By Nicole Parker, Degree Works Consultant | David Kent Consulting
Beyond the Audit: Getting More Value from Your Degree Works Configuration
Many institutions use Ellucian Degree Works primarily as a degree audit, but the platform is also a powerful academic advising tool that can do much more. Localized headings, customized student headers, thoughtful scribing, What If Analysis reviews, Future Courses, and periodic evaluations of Controller properties and dashboard settings can transform the audit into a more valuable tool for students, advisors, and registrar staff.
When Was the Last Time You Looked Beyond Your Degree Audit?
Ask most colleges and universities if they use Degree Works and the answer is yes. Ask when they last evaluated how Degree Works actually communicates with students and advisors, and the answer is usually much less certain.
For many institutions, Degree Works becomes a “set it and forget it” application. Once the initial implementation is complete and audits are calculated correctly, the system is considered finished. Curriculum changes are added as they happen, but the overall student experience stays exactly as it did on day one.
Over the years, one thing I’ve noticed is that institutions are usually surprised by how many configuration options were available all along. The software has continued to evolve, campus processes have changed, and advising expectations have grown, but many Degree Works environments still look and function exactly as they did when they first went live.
The reality is that Ellucian Degree Works has capabilities that extend well beyond showing completed and remaining coursework. With thoughtful Ellucian Degree Works customization, localized language, and periodic maintenance, the audit can become one of the most valuable communication tools your advising and registrar teams have.
If your institution has not taken a fresh look at Degree Works in several years, there is a good chance you are only using a portion of what the product can do.
Degree Works Customization Starts with Controller Properties and Localized Language
Every institution has its own language. Advisors refer to programs a certain way, the registrar’s office has terminology students recognize, and graduation processes have names that make sense to the people using them every day.
Degree Works does not have to rely on generic headings or default naming conventions. Through Controller properties, institutions can localize section headings, bucket names, labels, and instructional text so the audit reflects the language already used across campus. Students spend less time trying to interpret what they are seeing, and advisors spend less time explaining it.These changes may seem small, but they create an experience that feels intentional instead of generic.
One of my favorite conversations with a client is hearing, “I didn’t know Degree Works could do that.” Whether it is a renamed bucket, localized headings, or customized messaging, those small adjustments usually have a much bigger impact than people expect.
As part of that review, it is worth looking at the messages and instructions displayed throughout the audit. A short note explaining a residency requirement, an elective category, or how transfer work applies can answer questions before a student ever reaches out to the registrar or advisor. Degree Works should not just calculate requirements, it should communicate them clearly.
The Student Header Can Tell a Much Bigger Story for Advising
For many schools, the student header displays only the basic information needed to identify the student. Degree Works customization does not have to mean changing audit logic. Depending on your Degree Works configuration, the header can become a quick snapshot that gives advisors important context before they ever scroll through the audit. Information such as veteran status, student athlete participation, graduation application progress, honors participation, assigned advisor information, academic standing, or other institutional indicators can be displayed where advisors are already working.
Instead of opening multiple Banner pages or searching through separate systems, advisors can immediately see information that helps guide the conversation with the student. Students also appreciate having key milestones and statuses visible in one familiar place instead of wondering where they need to look next.That does not replace Banner. It brings together information that supports better conversations and better advising.
Good Scribing Is About Communication, Not Just Calculations
One of the biggest misconceptions about scribing is that success is measured only by whether the audit calculates correctly. Accurate requirements are certainly the foundation, but presentation matters just as much.
There are usually several ways to build the same requirement. A good scriber thinks about how information is organized, how blocks are ordered, what students will notice first, and where additional explanation could eliminate confusion before it turns into a phone call or email.
Should a requirement have a clearer title? Would a short description answer a common question? Does a bucket name reflect the language your institution actually uses? Would reorganizing blocks make the audit easier to follow? Those decisions may not change the calculation, but they absolutely change the experience.
I’ve worked with institutions where a few thoughtful changes to bucket names, requirement descriptions, or audit organization dramatically reduced confusion. The curriculum did not change. The way it was presented did. Those are some of my favorite projects because they improve the experience for every student and advisor who opens the audit.
Degree Works Should Communicate, Not Just Calculate
Students already rely on Degree Works to understand their academic progress. That makes it one of the best places to communicate information they need throughout their academic journey.
