The Degree Audit compares a student's academic progress with your school's degree requirements. In addition to showing how the student is faring towards her current degree, it also lets you see how her progress stacks up against your other degrees.
The degree audit is a tool that helps you make a decision. A student might review it and decide to switch degrees. An advisor might decide to recommend one class over another for a student. A registrar might decide to grant a degree to a student. You get the idea.
Understanding the degree audit
Degree selector
- The degree audit starts by showing the most advanced degree (and specialization, if any) the student is currently pursuing.
- To see other degrees and options, select from the drop-downs. You can change degrees, catalog years, and specializations. When you make a selection, the audit automatically updates.
- The Catalog Year selector corresponds to the degree's requirement year.
- The Anticipated Completion Date is calculated by the Length field in the degree's settings and the date the student started pursuing the degree.
General Degree Requirements
General degree requirements refer to the minimum GPA and credit/hour requirements the student needs in order to earn the degree.
- indicates that the student has met the requirement.
- If there's no check mark, the student has not met the requirement.
- When all of the general requirements have been met, you'll see a notice to that effect in the heading next to "General Degree Requirements".
- If you're using Populi to track clinical or attendance hours, this article explains how they appear on the degree audit.
Degree course requirements
Course requirements are organized by the course groups included in the degree's requirements.
- Completed courses are those which the student has passed.
- If the course group has a minimum grading requirement, then Completed indicates courses for which the student's grade has met the requirement.
- If the student passes the course but doesn't meet the minimum grading requirement, that course will appear in Unused Courses(see below).
- Each course group leads with a summary of the requirements and whether the student has met them.
- If a substitution, waiver, or exception (see below) has been applied that affects this course group, you'll see a red notice to that effect. Click the notice to jump to the bottom of the audit, where you'll find all such items.
- Individual courses show you the grade and status. The status refers to how the course is used in the degree audit:
- X credits/hours/courses completed: The student met the minimum grade requirement for this course and earned X number of credits/hours that have been applied to this course group. Courses are also considered completed if the student has completed an equivalent or if another course has been substituted for this one.
- Applied to X: The student met the minimum grade requirement for this course and it is being used in a different course group.
- Fulfilled by X: This displays when the student has completed an equivalent course that's not in the course group. (The degree course requirements must allow for course equivalencies.)
- X credits in progress: The student has not yet been finalized in this course; when he is, the course will be applied to this course group.
- X credits transferred: This course was accepted as a transfer course and has been applied to this course group (or one of the courses in the group).
- X credits waived: A waiver has been entered on this student's degree audit; he is not required to complete the course.
- Click to show all of the courses in the group, those that have been completed, or those that have not been completed.
Applying courses
If a course only appears in one course group, it will simply apply to that group once the student completes it. If a course appears in multiple course groups, you can choose the group to which it will apply. (Examples in parentheses below are taken from the above image.)
- A solid check means that the course is applied to this course group and can't be applied elsewhere. (THE302 in the Core group.)
- A check in a box means that the course is applied to this course group but can also be applied elsewhere. (ENG101 in the English group.)
- An empty checkbox means that the course could be applied to this group, but is applied elsewhere—check the Status column to see where. (LIT301 in the English group.)
- You can apply a course to more than one group if all of the following have occurred: (LIT301/WRI301 in the Core and English groups.)
- The course permits retakes to count in earned credits.
- The course appears in more than one course group.
- The student has completed the course (or an equivalent) more than one time.
Unused Courses
Unused courses (including resident and transfer courses) are completed courses that do not count towards the degree's course requirements. They count towards the degree's general requirements but do not count in degree course requirements. Consult this list when adding exceptions or substitutions (see below). A course will appear here if:
- It is not included in any of the degree's course groups.
- The student passed the course but her grade did not meet the course group's minimum grade threshold.
Substitutions, waivers, exclusions, and exceptions
The degree audit lets you substitute or waive course requirements for the student, or modify the degree requirements by adding an exception. You can also do any of the following for a specialization.
After adding any of the following, you can modify the item by clicking .
Substitutions
You can set up a substitution for any course by any other course, whether or not the student has taken either one.
- Click add next to Course Substitutions.
- Select whether this substitution will apply to the degree courses or those for a specialization.
- Search for and select the required course.
- Choose the substitute type.
- Catalog course lets you substitute anything from your course catalog for the required course.
- Course offering lets you swap the required course for a specific course instance.
- Transfer course lets you choose from the student's accepted transfer courses as a substitute for the required course.
- Search for and select the substitute course.
- When you're done, click Save.
After adding the course substitution, it will list in this section. As soon as the substitution affects one of the course requirements, you'll see a note in the course group and in the course's status.
Waivers
You can waive any individual course requirement.
- Click add next to Course Waivers.
- Select whether this waiver will apply to the degree courses or those for a specialization.
- Search for and select the course you wish to waive.
- When you're done, click Save.
After waiving the course, it will list in this section and under any affected course group(s).
Exclusions
You can use an exclusion to force a given course "out" of applying to a degree or specialization and into applying to the course requirements for the other. For example, you could exclude ENG101 from the student's English major so that it applies to her Bachelor of Arts degree.
- Click add next to Exclusions.
- Select whether to exclude the course from the degree or specialization.
- Select the course you wish to exclude.
- Enter an optional note.
- When you're done, click Save.
Exceptions
A degree audit exception lets you modify any of the degree's requirements—whether general reqs or those pertaining to a course group.
- Click add next to Exceptions.
- Select whether this exception will apply to the degree, specialization, or a course group.
- Select which requirement you wish to adjust by entering a value. Check the notice next to the field to see how this exception will change the requirements for the student.
- Enter a note explaining the exception (optional).
- When you're done, click Save.
After adding the exception, it will list in this section; it will also be indicated in any part of the degree audit affected by the exception.
1 Comments