FAQs on Audits

DegreeWorks FAQs on Audits

Q:  What is an audit?

A:  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. The audit is divided into blocks such as Degree, Core 39, and Major requirements. Each block works like a checklist that has boxes that are automatically checked when a requirement is met. 

Q:  How current will my information be in DegreeWorks?

A:  The information in DegreeWorks is refreshed each night. Any changes made today (e.g., classes added/dropped, change of academic program, etc.) will be seen in DegreeWorks tomorrow.

Q:  Are my grades visible in DegreeWorks?

A:  Yes. Once grades have been processed at the end of the semester, they are viewable in DegreeWorks.

Q:  Can I see a list of all of the classes I've taken?

A:   Yes. On the Worksheets tab, click on the Class History link at the top for a list of courses taken at USI as well as transfer courses.

Q:  Does DegreeWorks include my AP credit, CLEP credit, and transfer work?

A:   Once AP scores are received from the College Board and credit is granted they are posted to the student record and will appear on the audit. Likewise, transfer work evaluated by the Registrar's Office will also appear.

Q:  Why are my courses still in the In-Progress section of the audit when I already received grades?

A:   The information in DegreeWorks is refreshed each night. Your audit should reflect the change from IP grades to final grades the day after completion of official grade processing.

Q:  How do I know what classes I need to take?

A:  Your audit will outline courses 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.

Q:  I think my audit is incorrect.  What should I do?

A:  Please ask your advisor for assistance. The first step is to clarify what information you believe is wrong. These are the most common problems and courses of action:        

• My major is wrong on my audit.  If you have not officially changed your major, contact the Registrar's Office for instructions. If you have already officially changed your major, the DegreeWorks audit will only display your active degree audit. If your change is effective for a future term, the change may not reflect until that term.
• The requirements for my major are wrong.  Look at the bulletin term that appears on the major block of the audit. According to our records this is the bulletin that you are using to complete your major requirements. If you believe you should be following older or newer requirements, contact your advisor.
• My transfer courses don't appear in the right place.  If you are concerned about a transfer course that should be applying in the audit, contact your advisor.
• Classes are not applying in the “right” place.  DegreeWorks uses a ‘best fit’ approach for meeting requirements, so classes may apply to different sections as you take more courses. If you have further questions, please contact your advisor.
• My advisor or department chair gave me permission to substitute a course, but it's not showing on my audit.  Talk with your advisor. Advisors can request to the designee of the Dean’s Office an exception to the standard requirements. Once exceptions are entered by the Dean’s office of the given college, the change will appear on the audit.
• My minor is missing from my audit.  If you have not officially declared your minor, contact the Registrar's Office for instructions. If you have already officially declared your minor, the Registrar's Office may still be updating your records. If your change is effective for a future term, the change may not reflect until that term.
• My major requires me to complete a concentration, but it didn’t appear on the audit. What’s wrong?  If you have not officially declared your area of emphasis, contact the Registrar's Office for instructions. If you have already officially declared your concentration, the Registrar's Office may still be updating your records. If your change is effective for a future term, the change may not reflect until that term.

If none of these problems describe your situation, or if you need additional help identifying what’s wrong, contact your advisor. If the advisor believes a technical error exists on the audit, they will email the Registrar's Office.

Q:  I have been cleared for graduation, but DegreeWorks says that I haven't completed all my requirements. Does this mean that I won't be able to graduate?

A:  Not necessarily. This can be a timing issue such as posting of grades for the current term. If you have followed through on all requirements you were told to complete, you should still be on track for graduation. Contact your advisor as soon as possible.

Q: When should I look at my degree audit?

A:  At least four times a semester. You should always review your audit:        

1. Before you meet with your academic advisor to discuss registration for an upcoming semester.
2. After you register to ensure that the courses you selected applied to your requirements like you thought they would.
3. After your grades for each semester are posted.
4. Any time you make a change to your schedule or major.

Q: How is my degree audit different from my transcript?

A:  Your degree audit is an advising tool to provide you with academic information related to your degree progress. It displays courses required and completed in your degree program. Your transcript is your official university academic record and provides a chronological list of courses completed and other academic information.

Q: How does DegreeWorks decide where to place courses that I’ve completed?

A: DegreeWorks looks at your entire program, and places each course using a "best fit" scenario. The "best fit" process will not always be perfect, particularly when multiple possibilities exist. Classes may apply to different sections as you take more courses. If you have a course that does not appear in the area in which you expected, please contact your advisor for assistance.

Q: DegreeWorks placed one of my courses in two different places. Is that okay?

A: In most cases, yes. DegreeWorks is programmed to recognize that some courses can fulfill more than one requirement. If you have any questions, contact your advisor.

Q: I earned credit before I came to the University of Southern Indiana. How does this appear on my audit?

A:  In most cases, classes were evaluated during the admission process so they would be placed on your audit as transfer work. If your audit does not look like you expected, please contact your advisor.

Q: Are there requirements for graduation that DegreeWorks doesn’t check?

A:  A few. While DegreeWorks has been designed to check almost everything that you must complete to qualify for graduation, there may be additional requirements for your major that must be completed as well. You should use DegreeWorks in conjunction with the University bulletin and with any information that your major department provides to ensure that you remain on track for graduation. If you have questions about any additional requirements for your major, talk with your advisor.

Q: My advisor petitioned to waive/substitute a course. How will that course appear on DegreeWorks?

A:  After it is approved by the Dean's Office, the designee will record the exception. The course you completed will fulfill the requirement, and an additional line will appear under it that explains why the exception was entered.

Q: I’m pursuing two degrees (a BA and a BS, an AS and BS, etc). Only one appears on the audit. How can I check the requirements for my other program of study?

A:  Look at the degree information next to your name at the top of the screen. You'll notice that the degree box has a drop-down arrow. Use this to select your second degree. Once you select on this, an audit with the additional major will display.

Q: I repeated a course and I don’t understand how it appears on the degree audit. Can you explain this to me?

A:  If you successfully repeat a course, only your last attempt counts toward degree requirements. The earlier attempt(s) will be placed in an "Insufficient" section near the bottom of your audit. The courses in this area do not count toward your total hours, and they cannot be used to fulfill requirements.

Q: I’ve seen the ‘@’ symbol in several places on my audit. What does this mean?

A:  This is a wild card in DegreeWorks. If the @ sign appears after a subject prefix (i.e., PSY @), it means that you can take any course with that subject prefix (any course in Psychology).  If you see PSY 3@, it means you can take any 300-level course in Psychology. If the @ sign appears with course numbers after it (i.e., @ 100:499), it means that you can take any subject area with that level (a 100-400 level course from any subject area).

Q: Who should I contact if I still have questions or disagree with the audit?

A:  Please contact your academic advisor.