Localized messaging can explain institutional policies before students have questions. Requirement descriptions can provide additional guidance around electives, transfer coursework, residency requirements, or graduation expectations. Header text can highlight important milestones without requiring students to visit another office or search another application.
When information is presented where students are already looking, advising conversations become more productive because everyone begins with the same understanding. The goal should be to reduce the number of times a student or advisor has to leave Degree Works to answer a basic question. Every piece of meaningful information that can be surfaced within the audit creates a better overall experience.
Maintenance Should Include More Than Curriculum Updates: What If Analysis and Future Courses
Many institutions think of Degree Works maintenance as updating curriculum whenever a new catalog is published. That work is certainly part of keeping the system healthy, but it is only one piece of the picture.
A periodic review of your Degree Works environment can uncover capabilities that have been available for years but have never been revisited. This type of Degree Works customization is less about making major changes and more about making sure the system continues to reflect how your institution works today. Controller properties, dashboard options, localized headings, student header information, block organization, and display settings are all worth evaluating as advising needs evolve. For a practical checklist of what to review during these periodic assessments, our post on summer Degree Works optimization walks through the most impactful maintenance tasks.
It is also a good opportunity to review the What If Analysis audit. Are students only seeing valid degree, major, and concentration combinations? Have filters been applied so they are not exploring program combinations your institution doesn’t actually offer? Is the list of available programs current? Taking the time to review those options creates a better experience for students and reduces unnecessary advising questions.
Another feature worth revisiting is Future Courses. It is easy to overlook, but it gives students and advisors a way to model planned coursework before registration or while discussing different academic paths. Many institutions have this functionality available but rarely encourage students or advisors to use it. With just a little awareness, it can become a valuable planning tool instead of a feature that quietly sits unused.
I’ve found that these reviews rarely end with a long list of major changes. More often, they uncover several smaller opportunities that, together, make Degree Works noticeably easier to use. The questions during these reviews are usually straightforward. Does the audit still communicate clearly? Are advisors finding the information they need without opening multiple systems? Could naming conventions better reflect your campus language? Are there features available today that were never configured or have been forgotten over time? Those conversations almost always uncover opportunities to improve the experience without changing the underlying curriculum logic.
Getting More From the Degree Works You Already Own Through Degree Works Customization
One of the biggest opportunities we see is not replacing Degree Works or adding new technology. It is helping institutions get more value from the investment they have already made.
A good place to start is identifying the areas that generate the most questions. Every institution has a handful of programs that advisors know will require extra explanation. They may have complex electives, multiple concentrations, transfer nuances, curriculum exceptions, or requirements that students consistently struggle to understand.
Rather than trying to improve every audit at once, some institutions have found success by creating a list of their ten most challenging programs and focusing there first. Those are usually the audits that generate the most emails, advising appointments, and registrar questions. Improving those experiences creates an immediate impact for both students and staff.
It becomes a classic 90/10 situation. Most Degree Works audits perform exactly as expected and require very little attention. A relatively small group of programs tends to consume the majority of support time because they are more complex, less intuitive, or have evolved over many years. Focusing on those programs first allows institutions to make meaningful improvements without feeling overwhelmed by the scope of the project.
I always tell clients that they do not have to tackle everything at once. Start with the programs that create the most confusion. Once those audits are easier to understand, the value of those improvements is felt almost immediately by students, advisors, and registrar staff.
At David Kent Consulting, we regularly help colleges and universities review their Degree Works environments to identify opportunities for Ellucian Degree Works customization and optimization. Sometimes the recommendations involve features that have never been configured. Other times they involve improving the way requirements are presented, reviewing Controller properties, reorganizing audits, or making better use of functionality that has been available all along. The goal is not to make Degree Works more complicated. The goal is to help institutions get more value from the Degree Works they already own. Learn more about our Degree Works consulting services.
Ellucian Degree Works is one of the few systems that nearly every student and advisor interacts with throughout the academic journey. When the audit communicates clearly, reflects your institution’s language, and surfaces the information people need most, it becomes much more than a list of completed courses. Small changes really can create a better student and advisor experience.
Key Takeaways
- Review Controller properties to localize headings, labels, bucket names, and instructional text.
- Customize the student header to surface information advisors and students use every day.
- Remember that good scribing is about presentation and communication, not just accurate calculations.
- Periodically review your What If Analysis options to ensure only valid program combinations are available.
- Promote the Future Courses feature as a planning tool for students and advisors.
