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Degree Works Audit

Track, Explore and Plan

A degree audit is your personal roadmap to graduation.  Using Degree Works—PennWest's degree audit tool—you and your advisor can monitor how close you are to finishing your degree.  With Degree Works you can track your progress, explore “what-if” scenarios for different majors or minors, and plan your next steps for a timely graduation.

Your Degree Works progress audit appears in category blocks according to the program requirements for your degree, major, minor and/or concentration. Requirements will vary by student and have different progress icons including: 

  • Green checkmarks ( √ ) =  Completed: Course requirements that have been met will show a green checkmark, number of credits, term and grade. 
  • Blue squiggles ( ∼ ) = In-progress: Courses which you are taking or are registered for.
  • Red circles ( ο ) = Still needed: Course requirements have not been met. 
  • Not Counting Toward Degree section: Ask advisor 

Degree Works Login         Degree Works Guide

 

Note: There is a Degree Works card for students in the myPennWest Portal. Select "myApps" from the category menu at the top of your myPennWest dashboard, locate the Degree Works card and click the bookmark icon to add it to your dashboard. Faculty and staff may also access Degree Works through the portal using the link in the "Quick Access" card. 

Disclaimers and FAQs

1. Your Degree Works audit is a tool—not an authoritative academic record—and should not accompany job, transfer or graduate school applications. Official academic transcripts can be ordered online through the National Student Clearinghouse.

2. Degree Works assumes successful completion of "in-progress" courses. Always check completion requirements carefully. Always consult with an advisor and/or academic administrators regarding university practices, policies and degree requirements.

3. You cannot make official changes to your program of study using the Degree Works audit. All official changes to your degree program must be made by completing the appropriate form and submitting to The Office of the Registrar.

4. Degree Works is best viewed in the Firefox web browser. 

A degree audit can be reviewed at any time; however, we  recommend you review at least four times a semester:

  • Before registering
  • After registering to ensure your course selections apply to program requirements
  • After grades are posted each semester
  • Any time changes are made to your schedule or major

Use your Degree Works audit to:

  • Create a list of questions to discuss with your advisor
  • Identify courses that need to be completed
  • Select courses that meet your degree requirements
  • Determine a projected graduation date
  • Choose a major
  • Consider a minor

If an approved course substitution does not appear on your degree audit, check with your advisor to confirm the required subsitution form was submitted. 

Course substitutions may take up to 30 days to be reflected in the audit.

If you have questions, please contact graduation@pennwest.edu.

The "@" symbol in a Degree Works audit indicates a wild card course. For example, if the @ sign is followed by course numbers (@1000:4999) you may take a course in any subject area within the specified course number range. In this case, any 1000-4000 level course in any subject area is allowed.

Degree Works will recognize that some courses can fulfill more than one requirement. If you have a question about a specific course satisfying more than one requirement, contact your academic advisor.

While some requirements may be fulfilled by the same course, credits for that course are only applied to your graduation total a single time. Using a single course to fulfill multiple requirements may require completion of additional electives to reach your minimum graduation credit total.

Yes. All courses transferred in from other colleges, taken in the military, on permit, or in study abroad should show on your degree audit. Certain courses may not be applied to your major if you have exceeded the allowable number of credits under the residency requirement.

Transfer courses appear on your Degree Works audit as the approved PennWest equivalent course (will be labeled with course numbers such as 1XXX, 2XXX, 3XXX, etc.) with a transfer grade (TA, TB, TC, etc.) to indicate the course transfer status. Each transfer course listed also indicates the transferring institution and original course number and title however this information is for reference only. Please use the approved PennWest equivalent course listed in all official references to such courses.

Questions related to transfer credits please contact registrar@pennwest.edu. 

Elective credits are based on the specific program and displayed at the top of the degree audit under the degree name. Your elective credits can change if you switch majors or add a minor. When your program changes, the way your credits apply toward your degree can change too.

  • The Free Electives block will not show on the audit until a student takes a course that is an elective, but does not fit into the audit for their program.
  • Courses cannot be moved into the Free Electives block.
  • Free elective credits do not include any remedial courses.

Courses are listed here because the free elective requirement has been fulfilled, and there is no other designated place for them in the audit.

  • This should raise a flag to the advisor/student.
  • This section does not populate unless the free elective rule is met.
  • These courses are still available for use for course substitutions.
  • These credits are still being counted in the overall total credits.

Thinking of switching majors or adding a minor? What-If shows where your completed, current and future classes would fit into a new program.

The Degree Works audit has two GPA Estimator options.

Note: If you are currently repeating a course, the original course is still in this calculation.

  1. Graduation Calculator: Determines what grades you need to reach your desired GPA upon graduating.
  2. Advice Calculator: Determines how many credits of a specific grade average you need to reach your desired GPA.

If you think that a requirement for a major, minor, or concentration is incorrect, you should meet with your academic advisor or consult the official degree program requirements for your program of study and effective catalog term. If you still believe there is an error on your Degree Works audit please request assistance using the Starfish app.