TAURUS FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

NOTE: If you have other questions, try the TAURUS Help button links for more comprehensive information, or Email TAURUS.

What is TAURUS?

TAURUS is a web-based tool for students planning to transfer to UB. Once you create a TAURUS account you can research the requirements of UB degrees, discover how courses taken at other campuses transfer to UB and learn how they apply toward your intended major.

When should I start using TAURUS?

Now! You should start planning as soon as you think you may want to transfer to UB It’s a good idea to research the requirements to make sure you are taking the appropriate courses.

How exactly do I get started?

There are two ways for you to use TAURUS: You can become a Member or sign-on as a Guest. Members can use all the features of TAURUS. To establish a member account select “New Account” from the TAURUS sign-on page and follow the directions. Your school association will be “University at Buffalo”. Guests do not have a TAURUS account and are not able to use the “Your Courses” or “Planning Guides” features. To log in as a Guest select “Guest Login” from the TAURUS sign on page and follow the directions.

What are the benefits of setting up an account on TAURUS?

With an account you can run a planning guide with your courses and matching courses from a transfer institution. Without an account, ONLY the generic course equivalencies and academic programs are available. With an account you’ll receive a much more powerful and useful experience from the TAURUS system.

It sometimes takes more than 30 seconds to receive information from TAURUS. Is this normal?

Yes. TAURUS is a powerful system that integrates many different forms of data to provide a broad range of information to students. As such, it may take a bit of time to request and display information that you request. Course Equivalency Guides and Planning Guides may take longer to run than Academic Programs, which should be instantaneous. If the system hangs or there is an extended delay in providing information, please retry the request or email TAURUS.

A course I have taken at a transfer campus is not showing up in that institution’s TAURUS Course Equivalency Guide (CEG). Why is this?

TAURUS includes information about the entire catalog of courses for campuses from which students regularly transfer. Courses and/or departments for campuses from which only a few students transfer may not be available. Course articulation may be requested after you are admitted to the University at Buffalo.

I need help with the course equivalency guide. How should I read it?

The Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) displays current course articulation between transfer institutions and UB. It is a powerful tool that can provide you with the information you need about transferring coursework to UB.

Once you have selected the state and transfer school you are interested in, you can select how the courses from that school will be displayed in relation to courses at UB. By using the drop-down boxes underneath the school names, you can select whether all courses will be displayed or just one department’s courses. Using the drop-down box on the transfer school’s side will display those courses alphabetically according to the transfer departments. Using the drop-down box on UB’s side will sort courses alphabetically by UB’s departments. Select the sort according to the information you need, i.e. required course or course on a transcript.

Remember, articulation changes from year to year and it is important to note the beginning and ending dates for each course rule.

Why did I receive an error message when I requested an academic program?

Academic program information is updated daily at the close of business, Monday-Friday at around 5:00 p.m. EST. If you request an academic program at or around this time, you may receive an error message. Please try again later. If you receive an error message at any other time of day, please email TAURUS with the program name and time you received the error.

What is the function of the “Your Courses” button?

“Your Courses” allows TAURUS members to enter their own transfer courses into their personal account. Planning Guides run after entering courses will analyze those courses and show how they apply to the selected UB degree requirements. Courses entered into TAURUS through “Your Courses” will remain in your TAURUS account as long as you are using the system. Members can add or delete courses as desired.

What kind of planning guides can I select and how do they differ?

There are two types of planning guides: regular and cross-reference. Be sure to scroll down in the planning guide section if you don’t see the cross-reference planning guide request on the first screen.

A regular planning guide displays requirements for the selected degree and matches a member’s available courses (see Your Courses) to the requirements. It will show which requirements have been completed or not completed.

A cross-reference planning guide displays the courses and degree program as described above, but in addition it displays matching courses from a transfer institutions selected by the member that can be taken to complete UB requirements. If “your courses” satisfy a degree requirement, the cross-referenced courses no longer display.

Why is my planning guide not available right after I request it?

As with other functions in TAURUS, the planning guides require time to complete. CAS will automatically check for the completion of pending planning guides every two minutes. Alternately, a user can click on the ‘planning guides’ button on the TAURUS toolbar to manually check for completion of guides. When the request is complete, the pending status will change to View and Delete links. Once these links are available, you will be able to view your requested planning guide. Planning guides are saved on your member account as long as you interact with TAURUS within the academic year.