How do I access DegreeWorks?
Who can use DegreeWorks?
How does DegreeWorks decide where to place courses that I’ve completed?
DegreeWorks used one of my courses in two different places. Is that okay?
How did my transfer courses apply toward my degree?
I’ve seen the “@” symbol in several places on my worksheet. What does this
mean?
How is the “Units Applied” number in the Degree section calculated?
Why are my Overall GPA and Degree GPA different?
My degree, major or bulletin year is missing or incorrect. What do I do?
My degree progress bar says that I’m 90% complete, but I’m only a freshman.
How can that be?
When the progress bar reaches 100% am I done?
I received permission to substitute or waive a course, but it's not showing on
my audit.
I only need 2 units of colloquium not 4 units. Why does it show the incorrect
amount?
There is a problem with my audit not covered in this FAQ. What should I do?
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

DegreeWorks is linked to your Self-Service account. Click the Student tab then DegreeWorks.
DegreeWorks is best viewed using Internet Explorer 9. 

All currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students who are using the 2008-09
bulletin or later to fulfill their degree requirements. Special arrangements can be made for
students using an earlier bulletin. Contact the Records Office for more information. 

DegreeWorks looks at your program requirements as a whole, and places each course using
a “best fit” scenario. We've also programmed priorities so that courses will be used in some
areas before they will be used in others. When multiple possibilities exist, we've worked to
determine how most students will use a particular course.
This process will not always be perfect, particularly when multiple possibilities exist, so if
you have a course that does not appear in the area that you hoped to use it, please contact
your advisor or the Records Office. 

In most cases, yes. DegreeWorks is programmed to recognize that some courses can fulfill
more than one requirement. For example, an undergraduate may share one course from
their major with General Studies. 

Transfer courses with La Sierra University equivalencies are automatically applied to the
appropriate areas within the audit worksheet. They are indicated by the “Satisfied by” remark
before the original prefix and number.
Please see your advisor if you believe a transfer course is not being applied to your worksheet
correctly. 

This is a wild card in DegreeWorks.
o If the @ sign appears with course numbers after it (i.e., ENGL 3@, 4@) it means that
you can take any course at the 300 or 400 level in the subject.
o If it appears after a subject prefix (i.e., PSYC @), it means that you can take any
course in the subject. 

The units applied are the total of all graded, in-progress and any registered courses. This
number will include processed transfer credit and all courses in your general education,
major, minor and elective areas. However, pre-foundational/remedial courses are not collegelevel thus are not counted in the “Units Applied”. 

Overall GPA factors in all course work completed (including pre-foundational courses) while
Degree GPA will only calculate course work applied to the degree.
The Overall GPA will always display on an official transcript. The Degree GPA will also display on
an official transcript once a degree has been awarded. 

Please contact the C-SAS office and submit a Change of Major request. Please allow 5-7 business
days for your request to be processed. Once this request has been processed your DegreeWorks
information will update automatically the next day. 
The degree progress bar is a tool that considers the total number of requirements on your
audit, and calculates a percentage based on the number of completed and in progress
courses. Therefore, if your student status is classified incorrectly or parts of your program
requirements are missing, this percentage may be incorrect. As this information is added to
your student record, the degree progress bar will reflect your progress more accurately. 

Not necessarily. Your requirements must still be reviewed by a Degree Auditor before your
degree can be considered completed and awarded. Additionally, the progress bar will never
reach 100% until an Application for Graduation is submitted to and approved by the Records
Office. For questions regarding your degree progress please contact the Records Office. 

We work with each school to collect these exceptions and record them in our system. We'll
gladly make the change as soon as we receive permission to do so from either your
department Chair or Dean.
When an exception is made, an additional line in blue will appear under the requirement
that explains why it was entered. If you have an exception related to a transfer course, we
will often make an adjustment to the course equivalency to ensure that it appears in the
correct spot on your audit. 

Colloquium courses can be a little tricky. The number of units required is based on how much
time you have left in that major. Unfortunately, DegreeWorks cannot predict how long it will
take for any student to complete their major. The change must be made manually once a
Degree Auditor from the Records Office receives notification from the department. 

There could be several contributing factors so please consider some of these actions:
o Check with the Records Office to verify that your student record is up to date.
o Your situation may require an Academic Variance Petition. See your advisor for
information regarding this process.
o Your audit may appear incorrect in a situation where a transfer course was not
articulated as an equivalent course at La Sierra University. Contact the Records Office.
o You may submit a Degree Audit Review Request to have your worksheet reviewed by a
Degree Auditor. 

Please contact your advisor, C-SAS or the Records Office with additional questions regarding
DegreeWorks functionality. Because some issues may require a bit of research and possibly
reprogramming, please understand that we may not be able to correct your issue
immediately. 
o Center for Student Academic Success (C-SAS)
 951-785-2452
 C-SAS website
 [email protected]
o Records Office
 951-785-2006
 Records website
 [email protected]