Degree Works FAQs
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Click here for information on using Degree Works and Degree Plans.
What is a Degree Works audit?
A Degree Works 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. 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. Additional ECU degree requirements such as overall credits, senior college credit and in-residence requirements are listed in red as unmet conditions. Degree Works allows students and their advisors to plan for future coursework. Degree Works audits are designed to enhance the academic advisement process and is not intended to replace face-to-face academic advisement.
What are the benefits for using Degree Works?
Degree Works will help you:
- Determine what ECU requirements you need to fulfill in order to complete your degree.
- Identify what requirements you have completed in the Foundations Curriculum.
- View individual course grades, cumulative grade-point average (GPA), and major average.
- Determine which courses you have taken or transferred, that count toward your degree and which ones count as electives.
- View transfer credits, waivers, and exceptions applied toward degree.
- See how your coursework could be applied toward another major, minor, concentration, or certificate using the What If option.
- Project grade performance using the GPA calculator.
Confirm your academic standing. - Determine whether there are holds on a student record.
- Estimate how many semesters it will take you to graduate.
- Plan future course schedules utilizing the Planner option to see how the selections will affect the progress towards the degree.
- Learn prerequisites, co-requisites and schedule information for courses by clicking on the course numbers.
Who has access to Degree Works?
Degree Works is available for undergraduate and graduate students using 2010 Catalog or newer. Students under earlier catalogs should see their advisor for degree information.
How do I access Degree Works?
Access to Degree Works is through the Web. Anywhere you can log in to PiratePort will allow you access to Degree Works. Firefox and Internet Explorer are the recommended browsers.
- Login to your PiratePort account.
- Click on the Degree Works card
Is my information confidential?
Yes. Like other processes you use through PiratePort, Degree Works is accessed through your secure log in. Remember that your advisor, faculty, and selected staff will be able to view the information contained in Degree Works.
Who is my advisor?
You can find your advisor’s name at the top left of the audit. If there is no name or the name appearing is incorrect, please contact your department.
How current will my information be in Degree Works?
The information in Degree Works is refreshed each night. Any changes made today (e.g., grade changes, holds, or classes added/dropped) will be seen in Degree Works tomorrow.
Can I register for classes in Degree Works?
No. Degree Works is a snapshot of courses in-progress, planned, and in academic history. Registration will continue to be handled through PiratePort/Banner Self-Service.
Can I see how many classes I have left to fulfill my requirements?
Look for unchecked boxes to identify requirements that you still need to complete.
Are my grades visible in Degree Works?
Yes. Once grades have been processed by the University, they are viewable in Degree Works following the nightly refresh. Please note, although student’s grades can be viewed, final GPA and standings are not updated until all final grade processes are completed at the end of the semester.
Can I see a list of all courses taken?
Click on the Class History link at the top for a printable list of courses taken at ECU as well as transfer courses. This list is displayed in chronological order similar to a transcript. This is not an official transcript.
How is a Degree Works Degree audit different from a transcript?
A Degree Works audit is not an academic transcript nor is it an official notification of completion of degree requirements. A ECU transcript, however, is an official college record, and can be requested through The Office of the Registrar, visit http://registrar/transcripts.cfm
Does Degree Works include my AP credit and transfer work?
Once scores are received and credit granted, they are posted to your student record and will appear on the audit. Likewise, as soon as transfer work is posted to your record, it will appear on the audit and fulfill requirements as appropriate.
Why isn’t my transfer information up-to-date?
It is possible that the university has not received an official transcript. Check with the Office of the Registrar at regis@ecu.edu if your transcript or audit does not reflect transfer work you have completed.
Do I automatically graduate if everything is checked off?
In order to graduate, you must apply online through PiratePort. Once you have applied, your audit will be evaluated by graduation services. A note will be added to the bottom of your audit once you have been cleared for graduation. If there are any deficiencies, you will be contacted. For more information about graduation visit the Graduation information web page.
Are there requirements for graduation that Degree Works doesn’t check?
Degree Works has been programmed to look for all ECU degree graduation requirements. Degree Works does not include requirements needed for admission into a program.
I think my audit is incorrect. What should I do?
Ask your advisor for assistance. The first step is to clarify what information you believe is wrong. If the advisor believes a technical error exists on the audit, he/she should contact the Office of the Registrar.
My major is wrong on my audit
If you have not officially changed your major, contact the appropriate college advising center or academic department for instructions. If your change is effective for a future term, the change may not reflect until that term. Likewise, the college/school advising center may still be updating your record.
The requirements for my major are wrong
Look at the catalog term that appears on the major requirements block of the audit. According to our records this is the catalog that you are using to complete your major requirements. If you believe you should be using older or newer requirements, contact either your advisor or the Registrar’s Office. You can review your catalog requirements at http://catalog.ecu.edu
Why isn’t my transfer work meeting a requirement?
