iPOS How-To Guide

The interactive Plan of Study (iPOS) functions as a contract between the student, the academic unit, and the graduate college. The iPOS contains certain degree requirements such as coursework, a committee and a culminating experience which must be included before it can be approved. The iPOS must be approved by a student’s faculty chair (thesis and PhD), the head of the academic unit and the graduate college. The iPOS tab on My ASU will allow you to view the status of your iPOS.


Read this guide for directions on submitting the iPOS. Master’s students must submit an iPOS during their first semester at ASU. Doctoral students must submit an iPOS after they have secured a faculty chair and within their first year at ASU.

Faculty Committee

The iPOS will require you to list an faculty committee advisor name which will depend on your culminating event.

CPT (International Students)

International students planning to complete internship as part of their academic experience are required to list CEN/CSE/DSE/IEE/SER 584 credits on the initial iPOS in the Open Courses section.  

When adding the course to the iPOS, click the magnifying glass icon to populate and select the course title.

The 584 credits cannot be added later, only removed, so it is strongly recommended to list the credits even if you are unsure of your plan. A maximum of 3 credits can be listed, 1 credit hour for each eligible semester. Students are eligible after completing  an academic year, or two fall/spring semesters. See resources linked below for more information on internship/CPT.

More information can be found at the following links:

Courses Not Allowed on the iPOS

Only courses that are meeting degree requirements and CPT/internship credits can be listed on the iPOS. Refer to your program handbook for degree requirements. The following courses are not allowed to be listed on the iPOS:

Common Submission Errors

If your iPOS is inaccurate and/or incomplete, advising will return your iPOS to you with comments to revise and resubmit. These are the most common reasons that iPOS are returned.

Accelerated (4+1) Students

Students must complete the initial iPOS BEFORE the first official graduate semester.

Students can list up to 12 "pre-admission" credit hours, 9 of which can be shared. In order for 12 credits to be approved on the iPOS, students must have 3 credits in "reserve" status on the DARS, completed with 'B' or better.

Transfer Work

All courses you would like to apply to your program must be submitted through the iPOS for approval. You may be required to submit a syllabus so it is recommended you gather this information before submission. Please refer to the ASU pre-admission credit policy in the graduate policies and procedures.

Doctoral students with a previously awarded master's degree

Students may apply up to 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master’s degree toward their doctoral plan of study with approval of the department and the graduate college. At the time you submit your first/initial iPOS the master’s degree will be reviewed.

FAQs

Can I change my iPOS after it is submitted and approved?

Yes! You may update your iPOS as many times as needed by submitting a course change.  We recommend you review your iPOS once per semester and update it to align with your course registration. The course change will be approved as long as the degree requirements are still met. Remember that you should always be adding and removing an equivalent number of credits. 

I am trying to submit course changes but do not see the right semester in the term choices? 

Courses in the current semester, or that you are registered for in the next semester, must be added "from transcript" not as "future course". That means that if you have a course listed already for a future course, you will not see the current semester in the term dropdown if you want to change one to the on-going semester. 

You will need to "remove" the current listing and re-add the class for the term you have enrolled, using the "from transcript" option for electives, or by selecting the enrolled section for core or concentration requirements in the add menu.  

I get a notification when adding a course to my electives that it "meets an applications/systems/foundations area requirement". Does this mean I can't add it as an elective? 

Courses from any of the area lists can be used toward electives, as long as they are not being used to meet your core requirement or a concentration requirement. The pop-up warning lets you know the course could count toward that particular area, however it does not prevent you from including the course in your electives. So if you have already fulfilled area, you may disregard the alert message. You should still be able to submit the iPOS even with these notifications, provided all sections have the correct number of credits and meet degree requirements. 

I am am being prompted to petition for "deviating from the approved curriculum." I have verified that my iPOS aligns with the degree requirements. What should I do? 

There may be an error with the system not recognizing a course. Please add your comments to the petition and submit for advising to review.

When will my iPOS be reviewed by Advising?

Please allow 2-3 weeks processing time.

If I list a course on the iPOS, will this ensure that I am able to enroll?

Course registration and iPOS approval are separate. If a course is listed and approved on the iPOS, this does not reserve a seat or guarantee registration in the course.