What is DegreeWorks? DegreeWorks is a Web-based tool for students to monitor their academic progress toward degree completion. DegreeWorks allows students and their advisors to plan future academic coursework.
What is an audit? A DegreeWorks audit is a review of past, current and “planned” coursework that provides information on completed and outstanding requirements necessary to complete a degree/major/minor/concentration.
Can I access DegreeWorks on any computer? Yes. Access to DegreeWorks is through Student Self-Service. Anywhere you can log in to the Lourdes Portal will allow you access to DegreeWorks.
Is my information confidential? Yes. Like other processes you use through the Lourdes Portal, DegreeWorks is accessed through your secure log in. Remember that your advisor, faculty, and selected staff will be able to view the information contained in DegreeWorks.
Who has the ability to access DegreeWorks? Currently, DegreeWorks is available to all students (undergraduates and graduate students). Audits are only available for Advisors, faculty, and selected staff will also have access for the purpose of supporting your progress through your academic career.
How current will my information be in DegreeWorks? The information in DegreeWorks is refreshed each night. Any changes made today (e.g., grade changes or classes added/dropped) will be seen in DegreeWorks tomorrow.
Can I register for classes in DegreeWorks? No. DegreeWorks is a snapshot of courses in-progress, planned, and in academic history. You will need to register for classes online through the Lourdes Portal and Student Self-Service.
Can I see how many classes I have left to fulfill my requirements? Yes. DegreeWorks is laid out in block format displaying degree, major, minor, and concentration requirements information. Look for unchecked boxes to identify requirements that you still need to complete.
Will I be able to plan for future courses? Yes. See the Planner section for information. You will need to meet with your advisor to create a plan of study that outlines all courses for graduation.
Are my grades visible in DegreeWorks? Yes. Once grades have been processed at the end of the semester, they are viewable in DegreeWorks following the nightly refresh; however, though grades are viewable in Student Self-Service once posted by an instructor, final grades are not available in DegreeWorks until after the final grading period for the University has ended. Courses in-progress are listed with an “IP” grade.
What do I do if I believe my academic information is incorrect? You should consult your academic advisor for a review of your audit. Any exception to major, minor, or concentration requirements should be discussed with your major/minor advisor or academic department personnel.
Why isn’t my information up-to-date? There could be several reasons. One is that DegreeWorks may not have refreshed since a change was made (the information is refreshed nightly). Second, there could be some paperwork that needs to be completed. For example, if you have completed transfer courses, it is possible that the university has not received an official transcript or the coursework is pending departmental review. Check with the Office of the University Registrar if your transcript or audit does not reflect transfer work you have completed.
USING THE AUDIT
Using the Audit Your audit will display the courses you’ve taken or are registered for and will show you any degree, major, minor, or concentration requirements that are being met by the courses you’ve taken or that may be met upon satisfactory completion of courses in progress.
Will I be able to view my entire course history? DegreeWorks uses the information that is current for your transcript. You will be able to view any courses that have been completed/registered for/transferred by the date your audit was last refreshed. (Data is refreshed nightly.) Keep in mind that any transfer work or grade changes that have not been formally submitted and accepted will not appear on your audit.
If I think my audit is incorrect, whom do I contact? Your academic advisor is your primary point of contact. If your advisor determines that your audit is incorrect, he/she will contact the Director of Academic Advising and the Office of the University Registrar for assistance.
Where can I find my major GPA? Your major GPA is a calculated GPA based on coursework used to fulfill major requirements. This GPA will appear within the major block requirements of your audit. Additionally, please note that while transfer grades are listed on the audit, transfer grades do NOT impact the Lourdes University GPA.
How do I know what classes I need to take? Your audit will outline for you courses still needed to meet degree, major, minor, and/or concentration requirements within each specific block. You may then use this information to discuss your plan with your academic advisor.
Why isn’t there a check mark next to a requirement I’ve already completed? Your academic advisor is your primary point of contact. If your advisor determines that your audit is incorrect, he/she will contact the Director of Academic Advising and/or the Office of the University Registrar for assistance.
I changed my advisor, so why is my previous advisor showing instead of my new one? Check with the Academic Advising Center at 419-824-3882 for assistance.
My record shows that my major is still undeclared but I have declared a major. Why doesn’t my major show? Check with the Academic Advising Center at 419-824-3882 for assistance.
Where can I see my second major or my minor? DegreeWorks is designed to show a listing of your majors and minors in the Student View audit. Additionally, each major and minor is broken out into individual requirement blocks within the audit. Students pursuing simultaneous degrees or a second major in a degree will need to click on the Degree drop-down box at the top of the Student View audit in order to view the additional requirements.
Where can I see my audit for my second degree? You can access your second degree audit by using the Degree drop down menu at the top of the screen.
Why isn’t my transfer work meeting a requirement? There could be two reasons. First, the course did not meet either the minimum number of credits and/or minimum grade requirement for use in your program of study. Second, all requirements have been met and this course is simply not needed.
If I withdraw from a class, will that be reflected in my audit? Courses from which you have withdrawn will appear in the Insufficient Due to Grades and/or Repeats block on your audit.
My advisor told me that a course I took would be substituted for a requirement. Why doesn’t this information appear in my audit? You should contact your advisor to resolve any substitution issue. Any waivers, substitutions, or exceptions for major, minor or concentration requirements must be approved by an internal paper-driven process, and then once approved, the exception is entered into your audit by your department chair or dean.
