 6-8 to add other courses to your Schedule Builder.
   • Be sure to click Save.
10. Once you’ve added all potential courses and their respective sections/components, click Build Schedule. You will be prompted if there are issues with your courses (e.g., time conflicts). You must resolve any issues prior to building your schedule.
11. You can now test potential schedules to see how your courses fit together. 
    • If you like the schedule you just built, favorite it by selecting the heart and naming it. 
    • You can then explore other potential schedules by repeating the steps above to experiment with other courses and sections. You may continue to save schedules by favoriting and naming them.

Please note: Using the Schedule Builder and/or “favoriting” schedules does not reserve a seat in these classes nor does it enroll you in them. You will register for classes during your enrollment appointment (see further steps in the following sections).

Schedule Builder Tips & Tricks:

• When building a schedule, make sure to add all required components of a course (lecture, discussion, lab, and/or pre-lab, as needed). 
• Be careful to avoid any time conflicts within those classes, as the system won’t let you build a schedule that conflicts. 
• Once you’ve built a schedule you like, you can ‘Favorite’ it to save it for later and/or compare it to other potential schedules. 
  • You can even let your advisor know about your favorited schedules so they review your plans!

If you want to watch a video on navigating the Schedule Builder, we recommend checking this 5-minute one out!

 

Once you’ve built a variety of schedules and selected your favorite, you can add it to the Shopping Cart to prepare for registration. As a reminder, the Shopping Cart does not enroll you in the course or reserve your seat – its purpose is to save your desired courses in one spot so you can quickly and efficiently register for them on your registration day.

For best use of the Shopping Cart, we recommend utilizing the Schedule Builder (check above for steps). After you’ve found your most ideal schedule, please follow the steps below:

1. In the Schedule Builder, choose Favorites (in the top right corner).
2. Under your preferred schedule, click the three vertical dots (፧).
3. Select Add to Cart. 
   • You’ll then be prompted to select the classes you’d like to add to your Cart.
4. Click each box for the course and section you’d like to add to your Shopping Cart. Then choose, Add to Cart.
   • Please note: this does not reserve your seat in the courses, but will help you better navigate registration at your registration time.

You will now have courses saved in your Shopping Cart for your enrollment appointment. Please see the next section for steps on how to officially register for classes.

 

At your set enrollment appointment, you will be able to register for classes. Please follow the steps below to enroll from your Shopping Cart:

1. Open your Shopping Cart and select the checkbox of the course(s) you wish to enroll in. 
2. Click Enroll
3. Adjust as needed, if any courses are full.
   • If you’ve favorited back-up classes and schedules, you can use the Schedule Builder to pull up those favorited schedules.

You can now adjust your schedule as you need until the semester’s deadlines. If classes you hoped to join are now full, you can find helpful information regarding full/closed classes, waitlists, and more here. This page also includes how to add one class and how to swap classes.

You can find Fall 2025 specific full/closed class procedures here.

Please note: If you previously enrolled in a waitlist but no longer wish to take the class, make sure to drop the waitlist using the drop a class feature. If you do not drop the waitlisted course, there’s a chance you will later be added to that course (and potentially dropped from another, if you used that feature).