FAQs

What is Degree Works?

Degree Works is a web-based tool that enables students and/or advisors to easily track the student’s academic progress in a degree audit. The degree 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/area of emphasis. The audit is divided into block requirements such as Degree, University Requirements, Core Requirements, and Major Requirements. Each block works like a checklist that has boxes that are automatically checked when a requirement is met.

How to Access Degree Works/Troubleshooting Access Issues

How do I access Degree Works?

You must log into MySlice first to access Degree Works. Follow the access instructions in Answers Accessing Degree Works - Answers (syr.edu). If you receive an error message, clear your cache of your browser and restart your computer.

Who has access to an audit in Degree Works?

Degree seeking enrolled students at Syracuse University have access to Degree Works. Depending on when a student started their program, determines if a degree audit is available for them to track their progress.

The following breakdown outlines the availability of programs in Degree Works:

Undergraduate students in Bachelor’s programs who began in fall 2012 or later
Law students who began their JD/LLM programs in fall 2012 or later
Graduate students in CAS or Masters programs who began in fall 2016 or later
PhD students who began their program in fall 2015 or later

Students will retain access to their audit in Degree Works for two years after they depart SU, regardless of degree completion.

Are there recommended browsers for Degree Works?

Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge is recommended. Internet Explorer is not recommended as it is no longer supported by Degree Works. You will have functionality issues with the tool if you use IE. Please make sure you are using the most up-to-date browser version as older versions can cause access issues.

Is my information confidential?

Yes. Like other processes you use through the MySlice portal, Degree Works is accessed through your secure login. Remember that your advisor, faculty, and authorized staff will be able to view the information contained in Degree Works.

Class Information

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 or classes added/dropped) before end of business day (5pm) will be seen in Degree Works tomorrow.

Are my grades visible in Degree Works?

Yes. Once grades have been processed at the end of the semester, they are viewable in Degree Works.

Why are my ungraded courses falling into the insufficient section?

After a term ends (and another begins), any ungraded courses for the ended term will fall into insufficient until the courses are graded. The courses are no longer considered in-progress (IP) by Degree Works. This is often a temporary situation as it is during the grading period. Once grades are submitted the graded (passed) courses will plug back in your requirements.

Can I see a list of all of the classes I’ve taken?

Yes. On the Audits tab, click on the Class History link at the top for a list of courses taken by term at Syracuse University as well as transfer courses.

Does Degree Works include my AP credit and transfer work?

Yes. Once AP scores, or transcripts from previous institutions, are received and credit is granted, they are posted to the student record and will appear on the audit. AP credit will show a grade of OT and transfer credit displays a grade of TR.

How are pass/fail graded courses handled in Degree Works?

If a pass/fail course is in-progress, it may count in a requirement if course subject and number meets requirement criteria. However, once the P/F grade is assigned, it will depend on the pass/fail academic rules of your home school or college. If pass/fail grades are not allowed for your requirements, the course will fall into the Courses Not Allocated or Not Counted section of your audit.

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

If you successfully repeat a course, only your last attempt counts toward degree requirements. The earlier attempt(s) will be placed in an "Insufficient" category at 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.

If you are repeating a course that was completed successfully in a prior term, please note that both the in progress and graded courses may appear in your audit. In addition, both courses may be included in credit counts in your audit. Once your final grade is processed for the course at the end of the term, the University's flagging process will be applied and one of the courses will be removed from requirements and credit counts.

Understanding your Degree Audit in Degree Works

How do I know what classes I need to take?

Your audit will outline courses needed to meet degree, major, minor, and/or area of emphasis requirements within each specific block. You may then use this information to discuss your plan with your academic advisor.

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

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 your current advisor for instructions. If you have already officially changed your major, the Degree Works 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 catalog term that appears on the major requirements block of the audit. According to our records this is the catalog (bulletin) that you are using to complete your major requirements. If you believe you should be using 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.

Degree Works 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 and students can request to the designees of your home college, an exception to the standard requirements. Once exceptions are entered, the change will appear on the audit.

• My minor is missing from my audit.

If you have not officially declared your minor, contact your current advisor for instructions. If you have already officially declared your minor, your department may still be updating your records. Please contact your department for a status of the change.

• My major requires me to complete an area of emphasis, but it didn’t appear on the audit. What’s wrong?

If you have not officially declared your area of emphasis, contact your current advisor for instructions. If you have already officially declared your area of emphasis, your department may still be updating your records. Please contact your department for a status of the change.

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 contact your home college and the Office of the Registrar.

When should I look at my degree audit?

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.

How is my degree audit different from my transcript?

Your degree audit is a 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.

How does Degree Works decide where to place courses that I’ve completed?

Degree Works looks at your program holistically, 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.

Degree Works placed one of my courses in two different places. Is that okay?

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

I earned credit before I came to Syracuse University. How does this appear on my audit?

In most cases, classes were coded by your home college, so they would be placed on your audit as transfer work. If your audit does not look like you expected, please contact your advisor.

The audit says that some of my courses were not counted. What does this mean?

