ARR Fixes

Academic Requirements Report (ARR)

The Academic Requirements Report is primarily an advising tool to inform you and your advisor about your progress through your particular degree program. While a transcript lists your completed courses in chronological order, the Academic Requirements Report distributes them among the various requirements in your program. It also places in-progress courses where they will satisfy requirements when completed with an appropriate grade. Students are cleared for many graduation requirements (University, General Education, and Diversity) based on the ARR.

Experimental Courses (X90)

An experimental course (x90) approved to count as a CS or INFORM Elective requires Program Staff to fix the Academic Requirements Report (ARR).  Please note the following:  

Computer Science Majors 

• Approved CS590x courses count for either a CS400 or a CS300
• Approved CS490x courses count for either a CS400 or a CS300
• Approved CS390x courses count as CS300

New experimental courses are vetted by the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) and once approved to count toward the CS major, we add a statement to our course descriptions and to SPIRE catalog descriptions.  Sometimes SPIRE lags on this, but once updated, clicking the course title on the ARR links to the catalog description where you can confirm that the course counts. Experimental courses require ARR fixes and Program Staff know which courses are approved. You do not need to email us to fix your ARR, just check the course catalog description to be sure the course counts so you can best plan your schedules.

ARRs are fixed closer to graduation, usually after grades are finalized following your last semester, especially for requirements like CS Electives.  The highest letter grades of all eligible courses for the requirement group are used, just like the ARR would do had the course been recognized.  For example, you need 3@CS400+ Electives for the BS-CS and you've taken COMPSCI 410, 491IP, 590G, and 590V.  Only 410 is showing correctly on the ARR.  COMPSCI 491IP, 590G, and 590V are not showing correctly on the ARR.  We will fix your ARR and use the 3 highest grades out of these 4 courses for your 3@CS400+ Electives.  

"Saving" a course for a graduate program 

CS Majors sometimes 'save' CS 500-level+ courses to use for a graduate program.  Courses saved must not be used for any requirements for the undergraduate degree (gen ed, college, major, minor, honors, including counting toward the 120 credits; 150 for a dual degree).  If you would like to 'save' a CS500-level+ course for a graduate program, then email upd [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu (upd[at]cs[dot]umass[dot]edu) and tell us your plan. 

The only thing that may change if you 'save' a course is your CS Major GPA and this is only seen on the ARR.  All courses will still show on your transcript and count toward your overall GPA.  Saving a course is an option to transfer a course to a graduate program if that program will accept the course.  Some students think that the CS Major GPA is more important and choose not to 'save'. The CS Major GPA only includes courses counting toward the major requirements, so any courses either 'saved' or not used are excluded.  Changes are not allowed after students are cleared for graduation.

Informatics Majors 

New experimental courses offered within the college are vetted by the Informatics Program Director and once approved to count toward the INFORM major, we add a statement to our course descriptions and to SPIRE catalog descriptions.  Sometimes SPIRE lags on this, but once updated, clicking the course title on the ARR links you to the catalog description where you can confirm that the course counts.  Experimental courses require ARR fixes and Program Staff know which courses are approved. You do not need to email us to fix your ARR, just check the course catalog description to be sure the course counts so you can best plan your schedules.

There may be courses from other departments approved to count as electives for the INFORM Major which do not show correctly on the ARR. Program Staff are provided a list of approved courses and ARRs are fixed closer to graduation, usually after grades are finalized following your last semester, especially for requirements like INFORM Electives. The highest letter grades of all eligible courses for the requirement group are used, just like the ARR would do if the course had been recognized.