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Degree Works FAQs

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General                                                                            

What is Degree Works?
Degree Works is a degree audit program and academic advisement tool designed to help you understand the requirements for your major, degree, or certificate which may consist of core courses, general education, and electives. This is a web‐based program that takes the courses from your transcript and reorganizes them to fulfill the requirements for your degree. 

What are the benefits of Degree Works?
View degree requirements for your major, including general education requirements completed.

  • See which courses you have completed in your major
  • Identify remaining courses needed to complete your degree/major
  • See what courses you have taken that do not count towards your major
  • View the grades, transfer credits, or waivers applied to your transcript
  • Confirm your grade‐point average (GPA).
  • Before you officially change your major, find out how courses completed will meet the new major requirements
  • Estimate how many semesters it will take you to graduate
  • Select the right courses for the next semester or session. 

How do I read my degree audit?
The audit lists the overall requirements to earn your degree, Allan Hancock College General Education requirements, major. Electives and in‐progress courses are listed toward the bottom of the audit. Your counselor can assist you with reading and understanding your Degree Works audit.

My major is incorrect, what should I do?
Change your major when you first register for Fall, Spring, and Summer classes or go to Admissions and Records and request to change your major. 

What should I do if I think my audit is incorrect?
Always consult with a counselor if you have any questions about your particular degree requirements. They will explain any difference between the audit and the advice you are receiving.

I'm thinking about changing my major. How will my current courses be applied toward my new major?
Use the "What‐if" feature by selecting your proposed degree/certificate, and option if needed. The requirements for your selection appear and you can see how your coursework will be applied for the new major you are considering 

If I use the "What If" feature, does this mean that I have changed my major?
No. Change your major when first register for Fall, Spring, and Summer classes or go to Admissions and Records are request to change your major. 

My Counselor told me that a course I took would be substituted for a requirement.
Speak to your Counselor and be sure that the official substitution/waiver course form has been properly completed, signed and approved. 

Why doesn't this information appear in my audit?
Speak with your Counselor and confirm the official substitution course form was properly completed, signed, and submitted to the Admissions and Records Office. 

My Counselor told me that a course would be waived. Why doesn't this information appear in my audit?
Speak to your Counselor and be sure that the official substitution/waiver course form has been properly completed, signed and approved. 

How do I print a copy of my audit?
Just press the "Print" button in the upper right hand corner of the audit. You can also save the audit as a PDF and then print. 

Is my degree audit the same as my Allan Hancock College transcript?
No, your transcript is arranged by each semester and is the final and official documentation of your academic record at Allan Hancock College. 

There was a change on my student record. When will it appear in my audit?
The audit database is updated each night so changes appear the next business day.

The transfer course work I completed outside of Allan Hancock College were sent to Admissions, but the courses are not visible on my degree audit. How do I correct this?
Contact Admissions and Records to check on the status of your transcript evaluation. 

Transfer course work that should fulfill my degree requirements appears in the Electives section of my degree audit.  How do I correct this?
Contact Admissions and Records to check on the status of your transcript evaluation. 

The term just ended. When will my degree audit be updated with my grades?
Your degree audit will be updated with your most recent grades once grades have been rolled into academic history by Admissions and Records. Then your audit will be updated. 

Does using Degree Works mean I do not need to see my Counselor?
No, Degree Works is a tool designed to help aid and facilitate academic advising. Your audit is NOT an official evaluation. All degree requirements need to be verified by your Counselor prior to graduation, and each student is responsible for complying with all academic policies published in the catalog. 

Where do I go to request an exception to a degree requirement?
Please see your Counselor to request an exception. Your Counselor will need to submit the request through the designated person within the department. Once the petition has been approved it will be attached to your Degree Works major by Admissions and Records. 

How does Degree Works show D/F repeats?
If a student repeats a D/F course, the Excluded course will show up in the Insufficient Block and the Included course will show up in its appropriate place in the audit. 

Are there any problems I should be aware of?
You may run into a problem trying save an educational plan if your Safari browser is not release 5 or later. You should not have any problem if you use a different browser such as FireFox or Chrome.

The Degree Works program fails to open; a window opens up, revealing a screen which says "Not Authorized".
This is most likely because you have not taken any classes during the past few years and consequently your academic history was not automatically transferred to Degree Works. This problem can be easily rectified.  Send an email to degreeworks@hancockcollege.edu and you have a response within 3 business days. 

Blocks within Degree Works 

Why is my Major listed incorrectly in my Student Information Block?
If your major is listed incorrectly in this block, you can change your major when you first register for Fall, Spring, and Summer classes or go to Admissions and Records and request to change your major. 

Why is my Degree listed incorrectly?
If your major is listed incorrectly in this block, you can change your major when you first register for Fall, Spring, and Summer classes or go to Admissions and Records and request to change your major. 

What is the Degree block?
The Degree block is a summary and list of each group of requirements you will need to satisfy in order to complete your degree. 

Why is my Degree coming up incorrectly?
If your audit is not correctly displaying your degree, please see Admissions and Records to have your degree updated. 

Everything in my Degree block is checked off, why isn’t my Degree block satisfied?
If everything within your Degree block is checked off, but your Degree block is not satisfied, there is either a minimum GPA requirement that has not been met or the overall number of units required for your degree has not been met. 

Why can’t I click on any of the course links in the Major Block?
Course links will only become activated once the schedule for the following quarter has been finalized. 

I have taken courses that meet major requirements, but they are not showing up in my Major block.
If you have taken courses that meet Major requirements, but they are not showing up in your major block, please see your Counselor to confirm that the courses taken meet Major requirements. If the courses taken satisfy major requirements, your counselor will need to contact the Registrar’s Office to update the requirements for your major. 