- Focus improvement efforts on the handful of programs that generate the most questions before tackling every audit.
- Revisit your Degree Works configuration regularly to take advantage of features that may be underused or never implemented.
- Small, thoughtful changes can significantly improve the student and advisor experience.
- Ensure Banner data alignment supports the customization efforts. Degree Works display improvements are only effective when the underlying data from Banner is clean and well-timed.
Continue Exploring Degree Works Best Practices
Looking for more ways to get the most from your Degree Works investment? These resources dive deeper into optimization, maintenance, reporting, and long-term success.
- Summer Is the Perfect Time for Degree Works Housekeeping
Practical maintenance tasks to keep your audits accurate and your environment healthy. - Choosing the Right Degree Works Consulting Firm
What to look for when evaluating experience, technical expertise, and higher education knowledge. - Degree Works Reporting and Operational Assessments
How reporting and operational reviews can uncover process improvements across advising and the registrar’s office. - Banner Integration Support
Why clean Banner data and strong integration are critical to accurate degree audits.
Frequently Asked Questions: Degree Works
The What If Analysis in Degree Works allows students and advisors to model how a student’s completed coursework would apply toward a different major, minor, concentration, or degree program. It produces a hypothetical audit without changing the student’s actual program. Institutions should periodically review their What If Analysis configuration to ensure only valid program combinations are available and that filters reflect current academic offerings.
Degree Works audit accuracy depends on the quality of Banner data, how well scribing logic reflects current catalog requirements, the timeliness of curriculum updates, and whether configuration settings like Controller processing and extract timing are properly maintained. When all of these elements are aligned, Degree Works produces highly accurate audits. Regular review helps maintain accuracy over time.
Degree Works helps students by (1) providing a clear, real-time view of their progress toward graduation, including completed, in-progress, and remaining requirements; (2) offering What If Analysis and Future Courses tools for academic planning and scenario modeling; and (3) surfacing important institutional information like advisor contacts, graduation guidance, and registration reminders through customized dashboard content and student headers.
Yes. Advisors with appropriate security roles can view student Degree Works audits, including the full degree audit, What If scenarios, and student header information. The level of access depends on how user classes and security keys are configured within the Degree Works Controller. Institutions can customize what advisors see, including notes, exception history, and planning tools.
Ellucian Degree Works customization can significantly improve the student and advisor experience without changing any curriculum or underlying audit logic. Configuration options include localizing headings and bucket names through Controller properties, customizing the student header to display advising-relevant information, adjusting dashboard content and messaging, reviewing What If Analysis filters, and promoting underutilized features like Future Courses and the Student Educational Planner (SEP).
About the Author
Nicole Parker is a higher education student systems consultant with David Kent Consulting, specializing in Ellucian Banner Student and Degree Works. She works closely with Registrars, advising teams, and IT departments to ensure that academic policy, student records, and degree audit systems work together accurately and efficiently.
Nicole’s work often focuses on translating academic policy into system logic – from curriculum configuration and degree audit scribing to student record management and system governance. She frequently helps institutions navigate upgrades, improve audit accuracy, and align Banner and Degree Works configuration with the real-world needs of Registrar and Student Services offices.
Nicole regularly collaborates with institutions across the country and attends higher education technology conferences to stay current on emerging student system practices, bringing those insights back to institutional partners and colleagues.
Let’s Make Degree Works – and Your Student Systems – Work for You
At David Kent Consulting, we help higher education institutions connect the dots between Banner Student, Degree Works, academic policy, and student services operations.
Whether you’re preparing for a Degree Works upgrade, reviewing audit accuracy, implementing Student Educational Planner, or simply trying to ensure your Banner configuration supports advising and student success, our team brings both functional and technical experience to the table.
We understand the reality of Registrar and Student Services environments – where academic policy, student records, technology, and advising workflows all intersect.
Our team can help with:
Degree Works configuration reviews and optimization
Audit accuracy and scribe troubleshooting
Banner Student configuration and policy alignment
Post-upgrade health checks and feature reviews
Advising and student planning functionality
Governance and long-term system strategy
Because in higher education, the goal isn’t just having systems that run.
It’s having systems that reflect institutional policy, support advisors, and earn the trust of students and staff who rely on them every day.
If you’re curious about what might be possible – or what might be quietly holding your systems back – we’d love to talk.
Contact David Kent Consulting to start the conversation.
