Navigating Academic Progress: A Comprehensive Guide to Appalachian State University's DegreeWorks

Appalachian State University (App State) offers a robust digital tool designed to empower students and their advisors in monitoring academic progress and navigating the path to degree completion. This tool, known as DegreeWorks (DW), provides a clear, centralized platform for understanding curriculum requirements, tracking completed coursework, and identifying areas that still need attention. Launched for students who entered the university in Fall 2009 and later, DegreeWorks became accessible through AppalNet on October 1, 2012, fundamentally enhancing how academic advising and degree audits are managed.

Understanding the Architecture of DegreeWorks

DegreeWorks presents a student's academic record in a structured, digestible format, specifically filtered through their declared program of study. This allows for a precise visualization of how completed, in-progress, and planned courses align with the requirements for their chosen major, minor, or concentration. At its core, DegreeWorks serves as a comprehensive, easy-to-use, web-based academic advising and degree audit tool. It is designed to assist both students and their advisors in successfully navigating the complexities of curriculum requirements, offering 24/7 access to vital information.

The system is built around several key blocks, each serving a distinct purpose in outlining academic progress:

Requirement Block: The Overview of Your Academic Journey

The Requirement Block provides a high-level summary of all degree requirements. Crucially, it indicates the fulfillment status of each requirement, clearly marking what has been met and what remains outstanding. This block acts as a dashboard, offering a quick glance at the overall progress toward graduation. For more detailed information or specific course fulfillments, it often refers the user to other, more granular blocks within the DegreeWorks audit.

General Education Block: Foundational Learning Pillars

This block is dedicated to summarizing the university's General Education requirements. It is designed to ensure that all students receive a broad-based education across various disciplines. Within this block, each course that has successfully satisfied a general education requirement is clearly marked, providing transparency on how foundational learning goals are being met. This ensures students understand the breadth of their academic experience beyond their major.

Read also: ASU Admissions Guide

Major Requirement Block: Deep Dive into Your Specialization

The Major Requirement Block serves as the central hub for understanding the specific demands of a student's declared major. It provides a detailed breakdown of all courses, credits, and other academic milestones necessary to fulfill the requirements of their chosen field of study. This block is critical for students focusing on their specialized academic path, offering a clear roadmap for their major coursework.

Fallthrough Courses Block: Understanding Unapplied Credits

Within DegreeWorks, there is a specific block designated for "fallthrough" courses. These are courses that, for various reasons, do not count towards general education, major, concentration, or any other specified requirement block within the student's current program of study. While these courses may have been attempted or completed, they do not contribute to the fulfillment of degree requirements as currently configured in the audit. Understanding these fallthrough courses is important for students to optimize their course selection and ensure credits are applied effectively.

Attempted Block: Courses Not Applicable to Degree

The Attempted Block may appear in an audit to highlight courses that, despite being taken by the student, cannot be applied to their current degree requirements. This can occur for a multitude of reasons, such as the course being outdated, a similar course already fulfilling the requirement, or the course simply not aligning with the specific curriculum of the student's program.

In-Progress Block: Tracking Current Academic Endeavors

The In-Progress Block is a dynamic section that displays all courses currently being undertaken by the student. This includes courses that are in the process of being completed during the current academic term. This block offers a real-time view of ongoing academic efforts and helps in planning future course loads.

Not Counted Block: Courses Excluded from Requirements

Similar to the Attempted Block, the Not Counted Block may be visible if there are specific courses that are not being counted towards the student's degree. This designation can be due to various factors, and it serves to clarify which academic efforts are contributing to degree completion and which are not.

Accessing and Utilizing DegreeWorks

DegreeWorks is accessible through AppalNet, the university's online portal, using any standard web browser. Students will need their appstate.edu username and password to log in. The information displayed within DegreeWorks is drawn directly from the student's Banner student data record, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality in accordance with FERPA regulations. Faculty and advisors should only access this information for legitimate educational purposes.