Everything in my Major block is checked off, why isn’t my Major block satisfied?
If everything within your Major block is checked off, but your Major block is not satisfied, there is either a minimum GPA requirement, did not receive a C or better in a Major course, or an overall number of units requirement that may not been met. Please see your Counselor. 

What is the Elective Block?
The Elective block is a block for courses that are not being used to satisfy any other requirements in your audit. 

Do courses in the Elective block count towards my overall hours and GPA?
Yes. These hours count towards the total number of degree hours and overall GPA. 

Why are there transfer units in the Elective block?
There are currently no degree requirements that are satisfied by your transfer work. If you think there is an error, see your Counselor. 

Why is a course that fulfills a major requirement in the Elective block?
If you have taken courses that meet Major requirements, but they are not showing up in your major block, please see your Counselor to confirm that the courses taken meet Major requirements. 

Why is there a passing grade in the Not Applicable to Degree Block?
If a passing grade is listed with zero credit hours, Degree Works automatically places this course in the Not Applicable block. See your advisor to be sure that your course was supposed be taken for zero credit hours. 

Why is there a class I have dropped in the In Progress block?
After grading is complete for the term, you will receive a “W” for the class. Until then, the class you dropped is still considered In Progress. 

Why does my audit show two semesters In Progress?
Once grades get processed for the current term, those In Progress courses will show up with grades in your audit. 

What is the In Progress block?
The In Progress block lists all of the courses a student is currently registered for, including the current and all future terms.  

What is the Other Block?
This block collects courses with subject numbers equal or above 400 level.  For example: ENGL 511, 512, and etc. These courses are classified as non‐degree applicable. If you find courses numbered below 400 they may have been classified as non‐degree applicable in past years. Contact the Counseling Department.

Do courses in the Not Counted block get calculated in my GPA?
No, courses in the Not Counted block will not count toward your overall number of hours or overall GPA. 

What is the Major GPA Block?
This block will collect all courses specified by a department for the purpose of calculating a needed GPA or units requirement. 

Why are both courses from my D/F repeat showing up in the Elective block?
If a student receives a D the first time and an F the second time, both instances will show up in the insufficient block; the D because it has been excluded and the F because even an included F is an insufficient grade. 

Functions within Degree Works 

What is a Worksheet?
Worksheet is another term for your Degree Audit. 

What is the “What If” function used for?
The “What If” function is currently used for two purposes.

  1. 1.      To hypothesize a change in major:
  2. 2.      If you want to see how far along in your academic career you would be if you changed your major: 

How does “What If” work?
Select the “What If” function which is on the Audit tab.

  • Use the drop down menus to select the degree and major you’d like to change to.
  • Then select the Process What If button.
  • This will remove the requirement blocks for your current major and apply the requirement blocks for the major you’re considering.
  • This is not a permanent swap. Once you go back to the Worksheets Function, the requirement blocks for your registered Major will show up in your audit.
  • If you would like to change your major, please go to Admissions and Records.

Why do I get an error message when I use the What If function?
Since Degree Works pulls in requirement blocks based on the term a student entered the College, you must select an academic year or you will get a message saying that no requirement blocks were found. 

Why isn’t my Major listed in the Major drop down menu?
The Major drop down menu is populated based on the Degree you select. Be sure you have selected the degree you are pursuing or the degree into which you are thinking of switching. 

What are Notes?
Notes can appear at the bottom of your audit. They are a convenient way for your Counselor to keep track of academic advice, career goals or any other bits of information important to your academic career. 

Who can see Notes posted on my audit?
Any Counselor can see notes posted in Degree Works. This can be helpful if you change majors or your advisor changes. 

What is the GPA Calculator Tab?
The GPA Calculator is a convenient way to track and plan for your GPA. 

How do I use the Term Calculator?
Degree Works will list the courses marked In Progress from your audit. If any of the courses listed are inaccurate, you can add or delete them by typing directly into the boxes. Select the grade you anticipate receiving for each course, and then click “Calculate.” Degree Works will give you an estimated GPA for the semester. 

How do I use the Advice Calculator?
Fill in the GPA you would like to have, and click Calculate. Degree Works will tell you how many hours with what grades you will need in order to achieve your desired GPA. 

Buttons 

What is the View button?
The View button allows you to change the format of your audit. There are 3 available views:

  1. 1.      Student View shows all of your requirements both satisfied and unsatisfied.
  2. 2.      Graduation Check List shows a concise list of the requirements that have been satisfied.
  3. 3.      Registration Check List shows a concise list of the courses that need to be taken.

To change the View of your audit, use the drop down menu under “Format” just to the left of the View button. Select the View you would like to see, and then click on the View button. 

Should I regularly Save and/or Print audits?
Since Degree Works uses data stored in Banner and is updated nightly, it should not be necessary to regularly Save and/or Print your audit. It will be available to you online from anywhere at any time. 

Why can’t I type a student’s name into the Name field under Worksheets?
You may only view your own audit. 

Symbols  

What does the “*” next to a course number mean?
* next to a course number indicates that there is a prerequisite for that course. If available, when you click on the link for that course, the prerequisite is listed above the section schedule. 

What does the “@” mean?
An @ acts as a wildcard. So when you see for example, MATH 1@ , Degree Works is indicating that MATH 100, 105, 123, 131, or any other transferable math course can be used to satisfy the requirement 

What does the “≈” mean?
A double tilde (≈) indicates that there is an issue of some sort. There are a few instances in particular that get flagged by a double tilde: If all of the requirements in a block have been completed but a minimum GPA has not been met. If all of the requirements in a block have been completed but a minimum number of hours has not been met. If you see a double tilde in your audit, please see your Counselor.