There could be multiple reasons.
- The course did not meet either the minimum number of credits and/or minimum grade requirement for use in your program of study.
- All requirements have been met and this course is simply not needed.
- It may also be that the transferred course doesn’t meet the ECU requirement.
- A substitution request is needed to allow a transfer course to meet an ECU requirement.
Please see your advisor for questions regarding transfer courses applying to ECU requirements.
Classes are not applying in the “right” place
Degree Works uses a “best fit” approach for meeting requirements so classes may shift between requirements as you complete/enroll in additional classes. If you have further questions, 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 and/or department chairperson. Advisors can request to have an exception approved through an electronic form. Once the exception is approved and entered in the system, the change will appear on the audit.
My minor is missing from my audit
If you have not officially declared your minor, contact the appropriate college advising center or academic department for instructions. Contact your department for the status of the change.
My major requires me to complete a concentration, but it didn’t appear on the audit.
If you have not officially declared your concentration, contact your current department office for instructions. Contact your department for the status of the change.
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, depending upon your college, the major GPA may also include courses that potentially could have been used within the major block but were not needed to fulfill specific requirements. See your academic advisor to determine how major GPA is determined for your major.
I changed my advisor, so why is my previous advisor showing instead of my new advisor?
Check with your new advisor – they should update your record.
I’m a double major. Only one major appears on the audit. How can I check the requirements for my other major?
If you are pursuing two majors under the same degree (e.g., BA Psychology and Sociology), both majors will be noted in the student information area at the top of the audit and will appear in the body of the audit in the order noted at the top of the audit. If you are pursuing two different degrees/majors (e.g., BA Philosophy and BS Criminal Justice, Degree and Certificate), you will use the drop down arrow on the degree box at the top of the audit to select the audit you wish to review.
Where can I see my audit for my certificate?
Students pursuing a certificate will need to click on the Degree drop-down box at the top of the Student View audit in order to view the certificate audit requirements.
If I withdraw from a class, will that be reflected in my audit?
Courses from which you have withdrawn after the add/drop period will appear in the Insufficient Block on your audit with a grade of W.
What does it mean if I have a classes listed under the In-Progress, Electives, or Insufficient Blocks?
- In-Progress block: Courses that you are registered for or have an incomplete in will appear in the In-Progress block.
- Electives block: Successfully completed courses (including transfer courses) that do not apply directly to a degree requirement are listed under the Electives block.
- Insufficient block: Courses that you have failed, repeated (without a grade replace), audited or withdrawn will appear in the Insufficient block.
My advisor requested a substitution course in my major. How will that course appear on Degree Works?
After receiving department chairs approval, the exception will be recorded on the audit under the Exceptions block. In addition, they are listed in the block they apply to (Foundations Curriculum, Major, etc.) An additional line will appear under the course requirement that explains why the exception was entered.
I’ve seen the ‘@’ symbol in several places on my audit. What does this mean?
This is a wild card in Degree Works. If the @ sign appears with course numbers after it (e.g., @ 1000:4999), it means that you can take any subject area with that level (a 1000-4999 level course from any subject area). If it appears after a subject prefix (e.g., PSYC @), it means that you can take any course with that subject prefix (any course in Psychology). If it appears after a subject prefix and a number (e.g., PSYC 3@), it means that you can take any course with that subject prefix and at that level (any course in Psychology at the 3000-level). If it appears as @@ with HUM, it means you can take any course with the Humanities attribute.
What is a PLAN?
PLANS is a tool used to create a plan of study for future terms. Currently only advisors can create a plan for you. If you do not have a plan, please contact your advisor so they can set one up for you.
Will putting courses in my planner change the way my audit looks?
No. Nothing entered on the Plan will affect your actual audit.
If I put a course in my planner, am I automatically registered for that course in that future semester?
No. Degree Works is not connected to Registration. Please registrar for classes through Banner Self Service in PiratePort.
Is the course I planned guaranteed for that future semester?
No. Your planner is for planning purposes only.
I want to change my major. How can I see what would be required if I made this change?
The What-If function allows you to hypothetically change your major, minor, or concentration. 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. What-if audits do not guarantee that you are eligible to major in the area you select. If you decide you’d like to change your major, contact the department/school or college office of the new major for information and instructions.
If I use the What-If feature does this mean that I have changed my major?
No. The What-If function is for informational purposes only.
Can I save a What-If scenario?
No. What-If plans are not saved on Degree Works. 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 or save as a PDF.
What are the GPA Calculators?
- The Graduation Calculator will show what average you will need in your remaining credits to graduate with your desired GPA.
- The Term Calculator will show an estimation of your cumulative GPA based on what grade you think you will receive for the current term.
- The Advice Calculator will show various credit and grade scenarios in order for you to achieve your desired cumulative GPA.
Is this calculated GPA Guaranteed?
No. This is an estimate only.