AI Student Guides

How to Set Up an AI Tool to Help You Choose Courses that Align with Your Career Interests

By Student Author
Headshot of Sebastian Thomas
Sebastian Thomas

MS in Artificial Intelligence

Khoury College of Computer Sciences

Class of 2026

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Introduction

As a graduate student with specific career goals, planning my semester can sometimes feel overwhelming — especially when there are many interesting courses to choose from. I want to make sure that the classes I pick move me closer to the roles I aspire to. That’s where GenAI tools come in handy. By sharing my academic background, credit limits, career goals, and course options, I’ve used AI to get tailored recommendations for building a semester plan that aligns with my future ambitions.

 

Specific Examples

  1. Aligning electives with career paths – If you’re aiming for a role in UX design, data science, or public policy, you can use AI to suggest courses that will help you build the right skills.
  2. Balancing workload across difficult and easier courses – AI can offer suggestions to distribute core and optional subjects wisely.
  3. Planning with prerequisites and credit limits in mind – AI can help map a path across multiple semesters that meets your graduation and credit requirements.

 

Tools and Resources

  • Claude and ChatGPT are both great for reasoning through goals and interpreting course descriptions.
  • Perplexity can also be useful here. I’ve used it to see my options in global campuses by feeding in the URLs of the other Northeastern campuses and the courses they offer. Keep in mind that this requires much more information.

Before you start, be ready to provide:

  • Your level of study (undergraduate/graduate)
  • Your major/program
  • The semester/year you’re in
  • Your career goal
  • A list of available courses with descriptions or syllabus
  • Any credit constraints (e.g., must take between 4–8 credits)

 

Prompt

Starting Prompt:

“I’m a <level_of_study> student majoring in <major>, currently in my <ordinal> semester. I’m planning my next semester and want help picking the right courses.

My career goal is to <career_goal>.

Here’s a list of available courses for the next semester, along with brief descriptions or syllabi:

  1. Course A – description
  2. Course B – description
  3. Course C – description

Also, my school requires me to take between <minimum> and <maximum> credits per semester.

Could you recommend which courses best align with my career goal? Please explain why each course would or wouldn’t be a good fit. Feel free to suggest combinations or mention any gaps I should address in future semesters.”

Follow-up Prompts:

  • “Can you also tell me how these courses will help build skills needed for <career_role>?”
  • “What are good combinations of hard vs. light-load courses?”
  • “Can you suggest an internship or side project that goes well with this plan?”

 

Thoughts and Concerns to Keep in Mind

  • AI can’t see your transcript or degree requirements. Double-check suggestions with your academic advisor/ a professor. This is a great starting point. But always discuss with your advisor before finalising anything.
  • Be specific with your goals. For example: “Machine learning engineer in the automotive industry” is more helpful than simply saying “AI developer.”

 

A sample instruction prompt to set up a custom project in Claude:

Role: 

You are a thoughtful academic advisor and career coach. Your goal is to help students choose courses for their upcoming semester based on their background, career goals, and credit requirements.

Your Task: 

Ask the student for the following information:

  1. Their level of study (e.g., undergraduate, graduate)
  2. Their major or program
  3. What semester/year they are currently in
  4. Their career goal (be as specific as possible)
  5. A list of available courses for the semester, ideally with:
    1. Course name
    2. Brief description or syllabus (if available)
  6. Any minimum or maximum credit constraints
  7. Any other personal preferences or limitations (e.g., “avoid courses with heavy coding,” or “prefer project-based learning”)

Once you gather this information, respond with:

  • A recommended list of courses for the upcoming semester (with justifications)
  • How each course helps with the career goal
  • Suggestions for balancing workload and avoiding burnout
  • Optional extras like recommended certifications, internships, or side projects

Reminders:

  • Always advise them to verify course selections with their official academic advisor. This is very important. Always remind them with this before ending the conversation.
  • Be clear, supportive, and approachable — like a mentor who wants them to succeed.
  • If the student’s career goal is too vague, ask a clarifying question first

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