The Ellucian Degree Works database has been one of the improvements added to the student self-service banner at UCC, funded through the federal 2001 Title III act that helps institutes of higher education expand their capacities to serve students of all income levels.
Although this tool was rolled out in the fall of 2015, many students have only seen its use in the offices of their advisers. This informative system is, in fact, available for all students to utilize for themselves.
Degree Works is a web-based academic advising, degree auditing and course planning system that helps students navigate the requirements needed to fulfill program degrees and objectives. Students can define their goals and track progress, avoid potential missteps and view academic status in real time (the system updates every 24 hours).
This system empowers both faculty advisors and students to be completely informed at the click of a mouse and spend more time in schedule planning and course registration than investigating present status and requirements.
One of the unique features within Degree Works is the “What If” tool. Students who are unsure of their commitment to chosen majors/minors (or just curious for the fun of it) can use the “What if” option and plug in a different field of study to see how current academic standing would play into that field as well as what other courses would be needed.
This feature can be extremely useful to some with vague ideas about careers in their chosen fields as well. For example, if some communications students find their heart is in journalism, Degree Works will tell them what they have already accomplished and what needs to be done in order to pursue a degree in that field.
To access this system and become informed about present academic standing, students need only log in to the Student Self Service banner on the UCC homepage, click “Student,” then “Student Records,” and then “Degree Audit and Planner.”