Navigating Multiple Programs of Study

For students enrolled in multiple programs, such as dual majors, concentrations, or certificates, DegreeWorks offers a "Degree pick-list" near the top of the screen. This allows users to switch between different audit screens, each representing a separate program of study. If a second program is not immediately visible, it may indicate that it has not yet been officially approved or processed within the university's system.

Ensuring Program Accuracy and Catalog Year

It is essential to ensure that the correct catalog year is displayed on the black header bar for the major. Courses approved to meet a program requirement are meticulously mapped, and any discrepancies or misinterpretations of program requirements should be addressed. If the major, concentration, certificate, or minor appears to be listed incorrectly, students should verify that their official program(s) are accurately recorded in the Banner student data system, as DegreeWorks reflects this official information.

Transfer Credit Integration

Transfer credit is integrated into DegreeWorks once an official transcript detailing acceptable grades has been received by the Graduate School and subsequently entered into Banner. Students who are utilizing transfer credits to satisfy degree requirements should confirm that these credits have been processed and appear in their academic record.

Seeking Assistance and Clarification

For questions regarding how to navigate DegreeWorks or for general tutorials and helpful materials, students and advisors can refer to the main DegreeWorks Site. However, for specific questions pertaining to an individual student's academic situation, progress, or any perceived errors in the audit, the primary point of contact should always be the student's academic advisor or program director.

Read also: Find Your Perfect App State Look

Program of Study Approvals and Updates

The College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Fine and Applied Arts, for instance, both utilize DegreeWorks as the primary record of the approved Program of Study. For majors and minors that necessitate contracts, specific program requirements, or advisor approval for particular courses, these should be submitted to the College Advising & Support Services Hub (CASSH) or the relevant dean's office as soon as possible. This proactive approach ensures that the DegreeWorks record remains complete and accurate throughout a student's academic career. Students intending to pursue a minor, whether required or elective, should officially declare it via a Change of Program form so that DegreeWorks can accurately reflect those specific requirements.

Course Substitution Requests

Any requests for course substitutions must be formally submitted to the department chair. The chair will review the request for approval and then forward it to the appropriate CASSH staff member for further processing. This ensures a standardized and thorough review process for any deviations from standard course requirements.

Beyond DegreeWorks: Essential University Resources

While DegreeWorks is central to academic planning, Appalachian State University offers a comprehensive suite of resources to support student success.

Financial Aid and Funding

For students intending to enroll in five or more credit hours, eligibility for federal aid may be available to assist with educational funding. To be considered, students must submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and accept their offer of admission. Graduate assistantships also represent a significant funding opportunity, with all full-time, on-campus degree-seeking students being eligible for assistantships within their departments or other campus offices.

Housing and Campus Life

Graduate students should be aware that there is no on-campus housing available. Therefore, students planning to take classes in Boone are strongly encouraged to begin their search for off-campus housing as soon as they are admitted. The university provides an off-campus housing resource and database to aid in this search. The Graduate School's Graduate Student Life team plays a vital role in fostering a supportive environment, offering a wide array of professional development, health and wellness programs, social networking events, and career development opportunities throughout the academic year. Staying informed about these offerings, available to both Boone campus and online students, can be facilitated by bookmarking the GSL events calendar.

Academic and Research Support

Belk Library stands as a cornerstone of academic support, offering essential information resources and distinctive, world-class collections that enrich research, teaching, and learning endeavors. Students can access Belk Library's resources both on the Boone campus and online. Furthermore, the Writing Center provides invaluable resources to assist students in developing their writing skills at any stage of the writing process.

Health and Testing Services

The M.S. Shook Student Health Center serves as the primary care campus health clinic, dedicated to meeting the health needs of App State students on the Boone campus. While online and off-campus students have the option to opt-in to student health services for an additional fee, it is an important resource for those on campus. The Office of Testing Services is certified by reputable organizations such as Educational Testing Service and Pearson VUE, among others. This office coordinates the administration of over 15 different standardized testing programs, available in both computer-based and paper-and-pencil formats.

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