"Mile marker" is the terminology for each line or entry within a sample plan. In many cases each mile marker will show one course or requirement area.

Mile markers have a 250 characters (including spaces) length limit. In practice, shorter text descriptions are encouraged.

Which Mile Markers Should Be Included?

  • Undergraduate majors: Sample plans for these programs of study include mile markers for major requirements, General Education Program requirements, general electives, application to be admitted to the program (if applicable), and application for degree.
  • Undergraduate level minors and certificates: Sample plans for these programs of study include the courses that are required to complete that minor or that certificate. These sample plans do not include General Education Program requirements or general electives.
  • All sample plans: It is encouraged to include mile markers for relevant co-curricular learning experiences such as first-year seminar courses, student organizations, research, internships, service learning, and study abroad. These mile markers can help students become aware of high impact opportunities that might be a good fit based on their academic interests. The language used to describe these in the sample plan should include "optional not required" so that students understand that participating in these activities is not a requirement for degree completion. Students may also choose to move these mile markers to the Work Area in MyPlan if they are unsure when they will pursue the activity, or delete these mile markers from their MyPlan entirely if they know that they will not be participating.

Mile Marker Timing

Mile markers are always associated with a certain timing so that they are mapped appropriately on the sample plan. Most mile markers are associated with a certain term (e.g. first year spring). However, some mile markers are associated with a certain year without specifying a certain term (e.g. third year) or listed as Academic Career (meaning anytime during the program).

When students use Sample Plans to create a MyPlan, mile markers that are associated with a certain term will pull into MyPlan in that same term. Mile markers that are associated with a certain year without specifying a certain term will appear in the first term of that year (usually fall). Mile markers that are informational type will remain as fixed notes and cannot be moved or re-slotted into specific semesters.

Mile Marker Types

Mile markers are always assigned one of the following types. In the future the mile marker types will be used for projecting the number of students who may enroll in a course and other types of reporting.

Course

  • Sample Plans and MyPlan automatically insert links to course information
  • Sample Plans and MyPlan automatically label when the course fulfills a GE requirement as identified in MAUI
  • Validated by MAUI Course Library – the Sample Plan team cannot enter a course number that does not exist in Course Library
  • Lists valid s.h. options for that course:
    • If there are multiple s.h. options available, mile markers may include one of those numbers or a range (e.g. 3 s.h., 3-4 s.h.)
    • A large range cannot be listed in one mile marker (e.g. 1-11 s.h.). This needs to be split between multiple mile markers.
    • Courses with "arranged" s.h. may have a blank s.h. field in Sample Plans. 
  • Allows for newly created courses beginning in the next session
  • Can list up to three course numbers within one mile marker, e.g. "PORT:3850 or PORT:4100 or PORT:4700"
  • Sample Plans and MyPlan do not use any section level information
  • CLAS plans only: Per CLAS, RHET:1030 – Rhetoric and ENGL:1200 – The Interpretation of Literature should always be entered as "RHET:1030 or ENGL:1200" in one mile marker and "ENGL:1200 or RHET:1030" in another mile marker. 

General Education

When students use Sample Plans to create a MyPlan, these mile markers are automatically pulled into the Work Area in MyPlan. Students will then be able to move the mile marker from the Work Area into the appropriate semester for their individualized MyPlan. The rationale for this is that it would create enrollment issues if all students in one major believed that they needed to complete their Historical Perspectives GE during their second year spring semester.

When these mile markers include a General Education Program area (e.g. GE: Historical Perspectives), both Sample Plans and MyPlan will include a hyperlink that navigates to a list of courses that fulfill this requirement.

CLAS Core 

  • Used for CLAS majors
  • Automatic prefix: CLAS Core 

General Education 

  • Used for Non-CLAS majors
  • Automatic prefix: GE

RHET:1030 and ENGL:1200 are entered as course mile markers, not General Education. These courses will not be pulled into the work area and thus will remain in the same session as originally listed.  

Elective

Major Elective 

  • Used for electives or requirement areas within a certain major
  • Automatic prefix: Major
  • Example: "Major: lower level statistics course" 

Elective Focus Area 

  • Used for Engineering courses 

Elective

  • General Electives
  • Can be used for another major, minor, or certificate 

Application 

These mile markers should not include specific deadline dates or specific application material instructions (e.g. prompts or length limits for application essays). If these details change then the sample plan will no longer be correct. We suggest using footnotes to point students back to the department website where they can find the most current and accurate information.  

General Application 

  • Example: Apply to switch from the BA to the BS program 

Audition 

  • Used primarily for the Division of Performing Arts 

Admission Application 

  • Example: Admission Application: apply to medical schools

Degree Application 

  • Used in the last semester of plans to remind students to apply for their degree 

Co-curricular 

  • This can be used for presentations, conferences, student organizations, job shadowing, volunteering, etc.  

Other

Exam 

  • Used primarily for exams necessary for further study or certification purposes
  • Example: MCAT or PRAXIS 

Honors 

  • Used to show optional honors coursework in a given major 
  • Automatic prefix: Honors 

Internship 

  • Used when an internship is not a particular course but instead more of a general suggestion to complete an internship 

Informational

  • Used to include additional notes
  • Example: "Students in this program must maintain a 3.00 GPA in all major courses."

Research 

  • Used when research is not a particular course but instead more of a general suggestion to complete research 

Seminar

  • Used when a seminar is not a particular course but instead more of a general suggestion to complete a seminar (e.g. first-year seminars)

Study Abroad

  • Used for general suggestions to consider studying abroad at certain times during the academic program

Degree Audit Requirement 

  • This mile marker type is reserved for future developments and is currently not in use.

Mile Marker Best Practices

In cases where students may choose from multiple course options to fulfill a requirement, here are some suggestions:

  • Course type mile markers may include up to three course numbers, e.g. “MATH:1460 or MATH:1550 or MATH:1850.” 
  • Major elective type mile markers may use a description, e.g. “Major: introductory calculus/statistics course,” "Major: additional B.S. requirement," or "Major: biology elective III." 
  • Footnotes can provide longer text descriptions including lists of course numbers, e.g. "Select art history survey course from ARTH:1040, ARTH:1050, ARTH:1060, ARTH:1070, and ARTH:1095." 
  • In MyPlan students will be able to edit mile markers so that their individualized plans show the one course they plan to take. 
  • It could be problematic to list only one course in the mile marker when there are actually multiple options. Without including all options in the plan students may not realize that they can also choose from the other course options. If all students are choosing one course it could lead to issues with over enrollment or under enrollment.