If all of the boxes are checked, does that mean I’m graduating? Not necessarily. If you have applied to graduate, your advisor will have already signed off on your application to graduate, but a final review must be done by the Office of the University Registrar to ensure that all of the requirements have been met. You will also need to complete any incompletes or in-progress courses before your graduation can be approved.
USING THE PLANNER
What is the Planner feature? The Planner is a tool for you to arrange course requirements into future semester blocks. You and your advisor may find this helpful as you forecast your academic career. It is recommended that you create an active plan and keep it up-to-date, as this information may be used by university administrators to determine the demand for various courses each term.
How do I create a plan? By a split screen, the Planner allows you to drag and drop courses from your audit into future semester blocks. You can also type courses directly into the planner boxes. You must enter the course as it is labeled in the catalog (e.g., ENG 101, not English 101).Alternatively, you may wish to begin your plan with a template, which will lay out a suggested plan of study semester-by-semester. To do this, in the right side “Student Educational Planner” column, click “Load in a pre-defined plan”. Complete the necessary information to search for an appropriate plan. Note the search form is pre-populated with your curriculum data. Select the correct plan by Catalog year and click “Load into my plan”. Once the plan is populated, edit as desired, then click “Save Plan” to retain the plan of study you developed. Note that requirements beginning with a “- ” are labels indicating what type of specific course should be used to fulfill that item in your plan.
Will putting courses in my planner change the way my audit looks? No. Nothing entered on the Planner will affect your actual audit. You can, however, see how the courses you have entered in your planner will apply in your audit by checking the boxes next to the semester blocks that you wish to include (check all of the boxes to see how your audit will look if you complete your entire plan) and then clicking on Process New. In the audit on the left-hand side of the screen, you will see how the planned courses applied to the various major/minor/concentration requirements.
Can I create multiple plans? Yes; however, only one plan at a time may be kept as an active plan. You should mark the plan that you expect to follow as your active plan. This information may be used by university administrators to determine the demand for various courses each term.
Will my plans be saved? Yes. DegreeWorks will allow you to save all plans you create; however, only one plan may be marked as active.
Will my advisor be able to see my plan(s)? Yes. Your advisor can see your plan(s) and participate with you in the planning process. There is a Notes feature, as well, for you and your advisor to keep additional information.Depending upon your college, your advisor may choose to lock your plan after discussing it with you. Once your plan is locked, you will need to return to your advisor to make any additional changes.
If I put a course in my planner, am I automatically registered for that course in that future semester? No. Your planner is for planning purposes only. You will register through the Lourdes Portal, Student Self-Service channel during your assigned registration time slot.
Is the course I planned guaranteed for that future semester? No. Your planner is for planning purposes only. Final course schedules are available to students online shortly before registration. If you discover that a course you had planned is not being offered, you should identify an alternative course and move the original course, if still needed, to a future term. You should also plan on making your plan with your advisor’s assistance to ensure that the planned courses align with planned offerings in the future.
Can I print my plan? Yes. There is a print button at the top of the planner.
How should I show that I intend to take a class at another institution this summer? So that your advisor/department will be able to track what you intend to take at another institution, please do the following: in the course field enter the subject you intend to take beginning with a hyphen for example “- Math” (make sure to include a space between the hyphen and the subject). In the Notes field, enter the institution and course you intend to take at the other institution, such as, “Owens CC, MTH 125”.
USING WHAT-IF
What is the What-If feature? The What-If function allows you to hypothetically change your major, minor, or concentration. For example, if you are a Psychology major, the what-if function in DegreeWorks will answer the “What if I changed my major to History?” question. The What-If audit will show you what coursework is required for the new major, minor, or concentration, what courses you have taken that satisfy requirements, and what courses are still left for you to take.
If I use the What If feature does this mean that I have changed my major? No. The What If function is for information purposes only. You will see the header What If Audit displayed at the top of the audit whenever an audit is run on a What If scenario.
I’m thinking of changing my major/minor/concentration. Will I be able to see how my current classes fit into my What If major/minor/concentration? Yes. The What If function will perform an audit based on the hypothetical major/minor/concentration and will show how your completed, current, and planned coursework meets the requirements of the hypothetical major/minor/concentration.
Can my advisor see my What If scenario? Since What If scenarios are not stored on DegreeWorks, your advisor can only see your results if the two of you work through a What If procedure together.
Can I view multiple What If scenarios on the same screen? Yes. DegreeWorks will allow you to select more than one major at a time, or to select multiple major(s), minor(s) and concentration(s).
Can I save a What If scenario? No. What If plans are not saved on DegreeWorks? You would need to run a new What If scenario next time you log in to see it again.
Can I print a What If scenario? Yes. If you want to share it with your advisor at a later date, you should print your What If scenario.
If I like what I see in a What If scenario, how do I initiate the changes? Always speak with an advisor! If you wish to change your major, you will need to meet with an advisor in your new program of study.
CALCULATORS
What does the Term Calculator show? The Term Calculator will show you your estimated cumulative GPA after you fill in hypothetical grade information. By putting in your current earned units and GPA and placing your in-progress courses in the table (this all will default in for you) along with the grade you anticipate receiving for each course; you will see a revised cumulative GPA based on the estimates you provided.
Is this calculated GPA guaranteed? No. This is an estimate only.
Why can’t I select a grade of “P”? “P” grades do not count in your GPA. Remove courses for which you expect to receive a “P” from your course list before calculating GPA.
