Degree Works Frequently Asked Questions
Continue to main contentSoutheast’s Degree Works is intended to be a resource for students to use in the planning of their college career and completion of their degree. It is important to understand how Degree Works can provide guidance to our students and these frequently asked questions have been compiled for additional assistance.
Degree Works is a web-based tool to help students and advisors monitor progress toward degree completion. Degree Works looks at the degree requirements of the Southeast Missouri State University Undergraduate and Graduate BULLETINS and the coursework completed to produce an easy-to-read audit. The audit is divided into block requirements of how courses, taken or proposed, count toward degree requirements. Icons exist within each block to easily outline what courses and requirements are complete or in progress. Degree Works also allows students and their advisors to plan for future coursework.
Yes. Like other processes through the mySEMO portal, Degree Works is accessed through your secure log-in. Your advisor, faculty, and authorized staff will be able to view the information contained in Degree Works.
No. Registration, including prerequisite checks, will continue to be handled through the regular registration system.
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. The audit is divided into block requirements such as Degree, General Education, Senior College Division, Major Requirements, Minor Requirements, etc. Each block works like a checklist that has boxes that are automatically checked when a requirement is met or is in progress.
The information in Degree Works is continually refreshed. As changes are made to the student record (e.g., grade changes or classes added/dropped), the changes are available in Degree Works.
Yes. Once grades have been processed at the end of a part of the term, they are viewable in Degree Works.
Yes. On the Worksheet tab, click on the three vertical dots in the upper right of the audit and select Class History for a list of courses taken at Southeast as well as transfer courses. This is not to be considered a transcript as repeated courses are not noted on this class history.
Once AP/CLEP/CBE scores are received, and credit is granted, they are posted to the student record and will appear on the audit. Likewise, as soon as transfer work is posted to the student account, it will appear on the audit and fulfill requirements as appropriate.
Your audit will outline courses needed to meet degree/major/minor/concentration area requirements within each specific block. You may then use this information to discuss your plan with your academic advisor.
Ask your advisor for assistance. The first step is to clarify what information you believe is wrong. 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, email registrar@semo.edu. 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, complete the online Declaration of Major workflow. If you have 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. Likewise, the 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 (bulletin) 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.
My transfer courses don't appear in the "right" place.
If you are concerned about a transfer course that should be applied in the audit, contact your advisor.
Classes are not applying in the "right" place.
Degree Works uses a "best fit" algorithm 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 the department chairperson of your major. 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, complete the online Declaration of Minor workflow. If you have officially declared your minor, the Registrar’s office may still be updating your records.
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. If you have already officially declared your concentration, your department may still be updating your records. Contact your department for the status of the change.
Not necessarily. This can be a timing issue, such as the posting of grades for the current term. If you have followed through on any requirements you were told to complete, you should still be on track for graduation. You should be contacted by the Registrar’s Office about any deficiencies. Contact your advisor for assistance in clearing up the problem areas as soon as possible.
You should review your audit:
- Before you meet with your academic advisor to discuss registration for an upcoming semester.
- After you register to ensure that the courses you selected applied to your requirements like you thought they would.
- After your grades for each semester are posted.
- Any time you make a change to your schedule or major.
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.
Degree Works looks at your program holistically and places each course using a "best fit" algorithm. The "best fit" algorithm may 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, contact your advisor for assistance.
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.
Classes were coded as transfer work if from another institution or CLEP/AP/CBE credit. If your audit does not look like you expected it to, contact your advisor.
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 that must be completed as well. You should use Degree Works in conjunction with the University Bulletin and with any information that your major department or the University 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.
After receiving department chairperson approval, the exception will be recorded on the audit. The course you completed will fulfill the requirement, and an additional line will appear under it that explains why the exception was entered.
Look at the Degree box 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 degree. Once you select this, an audit for the additional major will display.
If you are pursuing two majors under the same degree (e.g., BS Psychology and Recreation), both majors will be noted near the top of the audit, and both will appear in the body of the audit. If you are pursuing two different degrees/majors (e.g., BA Philosophy and BS Criminal Justice), you will use the drop-down arrow on the Degree box to select the audit you wish to review.
If you repeat a course, only your last attempt counts toward degree requirements. Once you enroll in a class that you have previously taken, the earlier attempt(s) will be placed in the "Insufficient" section 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.
This is a wild card in Degree Works. If the @ sign appears with course numbers after it (e.g., @ 100:499), it means that you can take any subject area with that level (a 100-499 level course from any subject area). If it appears after a subject prefix (e.g., PY @), 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., PY 3@), it means that you can take any course with that subject prefix and at that level (any course in Psychology at the 300-level).
Contact your academic/faculty advisor.
You can use the What-If option on the Worksheets tab to do an audit using criteria you select. Be sure to select the correct Degree, Catalog Term, and Major. 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, you can complete the online Declaration of Major workflow.
Since What-If scenarios are not stored on Degree Works, your advisor can only see your results if the two of you work through a What-If audit together. You can also print a copy to show your advisor.
Plans are a tool for you to arrange course requirements into future semester blocks. You and your advisor may find this helpful as you plan your academic career.
The Graduation Calculator option on the GPA Calc tab will show what average you will need in your remaining credits to graduate with your desired GPA.
The Term Calculator option on the GPA Calc tab will show an estimate of your cumulative GPA. Degree Works will pull in your current earned credits and GPA and place your in-progress courses in the table where you can then enter the anticipated grade for each course. You will then see a revised cumulative GPA based on the estimates you provided.
The Advice Calculator option on the GPA Calc tab will show various credit and grade scenarios for you to achieve your desired cumulative GPA.
No. This is an estimate only.
Contact your advisor or email registrar@semo.edu
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701