DegreeWorks: New Degree Audit System at Buffalo State
Starting March 3, students at SUNY Buffalo State will have a more streamlined system for tracking courses, transfer credits, and graduation requirements through a new online tool called DegreeWorks. It replaces Degree Navigator as the campus’s degree audit.
The new system, which is overseen by the Registrar’s Office, allows undergraduate and graduate students—and their advisers—to monitor progress more closely and ensure graduation requirements are met. The system allows advisers to filter search results by name, student class, and academic major, among other criteria.
Eventually, all 64 SUNY campuses will switch to DegreeWorks. SUNY divided the campuses into cohorts for technical structure. Buffalo State is in the third cohort, along with Brockport and Fredonia. To pay for the new system, SUNY received a $500,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation to enhance student mobility within the system.
“This program gives a very clear picture of how students are progressing toward graduation, and will help with retention,” said Sean Hudson, associate registrar. “Instead of toggling between different screens, DegreeWorks shows the whole picture of progress on one page.”
Other user-friendly benefits include a view of upcoming sections and real-time seats available in needed courses; a “what if” feature that shows students how completed courses could apply under a different major or different minor; a semester-by-semester account of coursework, as well as various test scores, to assist advisers with course placement; and the ability for students and advisers to build detailed educational plans by course for future semesters.
"It also indicates whether or not a student has applied for graduation—an important factor," Hudson noted.
Faculty and staff overviews on using the DegreeWorks system will be held on Thursday, February 27, from 11:00 a.m. to noon and from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. All faculty, staff, and advisers are invited and no signup is required.