Degree Works

In this tutorial, we are going to learn about Degree Works and how to use it to help guide you to complete your degree. Degree Works is an online degree audit tool that appears as a checklist for you to review and monitor your progress towards degree completion. It provides your review of past, current and planned coursework as well as information about completed and outstanding graduation requirements. To access Degree Works, login to MySAIL and click on ‘Progress to Degree’ in the student portal. There are two things you need to know about Degree Works before we begin. The first thing is that it is programmed based on catalog year, and catalog year refers to the program requirements, admissions standards, and academic policies in effect during an academic year. Your catalog year is determined by your admission or declaration of program. The second thing you need to know is that the degree audit that will automatically display is your current declared program of study. Degree Works is organized by blocks. The blocks show what requirements are needed for a specific degree or program and will help you see what is needed in order to fulfill the requirements within each block.

The top block is your information block, which displays your student ID number as well as your declared curricula information as well as additional criteria specific to your record. If you have multiple degrees, you will notice a dropdown in your information block. If you feel that there should be additional curricula listed that you have declared, touch base with your adviser.

Your advisors are listed in your information block as well. Their corresponding email address can be found by clicking the envelope icon on the top right of your audit. A popup will appear with their email address. 

Below the Information block, you will see a Degree progress percentages and your Overall GPA. The Requirements percentage is calculated by the percentage of green checkmarks on your overall audit. The Credits percentage is calculated by the number of applicable credits towards your degree compared to the required amount. The degree block is a summary of your requirements to graduate based on your catalog year, which is listed in the middle of your degree block. It indicates if you’ve met the required university requirements, program requirements, minimum GPA, and Gen Ed requirements.

The next block is the General Education block that lists all the courses you need to complete for your general education requirements. 

On the right-hand side of the course requirements, there are attribute links you can click. The links are for you to review what courses will fulfill each requirement. Clicking the Course link will show all applicable courses for the corresponding requirement. 

If you have already completed the requirement, a green checkmark will appear to the left of the requirement. It will display the grade you received, the credit hours associated, and the semester you took the course. Any outstanding requirements will have a red circle and will let you know what is still needed to fulfill the requirement. Blue half circles indicate In Progress courses. They let you know that upon successful completion of the courses, the requirement will then be satisfied with a green checkmark.

The US Diversity and Writing Intensive and Capstone blocks are the remaining General Education requirements. They are listed here.

All programs will have Major blocks as shown. Depending on your curriculum you may also have Concentration Blocks, Minor blocks, or other required blocks listed as well. 

Towards the bottom of the audit, there are three additional blocks. The “General Electives” block displays courses not being used to satisfy general education or program requirements. 

The “Insufficient” block displays courses you have withdrawn from, failed, or courses that were taken more than once and are not repeatable for credit. 

The “In Progress” block displays courses currently registered for and not yet graded. These courses are listed sequentially by semester.

Next, we’re going to explain how to use the “What-If” feature. If you scroll to the top of your audit you’ll notice a “What-If” button.

If your current OU program is not updated or you want to explore other programs of study at OU, you can use the “What If” feature located on the left hand side of the audit. By selecting the

“What If” feature, you will have drop-down box options including selecting your catalog year and desired program. 

Once you have chosen these items, click on the “Process” button on the bottom of the box. A new degree audit with your selected changes will appear.

The GPA calculator tab offers a convenient way to track and plan different GPA options. There are two different calculating features offered depending on what type of advice you are looking for. The GPA calculator is an estimating tool only. This is not your official GPA, nor does it guarantee the estimate will be correct. If  a calculator result is questionable, please check with an adviser to verify the accuracy.

The “Graduation Calculator” allows you to calculate the GPA that you will need to graduate with your desired overall GPA.

In the top right corner of your audit, click the 3 dots to show these additional functions. Select GPA Calculator and then fill in your Desired GPA and click Calculate. Specifics will appear.

The “Advice Calculator” allows you to see the number of classes needed at a certain grade average to achieve a desired GPA. Fill in your desired GPA and click Calculate. Different options will appear.

For more information or questions on Degree Works or program requirements, please feel free to contact your academic adviser, or review the frequently asked questions located within Degree Works.