There are a few scenarios where coursework may not be used. Courses which are not used will appear in the following blocks for the noted reasons:

If you have courses which do not fulfill a requirement (coursework is not applicable), they will be placed in the "Courses Not Allocated" block of your audit.
If you have courses that exceed the limit allowed for a degree requirement (i.e. a maximum number of PED courses are allowed or a maximum number of transfer credits are allowed), this coursework will fall into a block titled "Not Counted." These courses will not be applied to your requirements and will be subtracted from your total credit count.
If you have not met the minimum grade needed for a particular required course that course would fall into the "Insufficient" block. Insufficient coursework would also include failed or withdrawn coursework.
If your course has a missing grade and the term has ended, the course will fall into the insufficient block. Once your instructor has graded the course, your audit will reflect the updated grade the next day and will move from the insufficient block (if it is a passing grade).

I petitioned to waive/substitute a course. How will that course appear on Degree Works?

If it is approved by your home college, 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.

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 (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). If it appears after a subject prefix (i.e., PSY @), it means that you can take any course with that subject prefix (any course in Psychology).

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

Please contact your academic advisor with any questions.

Program Information

For Undergraduate Students: I’m pursuing two majors which have different degree types (a BA and BS, etc.), but only one major/degree appears on the audit. How can I check the requirements for my other program of study?

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 major. Once you select this, an audit with the additional major will display. Please note that even with more than one major, you will only earn one degree. Please see section 16.1 Undergraduate Degree and Certificate Programs in the academic rules Academic Rules - Syracuse University - Acalog ACMS™. Check with your home college if you have questions.

For Graduate Students: Why are two of my programs on same audit? I am earning 2 degrees. Shouldn't they be separate audits?

Degree Works breaks down the audit in sections or blocks. The degree block has the degree type and requirements that need to be met for the degree (CAS, MA, MS, PhD).

The audit is then broken down into the program or major block(s). If the student is enrolled in two programs/majors of the same degree type, then the audit places the program under the degree type.

For Graduate Students: I am enrolled in two different programs (different degree types e.g. CAS & MS); how do I see the audit for each program?

Degree work breaks down the audit into sections or blocks. The first block in the audit has the student information and degree information. The drop down in the degree box at the top allows you to choose which degree type audit you can review. If there is not a drop-down option (down arrow) then you are enrolled in one degree type.

College of Law- Joint Degree Programs:

Joint Degree Programs enable the student to earn two degrees within the College of Law and other appropriate departments within the University. Each program is a different degree type (JD, MS, MA, CAS, PhD), so each program has a separate audit. Each joint degree program has different program requirements. Check with your advisor regarding questions on program requirements or your audit.

For Graduate Students: What does this message mean on my audit - Note: In no instance shall course credit be counted more than twice in satisfaction of the requirements for multiple degrees and/or programs. If you are pursuing more than one program/degree please confirm your anticipated program of study with your academic advisor.

Degree Works treats each graduate degree separately (MA/MS, CAS, PhD). Courses may plug into requirements in all degrees a student is enrolled in. This is why there is a disclaimer in the degree block about triple counting not being allowed:

Note: In no instance shall course credit be counted more than twice in satisfaction of the requirements for multiple degrees and/or programs. If you are pursuing more than one program/degree please confirm your anticipated program of study with your academic advisor.

In order to prevent triple counting, a careful review of all of the programs a student is enrolled in can reveal if a class is being triple counted. A Remove Course exception would be processed by your school/college to remove a class from the program where the class will not be allowed to fulfill the requirement.

I am non-active in my program (e.g. discontinued; leave of absence), but can still see it in Degree Works; why?

If you have discontinued from a program (with a different degree type) but are still active/enrolled in another program, the discontinued audit may still appear in Degree Works. MySlice will show your active program information.

If you have taken a leave of absence or discontinued from your program (no active programs at all), no new information will pull into your audit. You can access Degree Works in MySlice for 2 years after your discontinuance/leave, but information will remain the same as when your leave/discontinuance was effective.

I am discontinued but have continued coursework; it is not in Degree Works, why?

If you have taken a leave of absence or discontinued from your program (no active programs at all), no new information will pull into your audit. For example if you take courses as a non-matriculated student or transfer coursework into SU while discontinued/LOA this information cannot be brought into Degree Works since you are not an enrolled matriculated student at SU.

Graduation

I have already graduated from SU and checked my audit; it appears my requirements aren’t complete – what does that mean?

If you have graduated and received your diploma prior to the implementation of Degree Works (see question above), your requirements in your audit may show as in-progress or incomplete even though they were resolved when you graduated. For example, if you had approved petitions these may not be reflected on your audit because petitions were not entered for prior graduates.

Are there requirements for graduation that Degree Works doesn’t check?

A few. While Degree Works 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 Degree Works in conjunction with the Undergraduate Course Catalog 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.

I have been cleared for graduation, but Degree Works says that I haven’t completed all my requirements. Does this mean that I won’t be able to graduate?

Not necessarily. This can be a timing issue such as posting of grades for the current term, or if you are a recent graduate or Senior, your home college may not have added all petitions to your record. If you have followed through on any requirements you were told to complete, you should still be on track for graduation. Contact your advisor and home college office as soon as possible.